Wait Until Dark (1982 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Suzy Hendrix Experience

[GroovyDoom · 7/10 · 7 June 2004]

I had fond memories of this "HBO Theater" presentation with Katharine Ross and Stacy Keach, a videotaped live presentation of the play on which the 1967 film was based. I can recall seeing this first before I ever saw the film, and for years I felt the film didn't live up to this version. Even though it's slightly static, seeing as the entire play is confined to just one set, the interaction between the characters was a lot more tense, especially the final act where Ross must confront the psychotic Keach.

Ross's character is Suzy Hendrix, blind but far from helpless. Her husband, Sam, encourages her to do things on her own, but she thinks he wants her to be the "champion blind woman". Her independence is put to the test when three shady characters invade the basement apartment that Suzy and Sam share in the East Village. They are looking for a doll that contains a cache of illegal drugs that have just been smuggled into the country. By chance, Sam has picked up the doll at the airport and has it in his possession, but the trio of villains can't find the doll themselves, so they must concoct an elaborate scheme to get Suzy to give it to them without letting on who they really are or why they want it.

Now having seen this again for the first time in over 20 years, I have to say it's a mixed bag. The "live" element of the play helps build some tension, but the acting overall is erratic. The supporting players, such as Joshua Bryant and Robin Gammell, are cartoonish in some places. Ross is very likable and vulnerable, yet she keeps her eyes wide with "blindness" and winds up looking zombified instead of terrified. Keach's performance in particular remains memorable. Alan Arkin played the part as a hood with a thick New York accent in the 1967 film; Keach's interpretation is quite different. His Roat is effeminate and mincing. Instead of being in control, he seems desperate and about to snap, launching into a delirious tirade at the climax and, for some inexplicable reason, suddenly applying cosmetics while tormenting Suzy until she gives him what he wants.

Natalie May plays the young girl Gloria, and her role is a little more significant here than in the movie. She holds her own with the adults very well, and if she's a little stilted, she successfully conveys a sense of adventure in what she's doing. I also like the set a lot here, it looks a lot like a real apartment might look in Greenwich Village.

This version of "Wait Until Dark" seems lost to the ages. The story itself is dated, and it seems unlikely that this kind of scheme would really unfold the way it does in the play; I'm not sure how you could set this story in modern times, since Caller ID has all but wrecked the prospect of making anonymous phone calls. Still, it is very entertaining.

"This is a doll even grown-ups would like to have!"

[MissSimonetta · 7/10 · 21 August 2019]

The 1967 WAIT UNTIL DARK is one of my favorite movies and as is the case with anything I enjoy, I have to go-all-in with reading about it. After falling in love with the movie, I snapped up a copy of the play and wanted to see a production. There are plenty of amateur productions on YouTube of varying quality, but this televised version with Katharine Ross and Stacy Keach intrigued me. I finally found a copy online, albeit ripped from a VHS recording.

As far as filmed theater goes, this is solid. Sometimes there are close ups for effect, but we generally see all the action onstage. Lighting is exceptional, particularly during the climax, and the music, while not as memorable as what Mancini did in the '67 movie, is slasher-like and appropriate (though there's a weird intrusion of jazzy muzak during the intermission). I also have to give a shout-out to the way this version portrays the famous "jump scare": instead of having Roat leap onto Susy, he emerges from the shadows suddenly, which is no less startling than a jump, which runs the risk of coming off as cheesy.

The supporting cast is adequate, with leads Katharine Ross and Stacy Keach getting much of the best material. Ross is a tough, almost stoic Susy, very understated in her approach to the character. She is the opposite of Keach. Keach is rather dynamic as Roat, going from merely uncanny to outright batty in the last scene. He's the Roat the 80s needed, I guess: coked up to the nines! Some might say he's too over the top, but I think the theatricality works for a villain who views himself as an actor and director, much like the psycho-rapist Alex in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE views himself as a musician, kicking victims in time with "Singin' in the Rain."

To be honest, I prefer the '67 movie to the play. The movie actually changes a lot of dialogue, making it snappier (I really miss Roat's "topsy-turvy" speech in the blackout scene), and alters so many minor details as to leave it with a rather different feel than the original script (Susy taking out the lights herself in a terrified bought of resourcefulness, for instance, rather than having Gloria there to help her). I have to admit I also miss the movie's scenes of the crooks plotting in their Volkswagen outside the apartment. I always felt those scenes actually added to the suspense in showing their gradual frustration with Susy's dawning intelligence of the situation, as well as showing the in-fighting among themselves.

Even the casting of the delicate-looking Audrey Hepburn adds a lot to the terror value of the movie version, something I never quite got with Ross. Ross is good, coming off very much as a wholesome woman next door who must contend with lethal forces, but Hepburn's characterization seems fuller to me and much more vulnerable. Her arc is stronger. I was never as scared for Ross, who does not seem as traumatized as Hepburn is by the car accident which blinded her or as poignantly insecure in her marriage.

Regardless of my preference, this forgotten version deserves at least a wider audience, as it has its charms (for me, namely Keach going bonkers), and gives those deprived of the chance to see the play live an opportunity to look at a professional rendition. Unlike playwright Frederick Knott's DIAL M FOR MURDER, WAIT UNTIL DARK has not had several televised performances over the years, so this is about all we're ever likely to get in that regard.

Chilling Play

[Stapa-Bomar · 10/10 · 15 March 2004]

This version of Wait Until Dark is actually a stage play, which I believe is the original format of which the 1967 film is based. This was the first version I ever saw, it was shown on HBO repeatedly in the early 80's. It has been over 20 years since I have seen it, so it's only fuzzy memories that I can reflect upon. I believe it to be the same plot as the film version, which is basically a few men trying to get back a loaded teddy bear from a blind woman (Suzy) who knows nothing about it.

There were many things about the story that I have always enjoyed. One thing was the teamwork required to manipulate Suzy. Also, Suzy's determination & will to go on during frightening circumstances. Another aspect of the story that I enjoyed was the varying degrees of evil within the bad guys.

The chilling music was another standout of this version. I recommend it, now if only I could find it somewhere.