Review of Middle of the Night (1959) by Allan C — 11 Apr 2014

Intelligent, though slow moving Paddy Chayefsky film adaptation of his play, directed by "Marty" director Delbert Mann. Fredric March plays a widowed middle age businessman who starts a relationship with a much younger Kim Novak.

March and Novak both learn lessons from one another, while everyone around them frowns upon and is suspicious of their relationship. It sounds like Douglas Sirk's "All that Heaven Allows," but if you know screenwriter Chayefsky's work, you know that your going to get more of naturalistic human drama rather than over-the-top melodrama.

I've never been a huge fan of March, but I love Novak and she gives a wonderful and complex performance. I remember recently watching "Jeanne Eagels" and wondering if Novak was out of her depth with heavy drama, but this film definitely reassured me that she is a strong actress who can deliver a complex and three dimensional character.

Overall, March and Novak's characters are well drawn and it's an intelligent script, but the pace of the film drags along to the film's inevitable conclusion.