User reviews

"Middle of the Night" was a surprise for me both before and after I saw it on Turner Classic Movies on a dreary Sunday morning. Before because the subject matter made me raise an eyebrow, and after, because I was genuinely shocked at how involved and absorbed I became in the story and how it made me feel a little guilty about my beforehand perceptions.

The movie stars two of the cinema's finest—Fredric March and Kim Novak—as lovers separated in age by thirty years. Novak is March's secretary. He owns a big business, his wife has died, and his children are all married and having families of their own. Novak, by contrast, has divorced her husband of three years and is still trying to recover from it as well as a feeling of not being wanted or loved. March comforts her as almost a father figure, they become friends, and then despite protests and age differences, become romantically involved.

Now the premise of this actually had me a little creeped out at beginning. And there were some parts in the first third of the movie that made me shudder a bit, but immediately after that, the story become involving and beautiful and sad and just the opposite of what I was expecting. Yes, Fredric March and Kim Novak aren't exactly like two peas in a pod in terms as a screen couple, but that was the psychology and genius of this movie. True, the idea of a man romancing a woman thirty years his junior seems a little…off-putting, but the way the filmmakers and performers work it, it becomes genuinely powerful.

March is not made over into being some kind of a creepy middle-aged sexual predator. And Novak is not presented as a freeloader or a sex object. Rather, these two characters are worked into being completely sentimental and sympathetic human beings and well into the story, I could actually believe they were in love and I feared for the outcome of their relationship. Now those creepy feelings I had? That was personified by the supporting characters. Novak's family saw March as a middle-aged sexual predator and March's saw Novak as a slattern out to get herself into a big home. The supporting characters essentially represent what the audience—including me—thought about the movie at the beginning and about the premise. And believe me, I felt guilty when I realized this. The movie works because it's not about lust or sex, but about love and affection and the irresistible longing for companionship. And that's why the relationship between March and Novak becomes moving. They say "I love you" to each other and we believe they are saying it from the deepest regions of their hearts and souls. They don't want each other for their physical appearances, they want each other for something that lies beneath the surface. And that is what love is.

Performances all around are excellent. Fredric March, one of the screen's legends, is excellent at creating a character portrait of a grieving, lonely man. And Kim Novak is even better at generating sympathy with her portrayal of a woman seeking love for who she is. These are typically the roles that Kim Novak was given during her golden era in the 1950s (other roles include "Picnic", "Pal Joey", and of course, her best film "Vertigo") and she played them well, partially because she was able, more in some cases and less than others, play herself and what she wanted people to see of her: a human being and not just something pretty to look at and to want lustily. Kim Novak is my personal favorite actress and one of the most underrated actresses who ever lived.

In the end, although I was at first unsure if I could approve of a movie like "Middle of the Night", I am not afraid to admit at the end, having seen it in its entirety, that I was amazed and absorbed by the story. I believed in the romance between the two characters, I was not uneasy looking at them together, and by the end, I felt really sick in my stomach from all of the sympathy that my heart had generated in the past two hours. The movie is rare and hard to find, perhaps because its subject matter isn't that all appealing *on the surface*, but the movie is well worth your time if you ever have the opportunity to see it.

Screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky adapted his own play about an elderly workaholic (Fredric March, in a stupendous performance) who reaches out to a beautiful woman half his age...but she's got problems of her own, beginning with her shaky self-confidence. Their sometimes-rocky, sometimes-tender courtship provides the basis for this lovely film. As the sad beauty, Kim Novak has seldom been better (it's amazing that professional critics at the time failed to see the growth in Novak as an actress here, focusing all their attention on March, who indeed is terrific). Great N.Y.C. locations, fine support from the always-reliable Lee Grant. Well worth-seeing. *** from **** (Relatively forgotten for years, the movie made its DVD debut August 2010 as part of a Novak collection.)

This movie is a great, low-budget film with on-location shots of New York. The plot is timeless and the performers good all round. Frederic March is the 56 year-old widower who owns a sweatshop in New York and falls for one of his workers, Kim Novak - one of the leading ladies of the day - who just finished her role as Madeleine in Hitchcock's Vertigo. March's love for Betty (Novak) reawakens in him a spirit that has been missing since his wife died several years before. His sister, who moved in with him, is trying to match him with someone his age but March has no use for her efforts. Then, when he falls for a very young woman, he brings down the wrath of both his sister and his beloved daughter.

