332:, Jane finds Cathy's corpse. Paul manages to corner Jane in the woods, but she beats him in the face with a rock. At the edge of the abandoned trailer park, Jane finds the gendarme. Thankful to find the man she thinks will help her, she embraces him, but the gendarme begins to fondle her sexually. He then violently sexually assaults her, revealing himself to be the perpetrator. Jane attempts to fend him off, and is rescued by an injured Paul, who hits the gendarme with a large branch.
677:"were all films obviously rushed into production to get the studio shipshape again: Forbes couldn’t afford the luxury of waiting for the off-beat, or chancing an untested project. But it might have been better if he had. The three films were released ‘back to back’ (i.e. following each other in consecutive weeks) across the country — as E.M.I. had then no West End ‘showcase’ cinema — and coincided with the World Cup football play-offs, a heat wave, and a general election."
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to continue on alone. Jane soon arrives at a rural roadside cafe, where the proprietor, Madame Lassal, warns her that the area is dangerous and that she should not be travelling alone. Meanwhile, Cathy, still sunbathing, becomes unnerved and senses she is being watched. Upon trying to leave, she finds that someone has destroyed the wheel of her bicycle. Moments later, she is confronted by an unseen assailant.
299:. While having lunch at a busy restaurant, Cathy notices a handsome man drinking alone at an adjacent table. Shortly after the women depart, the man also leaves the cafe on a Lambretta scooter. On a country road surrounded by farmland, the women are passed by the man on his scooter. Several minutes later, the women pass by him as he rests by a cemetery.
587:(another EMI movie) "the cinema and distribution arms of the company showed no great enthusiasm for either film. Purely from a commercial standpoint it seemed an irresponsible waste of the shareholders’ money. Properly marketed with a little imagination and given a chance to succeed, their fate could have been quite different."
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Running through the town on foot, Jane finally locates the residence of the gendarme, and explains what has occurred. The gendarme goes to investigate the scene, leaving Jane alone at his residence. Paul arrives at the house, but Jane refuses to open the door. When he breaks into the gendarme's home,
649:
Clemens was involved in producing and storyboarding the film, and said it inspired him to try directing. He later commented, "My business partner (Albert
Fennell) said 'You should have directed it' and suddenly I thought 'Yeah, perhaps I should have done'. I knew I could have directed it better." He
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Clemens said "after deciding to do a thriller we made things difficult for ourselves by insisting that all the action take place in broad daylight... It's very easy to frighten people in the dark because darkness itself is frightening but we thought it would be nice to frighten people in daylight."
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and report Cathy's disappearance. En route, the schoolmistress tells Jane the unsolved murder occurred in the same wooded area from which Cathy vanished. Unable to locate the gendarme, Jane returns to the roadside cafe and asks Madam Lassal for help, but she again urges Jane to leave the area. Jane
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As the women pass through a small village, they encounter the man again. Cathy, who has grown tired of cycling, decides she wants to sunbathe, and stops at a wooded area along the road. Jane agrees to rest momentarily, but the two women get into an argument over the trip itinerary, and Jane decides
306:
Feeling guilty over leaving Cathy behind, Jane returns to the spot where she was sunbathing. She finds no sign of Cathy, apart from her camera lying in the grass. Moments later, the man the women saw earlier at the restaurant stops along the road on his scooter. He introduces himself as Paul, and
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reviewer stated: "Until the disappearance and for a while afterward everything goes very well toward building tension with understated effects. But eventually, by mere repetition, the understated effects begin to look like poverty of the imagination. Then terror becomes a function of gratuitous
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again encounters Paul, who reveals he worked for the Surete and privately researched the case of the murdered woman. The two get into an argument when Jane discovers Paul has taken the film from Cathy's camera as evidence. Convinced he has hurt Cathy, Jane parts ways with him.
38:
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being the third.) Forbes later wrote in his memoirs, "One of my priorities was to encourage new directors who had previously been unable to get a break into feature films. This was a calculated risk, but one worth taking." He gave Robert Fuest on
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wrote "what exactly attracted him to this project, I wonder? The economy, perhaps? For there could have been nothing very money consuming in this little film... There is also, to my mind, very little probable story."
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the first three films of Forbes' regime "sunk without a trace". Alexander Walker said the films were criticised as square". They got Forbes' regime at EMI off to a poor start from which it never really recovered.
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rape and murder of a young woman that occurred in the town three years before, described by an
English Schoolmistress as 'quite a scandal". Meanwhile, Paul rides into the woods on his scooter to search for Cathy.
307:
Jane explains to him that she is looking for Cathy. Paul offers Jane a ride back to the village, where she believes Cathy may have gone. While questioning locals in town, Jane learns of an
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s list of the top ten sci-fi/horror films of the 1970s. Frederick S. Clarke, the magazine's editor, called it "a lady-in-distress picture that for suspense tops anything of its kind."
