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The Fallen Idol (Criterion Collection)

Ralph Richardson (Actor), Michèle Morgan (Actor), Andy Kelleher (Director), Carol Reed (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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In the impressive filmography of British director Carol Reed, The Fallen Idol is sandwiched between Odd Man Out and The Third Man--the second of three consecutive masterpieces (adapted by Graham Greene from his short story "The Basement Room") by a filmmaker at the peak of his artistic powers. Of those three, The Fallen Idol is the most delicately subdued, but it's a flawlessly plotted thriller that achieves considerable tension through the psychology of its characters. By telling the story through the eyes of a child, the plot gains even greater urgency as a variation on the theme of "the boy who cried wolf," as young Phillipe (Bobby Henrey)--the 8-year-old son of the French ambassador to England--struggles to clear his beloved embassy butler Baines (Ralph Richardson) from being wrongfully accused of murder.

Baines is burdened with a shrewish, overbearing wife (Sonia Dresdel) whose rigid, disciplinarian control of Phillipe sets the stage for suspense; when Mrs. Baines dies in a terrible fall on the embassy staircase, her husband (who has been having a secret affair with an embassy typist) is the prime suspect. Phillipe, caught between his love for Baines and his suspicion of the butler's guilt, tries to convince investigators of Baines's innocence. But the boy's pleas are ignored, and The Fallen Idol expertly plays on the child's good but woefully misguided intentions. In Reed's visual strategy, a simple paper airplane can become the focus of almost unbearable suspense, and as incriminating evidence builds a strong case against Baines, Reed maintains that suspense to the final moments of the film. Low-key and yet still highly effective, the film received Oscar nominations for Reed's direction and Greene's adapted screenplay. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

The Fallen Idol was the first of three collaborations between director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene, who would later team up on the legendary The Third Man, and is a small masterpiece itself. An elegant, thrilling balancing act of suspense and farce, this tale of the fraught relationship between a boy and his beloved butler, whom the child eventually believes might be guilty of murder, is a visually and verbally dazzling knockout with enough tricks up its sleeve to stand with the best of early Hitchcock.

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5.0 out of 5 stars "Some lies are just kindness." July 19 2011
By Kona TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
The "idol" is Baines (Ralph Richardson), the butler in the French embassy in London and the ambassador's little son, Philippe (Bobby Henrey), is the one who loves and worships him. Baines is devoted to the boy and never tires of spending time him, regaling him with tall tales that Philippe believes, of course. One day, Baines asks Philippe to keep a big secret from the hateful Mrs. Baines and this secret eventually changes all of their lives.

This is a wonderful movie. Richardson is flawless and little Bobby Henrey gives one of the very best child performances ever. He is completely natural, a real boy who dotes on his pet snake and would do anything for Baines, and acts in both English and French. The story is a domestic drama turned homicide investigation and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Heartily recommended.
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5.0 out of 5 stars brilliantly crafted film Aug 27 2008
By J. Schacker
Format:DVD
This is one of my all-time favorite films, right up there with Reed's next film, "The Third Man." The plot is compelling and suspenseful (thanks to Graham Greene's brilliance) but it is the cinematography, perfect casting and, most of all, Reed's direction that makes this film interesting on more levels and in more ways than I can list. This is a subtle, smart film, beautifully shot.
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5.0 out of 5 stars She killed McGregor Dec 25 2006
By bernie TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
Little Phillipe (Bobby Henrey), the ambassador's son has free rein of the embassy while his father is away. His best friend the butler Baines (Ralph Richardson) and the nasty, gripy, strict, Mrs. Baines (Sonia Dresdel) look after him.

One day he finds that Baines sneaks out to visit his "niece" Julie (Michèle Morgan) who just happens to be an embassy secretary. It becomes a secret. But you know who weasels it out of the boy and replaces it with her secret.

A confrontation peruses and some one is found dead. The boy is pretty sure who did it and decides that is a secret.

The boy decided the Mr. Baines is bad but is told:
Baines "We should be very careful Phil; because we make one another",
Phillipe "I thought god made us?",
Baines "Trouble is we take a hand in the game."

Phillipe now knows the danger in secrets and the departing detective asks "Do you want to know a secret?"
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Based on a story by Graham Greene. And directed by Carol Reed the criterion collection has some good 2006 DVD supplements.
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