Like Marty, another film by director Delbert Mann, the plot involves the lovelorn trying to find love only to be restrained by the expectations of family. The one person who takes his side is his son-in-law, played by Martin Balsam. The movie also features the stalwart New York actor Lee Grant, as a friend of his daughter. Paddy Chayefsky wrote the script which was originally a teleplay. It is greatly enhanced by the street scenes. Contemporary audiences might find it lacking because it is not an action movie. However, it translates very well to the screen and the location shooting of Manhattan in the snow and rain fits the mood. The dialogue, acting and the brooding atmosphere are enhanced by the music of George Bassman. Middle of the Night is still a watchable film that has aged well. I look forward to seeing it again.

that I taped years ago and watch every so often. It's a good thing I did as it is not yet available on either VHS or DVD. The first time I ever saw this movie on television was way back when I was a teenager and I was babysitting. It's one of those movies where each time I watch it I see things I missed before; either in someone's performance or in the way a scene is filmed or something else. Fredric March is just flawless as a self-made businessman and widower in his fifties and Kim Novak is edgy as the beautiful but damaged and insecure young woman working at his company. Everyone calls her somnambulistic, but in this movie I could feel her nerves jump right through her skin at times. I thought she was very good in the role. I have to mention that one of my favorite characters in it is the son-in-law, Jack, played by Martin Balsam--a fantastic actor, of course, but he is so great in this, that, although he's not in many scenes--he just knocks me over every time I watch it. The characters all sound so true to life, of course, because they were written by Paddy Chayefsky. I found the subject matter fascinating and believable and although the standout performance was definitely that of Fredric March, playing all facets of a mature man, all actors involved were right on the mark. When WILL they make this movie available on VHS or DVD? My home-made tape looks crummy, I admit it! (And the movie is hardly ever shown on television any more) Anyway, this is one of my favorite 100 films.

Solid drama of older March falling for young insecure Kim. Both leads are excellent and present their flawed but decent characters simply. Kim was in her peak years and having just come off of Vertigo is a neurotic mess, probably a spill over from that experience but it fits her part. The people in their lives are shown in dark tones, a little heavily so, perhaps to illustrated the disapproval of society to such a relationship in the 50's. It does lend a heavy air to the film though since almost without exception they are a smothering and cruel bunch. Paddy Chayevsky's plays are usually intense emotional exercises but Mann keeps a steady hand on the tiller and the actors make the troubled lovers plight poignant.

I actually watched this in the middle of the night on one of those evenings where you fall asleep too early, then wake up and can't get back to sleep. As a veteran film buff and a huge fan of Director Delbert Mann and writer Paddy Chayefsky, I am surprised that I never heard of this very New York 1950's slice-of-real-life family drama with a May-December romance between Kim Novak (Betty) and Frederic March (Jerry Kingsley) as its Centerpiece.

As with Marty, the movie centers around the way that fiends of family members with concerns and pre-set notions of "what should be" of their own and reject the budding and heartfelt romance between two very lonely and insecure people who have just recently experienced trauma (divorce of husband and death of wife). The supporting turns by those trying to scuttle the relationship including Joan Copeland, Lee Grant, and Glenda Farrell among many others are terrific. On the supportive side, my favorite performance in the film was by Albert Dekker has March's long-time business partner. He advises March to reach out and hold on to the special relationship he has with both arms. He also has the film's best line saying, "When I die, they should write on my tombstone, What a Waste of Time!" Martin Balsam is also supportive as daughter Copeland's husband who supports Jerry's relationship and gets it with both barrels from his wife. The most surprising performance to me was from Lee Philips who I thought was awful in the two TV show guest appearances I saw him do before deciding that directing TV shows was a more suitable endeavor for him. Here, I found him perfect for his role and incredibly convincing as Betty's ex-husband who wants her back and at a minimum wants another sexual conquest of her. He's a smooth cad without being unctuous or obvious in any way and provides a stunning counterpoint to every other character in the film. He knows what he wants and is determined to get it regardless of whether it is what his ex-wife wants.

