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Fallen Idol, The (re-release)
Universal acclaim
Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Foreign | Suspense/Thriller
Written by:
Graham Greene (also story The Basement Room)
Lesley Storm
William Templeton
Directed by: Carol Reed
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 10, 2006
DVD: November 7, 2006
Running Time: 95 minutes, B/W
Origin: UK
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Ralph Richardson, Michèle Morgan, Sonia Dresdel, Bobby Henrey, Denis O'Dea, Jack Hawkins, Walter Fitzgerald, and Dandy Nichols
Adapted from Graham Greene's story "The Basement Room" this 1948 film is told from the perspective of a child.
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site Film Forum Profile
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Washington Post Ann Hornaday
This is an example of a writer and director working in perfect harness, with Reed smoothly ratcheting up the story's suspense and Greene speculating on his cardinal theme of moral ambiguity. They don't make movies like The Fallen Idol anymore, all the more reason to see it now while you can.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Cinema does not get much better than this.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly John Patterson
One of the great movies about childhood innocence accidentally violated by adults...Reed, an often inconsistent filmmaker, handles the brutal mechanics of the plot superbly, with the marbled interiors of the embassy contrasting sharply with his almost neo-realist outdoor shots of postwar London.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
Of all the movies that try to take us into the mind and viewpoint of a child, Carol Reed's 1948 The Fallen Idol, adapted by Graham Greene from his short story, is one of the most ingenious.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan
The result is a gripping film which, despite the annoying rugrat, demonstrates how part of leaving childhood behind is learning how and when to lie, and to do it well.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
The Fallen Idol has been overshadowed by the noir comedy, giddy style, and Cold War thematics of Reed and Greene's subsequent sensation "The Third Man," but (in similarly dealing with the nature of betrayal) The Fallen Idol is actually a superior psychological drama.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
This is a fine example of British commercial filmmaking at its highest level of craftsmanship.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Ty Burr
Formally, the movie's a lasting pleasure: Reed's incisive direction; Greene's easy yet weighted dialogue; the farseeing deep-focus photography of Georges Perinal; Vincent Korda's luxuriant sets.
Read Full Review >Empire David Parkinson
It might be lesser known, but certainly not deservingly so. This is a cracking piece of Brit cinema.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Beautifully shot by the French cinematographer Georges Périnal (whose credits include Cocteau's "Blood of a Poet"), the film soon evolves from a claustrophobic domestic affair into a mordantly discomfiting look at the betrayal of innocence.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Dave Kehr
Graham Greene's screenplay is centered on the pivotal moment when a child first discovers sin, but the boy's perspective is neglected in favor of facile suspense structures and a thuddingly conventional whodunit finale.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Roger B. gave it a6:
Dull, slow moving movie. Can't believe, even a young kid would be as nieve and dumb as this kid. No one in the movie was exciting. Baines was a dullered. His girl friend was unbelievable. She was too young and pretty to be taken with the dullered Baines. The plot turned out more slapstick then suspenseful; but without the laughter.
Jim W. gave it a9:
Excellent performance by Richardson, tight script & editing. Release print here in Atlanta has soundtrack problems that sometimes made it difficult to understand dialogue.
DQ Slotkins gave it a10:
Another classic thiller from Carol Reed, director of The Third Man and Odd Man Out. I've been loving and waiting for this one to be released on DVD. Amazing film!