I always considered Novak underrated in Picnic and she's even better here. She conveys an insecurity mixed with determination about Betty that is as delicate a balancing act as I've ever seen. She wants to trust her love for Jerry but is so fragile she can't trust herself to be worthy of his love. At the same time, she loves the way he makes her feel special and finds that so different from everyone else in her life, she's willing to navigate the venom and BS thrown at her by all her friends and relatives. It's an incredibly complex and simple performance at the same time. I was almost awestruck.

All fairly compelling so far, right? So why didn't I give this a 9 or a 10 (Marty is a 10 in my book and a 10+ if IMDb would allow such a rating)? March's chemistry with Novak does not match hers with him in far too many of their scenes. March, of course, is a magnificent and accomplished actor who has given some of the most memorable performances on film (my favorite 0 Best Years of Our Lives). But he also can over-emote and connect more with the camera than with his love interest at times. Unfortunately, that happens here quite a bit. And his jealousy borne-out-of-insecurity seems to express itself too self-righteously given hid character and feelings - at least to me. When he allows himself to make eye contact with Betty, it is like day from night. In those scenes, the romance seems and feels genuine even when they are having rough spots (such as in the car toward the early middle of the film). On the other hand, March's chemistry with his threatened sister and with daughter Joan Copeland is perfect. He just seems to prefer the camera to Novak when his character is starting to convince himself that the doubters are right. These disconnections do not by an means ruin the film for me. I enjoyed it and wish to watch it again. It just stops it from being a classic for me.

I still recommend watching it - especially if you love Marty.

Unlike a lot of soapy relationship dramas from the late '50s filmed in sturdy, widescreen Technicolor, this gruff little movie actually has a pulse that still resonates! The dialog, the real NYC settings, the no frills though excellent black & white photography, the energetically committed performances of Novak and March (and everyone else) are a revelation. Some of the characters could have stepped out of a movie from today with hardly a change of appearance or attitude, such as Lee Grant. The technical and creative side of the film is refreshing for the era--just watch the scene in what looks like natural, overcast winter light as Novak and March laugh and joke as they approach a cabin. Feels so alive and spontaneous, minus any glossy photography or stilted direction. This film really breathes! And if there's music (I actually didn't notice),it's very subtle and doesn't hammer away and distract. Novak is at her very best--previously she seemed rather held in and expressionless to me, but this completely explodes that perception. And though March had a tendency to overact in his career, his tormented emoting here seems understandable. We really feel his pain and anxiety. This movie deserves wider attention.

As others have noted, Frederic March's superb performance is the centerpiece of this well-done drama of the ups and downs of a romance between a 56-year old garment manufacturer and the 24-year old receptionist at his firm. Another plus is the seamless integration of location shooting in NYC and in the studio.

This piece was originally done on Broadway with Edward G. Robinson in the March role and Gena Rowlands in the role played here by Kim Novak. Martin Balsam and Lee Phillips (as the young woman's musical ex-husband) repeated their stage roles in the film. For me, Novak's performance is sometimes good (her scene with Lee Grant, for example); other times you can see the effort and calculation she brings to the scenes and her acting comes off as artificial. Big emotional scenes always seem to tax her as an actress. I've never been a big fan of Novak's, and while this is one of her better efforts, she was never a first-class actress (and certainly not in Rowlands' league).

However, I don't think Novak really hurts the film much, and March and the rest of the cast more than make up for it. Of course, Balsam's big scene where he tells off his wife/March's daughter (played by Joan Copeland, Arthur Miller's sister) is Chayevsky at his most obvious - you can see it and the wife's hypocrisy coming a mile away. But there's not a false note in March's performance, which is certainly one of his finest ever. It's hard to believe he didn't at least get an Oscar nomination for this film - especially considering who won that year (Heston for "Ben-Hur").

I saw this 20 odd years ago on broadcast/cable television. That is one of the reasons why I think this is a great movie; I did not see it in 1959, as it made an impression on me in the forgettable late 80's! It may have been TNT in 1988 or AMC when it started back in the mid 80's. It has stuck with me all these years, and I have been hoping it would come out on VHS/DVD. Kim Novak was a favorite, but Frederich March, even at the end of his career was extraordinary. Novak was ALWAYS good; March was even better. It being filmed in B&W made the relationship between two unlikely lovers even more 'special.' I've always compared this Novak performance with that Technicolor architect movie which escapes me; Novak did it with Kirk Douglas. It was great also, but this is much more touching. All you Novak fans need to find this one. You MUST.

In the third (Marty, Bachelor Party) and final writer director collaboration between Paddy Chayefsky and Delbert Mann we are treated to more of the pervasive melancholia that informs the two previous relationship driven stories. Featuring an outstanding late career performance by Fredric March it's stodgy pacing and inconsistent acting job from headliner Kim Novak blunt the film's power.

Garment district denizen and widower Jerry Kingsley distracts from his lonely personal life by immersing himself in his work and avoiding the advice of friends and family matchmakers. Unintentionally he finds himself falling for his receptionist/model 24 year old conflicted Betty Preisser (Novak), presently in the throes of trying to come to terms with re-uniting with an old beau. The relationship takes off but hurdles on both sides exist with the May December match and the link up remains in doubt.

Middle of the Night is a reheated teleplay stretched to feature length under the direction of Delbert Mann whose mise enscene wanders little from its stage though some long takes do an excellent job of fleshing out Kingsly. March delivers throughout as a weary widower with incredibly powerful moments with family, co-workers (Albert Dekker, Edith Meiser, Lee Grant) and a phone call where he summons the courage to request a date only to find out the woman is about to be married. He has additional powerful moments with Novak who however does not reciprocate with an erratic at times overwrought performance that forces Mann to rely more on editing than the more successful lengthier single take scenes where March stretches. Less abrasive than The Bachelor Party, Night like much of Mann's work has more than its share of slow sections but March's well measured performance is in the same league as Mann's Oscar winners Borgnine and Niven making it well worth the watch.

This searing drama by Paddy Chayefsky offers great roles for Kim Novak and Fredric March as a mismatched couple battling their families to maintain a fragile relationship. The trouble is he's 56 and she's 24.

March plays a tough, self-made businessman in New York's garment district. He's been alone since his wife died a year before and he has a pretty office girl (Novak) who's still recovering from a divorce. Both are emotionally fragile and unsure of themselves.

March lives with his bossy, old-maid sister and has a vulgar business partner who talks about nothing but his sexual conquests. Novak lives with her mother and sister and doesn't know what she wants. She's attracted to March's money and maturity but at first somehow repulsed by his sexual attentions.

They secretly date and fall into an uneasy alliance against the storm they know will come from family.

March and Novak are just superb in this gritty romantic drama. He swings between emotional highs and realistic lows facing the reality that Novak is younger than his daughter. Novak has a gnawing attraction for her no-good ex-husband that won't go away yet she wants the protection of a man in her life. They are realistic, sympathetic, and desperate.

The supporting cast offers top-notch performances. Lee Grant has a great scene as Novak's neighbor, nagging her about marrying an old man. Glenda Farrell as Novak's mother is also excellent as she rails against March and the inequities of life. Joan Copeland offers a fascinating portrait of neuroses as March's clinging daughter. Edith Meiser is solid as March's older sister. Martin Balsam simmers as Copeland's ignored husband. Albert Dekker is good as the vulgar partner. And then there's Betty Walker, best remembered as a stand-up comic, giving a great performance as a desperate widow interested in March.

Each performance was Oscar worthy. March received a Golden Globe nomination. Novak has stated this was her best and favorite performance.

Young divorcee Betty Preisser (Kim Novak) works as a secretary in a NYC garment factory. She lives with her mother Mrs. Mueller and her sister Alice Mueller. Her much older boss Jerry Kingsley (Fredric March) is a widower of almost two years. He has married daughter Lillian at about the same age as Betty with a baby and protective spinster sister Evelyn. The women try matchmaking for him and he's not happy about it. He falls for the troubled Betty who reluctantly starts dating her boss despite objections from both of their families.

May to December romances were probably more in fashion back in the day, not to mention the power imbalance of a worker and her employer. I'm not feeling this romance and I don't see the chemistry between the two actors. Quite frankly, she's Kim Novak. This is written from the man's point of view. He's bitter and she's pathetic. He's sad so he deserves a hottie. It may be a match but it's not made in heaven. It doesn't help that he calls her "you're such a pretty kid". At the very least, she could have a child and he could show some real kindness towards her kid. They are not the most compelling part of the movie. It's their family. The family complications are interesting. It's a Paddy Chayefsky play. It certainly has deep writing but the main premise is slightly problematic in today's HR. I don't feel for the relationship.

A previous comment says Fredric March was a 'mismatch' for Kim Novak. Ahh-hum.

Kim Novak was, as well cast as she was, lucky to be in the film with Fredric March. I think she was just 18 years old at the time the film was shot; and her natural innocence was the perfect foil for, not only one of the greatest screen actors of all time, but, in this film, also arriving as 'A Grand Old Man of the Theater' -a very rare accomplishment which mere age does not qualify.

The scene when Fredric March is silently sitting in the chair with mounting facial tremors and fingers atremble spreading a lap blanket as he so reluctantly resigns himself to dotage -until the phone rings and he, again, must become a man of action, is one of the greatest exhibitions of sheer acting power ever to exude on screen.

With Spencer Tracy, he would do it again as Matthew Harrison Brady in "Inherit the Wind", and still again as Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman."

Fredric March a "mismatch" for Kim Novak? Fredric March was an absolute powerhouse from the beginning of the movie to its climatic end, and Kim Novak (as the whole of the set) must have been absolutely awestruck by the time the chair scene was finished. I am sure she realized just how priviledged she was to be present amidst such genuine success-in-the-making; and I do believe it even shows when she tells Fredric March that she will marry him.

In any event, not only were there no mismatches, but the match of Fredric March with the director, Paddy Chayefsky was a very great one indeed -Paddy Chayefsky whose unpretentious films have always exuded the greatest humanity, and in this -perfectly matched film- so unpretentiously captured that success.

The team that brought you Marty, writer Paddy Chayefsky and director Delbert Mann brought Middle Of The Night to the big screen. It was first an original drama for television with E.G. Marshall and Eva Marie Saint for the Philco Playhouse. It then went to Broadway where it ran 477 performances in 1956-57 and starred Edward G. Robinson and Gena Rowlands with Joshua Logan directing.

Delbert Mann who did direct the original television play returns for the screen version and Paddy Chayefsky considerably expanded his play to accommodate for the screen. That was probably a most wise move by the producers.

The story is a March/September romance between Kim Novak, a young divorcée and widower Fredric March who seems to have settled down to a dull existence with work and his children's problems. Kim's a troubled girl herself, having been hurt a few times by men her own age maybe looking for a bit of stability which she sees in March.

March met certain criticism that he was not ethnic enough to play a middle aged Jewish businessman in the garment trade. But March overcomes the objections with talent honed over 40 years at that point. In fact he'd played an Italian father in one of the stories in It's A Big Country and done that well.

There's a really nice performance from Albert Dekker as a salesman in March's firm who makes no secret of his flagrant abuses of his marriage vows when on the road trying to sell. The character is more than borrowed from Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death Of A Salesman which March starred in on the screen.

It's a good film with a bad message, in fact I'm not sure what Chayefsky is trying to say. Basically it seems that he's saying get that trophy wife you rich old dudes and bear the problems that come with it. Novak causes March a good deal of headaches and if he marries her it's with the full realization a lot of heartaches are going to come with it. She's a lusty young girl with needs more than security and he's getting on in years. Need I say more.

Better March start dealing with a reputable escort agency.

Many years ago I caught this movie on the "Bill Kennedy at the movies" show. It was the film that turned me on to Frederick March and Kim Novak. Both were powerful in there roles. The subject matter, older man younger woman hasn't really been explored in film to the extent I think it warrants. "Lolita is another such film, but I'm hard pressed to come up with others. I would love to see this film again after all those years to see if it still holds up to my standard of excellence, but alas, it seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. I've watched for it on TCM and AMC, but I've never seen it listed. I don't know who owns the rights to it, but hope someday to see this film again.

The main plot idea of "Middle of the Night" is great. However, dare I say that Paddy Chayefsky's script isn't 100% satisfying?! After all, he was a brilliant writer and was responsible for such great productions as "Marty" and "Network". Yet, as I watched "Middle of the Night" I just felt that one of the characters really wasn't written well and because of this, the great message about so-called May-December marriages is muddled.

Frederic March plays a 60-something widower, Jerry. He's successful at his job but he's also rather lonely. While he doesn't initially consider dating her, his secretary Betty (Kim Novak) is lonely and they start spending time together. Eventually, they realize they are in love and want to get married. Then, they get all sorts of crap from their families--families who seem more concerned with keeping the status quo than wishing the best for these two lonely people.

March's character was the best thing in the film. It was a combination of excellent writing and excellent acting that made him a guy you could really care about. As for Novak's, she was much more difficult to relate to because she seemed very fragile emotionally and seemed in need of some therapy--and this really made their getting married a confusing thing. For most of the film, she really doesn't seem like she necessarily loves her fiancé but dates him to make him happy. And, much of the time, she seems to have no idea what she wants. Clarity in her character would have made for a better film. Instead, she just seemed very pretty but flaky.

In many ways, this film is like a reworking of "Marty"--a story of a lonely man whose friends and family seem to work hard to keep him alone and sad. My advice--just watch "Marty".

Enjoyed this story filmed in New York City involving a man named Jerry Kingsley, ( Fredric March) who owned a garment business in lower Manhattan. Jerry had recently lost his wife of many years and his family and friends wanted him to go out and meet other women. Jerry becomes interested in a very beautiful young blonde gal named Betty Preisser, (Kim Novak) who works in his office, and Betty is so young she could be his daughter. Once the family finds out about this relationship they strongly object, however, Betty and Jerry have the problem of finding out just what they want to do with their love and should they proceed and get married despite the difference in age. Great film, excellent acting and a gem of a story.

'Middle of the Night's' source material has a subject that does have the shock factor, that was true to life but quite daring to portray on film at that time. Have always admired films that deal with heavy subjects (and obsession definitely applies as one of those) and even more so films that execute these subjects uncompromisingly, have said that more than once and it is always worth repeating. Also have liked to loved a lot of Fredric March's performances, though not every performance of his worked.

His performance though does work and absolutely brilliantly, and will eleborate further later. On the most part, despite a few things that were lacking, 'Middle of the Night' was to me a good film with a lot great. It mostly does justice to its source material and Paddy Chayefsky adapts from his own play admirably if for quite not quite flawlessly. The subject is not toned down nor is it laid on too thick, even if it doesn't always excite.

Will begin with what doesn't quite work. The central chemistry doesn't ever completely fire on all cylinders, the problem is not the age difference (that is what adds to and is crucial to the shock factor) but more to do with that it doesn't always make sense or properly connects and unravels too quickly. Kim Novak also doesn't have or matches March's intensity, so that is another reason.

Chayefsky mostly does a good job with the adaptation in the writing department. 'Middle of the Night' can suffer though from being too talky and overwrought, common problems with stage to film adaptations (it has been done far worse elsewhere having said that). Plays are always talk heavy and the more melodramatic ones can be over-emoted, so it is somewhat inevitable in a way that they are common problems when it is not always easy to know what to trim or leave out.

On the other hand, March is outstanding, one of his greatest late performances, and the main reason to see 'Middle of the Night'. He has a complex, tortured character that he plays with intensity and poignancy without going overboard or being unintentionally creepy. Novak doesn't make her character's neuroses overwrought or annoying, when criticising her above it was not saying that her performance was bad as it is actually one of her better performances but it was in comparison to March. All the supporting cast are very good, especially Albert Dekker, Martin Balsam and Glenda Farrell in well suited roles. Mann also directs very smoothly.

The other outstanding asset is the photography, very rich in atmosphere and quite beautiful to watch while having the right amount of eerie grit. The locations are also atmosphere and don't look static. The music is hauntingly subtle when used. The script mostly is very thought-provoking, taut when necessary and the right wide range of emotions is here. Really appreciate films that have a pull no punches approach and 'Middle of the Night' certainly has that in a way that's powerful and unsettling.

In conclusion, not quite great but impresses in a lot of areas. 7/10