266:. The plot follows two British nurses on a cycling holiday in rural France; during their trip, one of them vanishes, and the other struggles to search for her in a rural community.
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The film was announced in August 1969. It was part of an overall slate of fifteen films Forbes intended to make at EMI which cost between £5-10 million. This slate also included
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He reportedly wrote the script in two days. They attached the director Robert Fuest who
Clemens said "had a great sense of style and color in his direction."
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The film was released as a DVD in the US with an audio commentary by Fuest and
Clemens, and released in the UK as a region 2 DVD at the end of January 2008.
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The film was shot entirely in France. Filming started on 18 August 1969 and finished by
October. Shooting mostly took place in the village of
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comments: "Slow, overstretched, often risible suspender ... long on red herrings and short on humour, but with some pretension to style."
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script to be directed by John Bryson, and a second film from Roger Moore, based on his own story (with a script by Julian Bond) called
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The lead roles were given to Pamela
Franklin and Michele Dotrice. Sandor Eles had been under contract to Bryan Forbes' company.
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for Forbes at EMI; after Forbes left the company the film was made at
Columbia. Clemens eventually turned director with
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The film did moderately well at the box-office on both sides of the
Atlantic, but was not a big success - according to
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452:. Forbes liked the project and agreed to finance. It would be the first film made greenlit by Forbes. (The second was
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described it as an "nappealing women-in-peril thriller" which is "redictable, implausible, and not a little nasty."
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argued the film "was shot with the precision, and limited impact, of a television drama" adding it,
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As the schoolmistress is about to drive off, Jane persuades her to drive her part-way to meet the
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Martin, Betty (30 August 1969). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Summer Look' on
Stanley Donen Slate".
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AND SOON THE DARKNESS Monthly Film
Bulletin; London Vol. 37, Iss. 432, (1 Jan 1970): 162.
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1118:"The Avengers" writer on directing for TV and film and un-made vampire films"
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The second century of cinema : the past and future of the moving image
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camera technique, and danger the product of dishonest characterization."
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1023:"Screen: 2 British Girls: 'And Soon the Darkness' Opens at 2 Theaters"
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538:, which Moore was to direct. (Some of these films were never made.)
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Hollywood, England : the British Film industry in the sixties
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Jane flees into the woods, where she stumbles upon an abandoned
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962:"Cold Streaks: The Studio Stewardship of Bryan Forbes at EMI"
558:, 30 miles outside Orleans. Clemens directed second unit.
446:; the two men knew each other from working together on
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AFM '09: First Look at 'And Soon the Darkness' Remake
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Gibbs, Patrick (10 July 1970). "The lady vanishes".
798:"Brian Clemens and the lost art of great TV writing"
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1053:. London: HarperCollins Entertainment. p. 28.
442:who had just been appointed head of production at
415:television series. The screenplay was written by
409:The film was made by the same production team as
283:had been produced first but was released later).
637:In contrast, the film was listed seventh in the
467:as an example, calling it "a stylish thriller".
988:Malcolm, Derek (9 July 1970). "Dance macabre".
295:who are taking a cycling holiday through rural
1049:Halliwell, Leslie (1999). Walker, John (ed.).
911:"British finance backs plans for 15 new films"
877:"British finance backs plans for 15 new films"
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943:"The film man who refused to get the jitters"
600:said "I will be charitable and say nothing."
8:
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724:EMI Films and the Limits of British Cinema
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742:British Film Institute Collections Search
291:Jane and Cathy are two young nurses from
1351:Films shot at Associated British Studios
781:"Why two girl stars had to be friends".
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1376:Films with screenplays by Terry Nation
894:"Guilt got the good part for Sandor".
431:and decided to make a thriller film.
161:Associated British Picture Corporation
1051:Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000
7:
764:"Nail biter without the shock waves"
1346:1970s psychological thriller films
927:'City comment: Soon the darkness'
909:Day-Lewis, Sean (13 August 1969).
875:Day-Lewis, Sean (13 August 1969).
423:, both of whom had contributed to
269:It was the first movie made under
14:
960:Vagg, Stephen (10 October 2021).
941:Walker, Alexander (26 May 1970).
796:O'Neill, Phelim (4 August 2010).
726:. Palgrave MacMillan. p. 27.
21:And Soon the Darkness (2010 film)
16:1970 British film by Robert Fuest
762:Steele, Arthur (18 July 1970).
1366:Films scored by Laurie Johnson
1356:Films directed by Robert Fuest
659:Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter
1:
1297:Revenge of the Stepford Wives
1086:Clarke, Frederick S. (1980).
1386:1970s English-language films
785:. 4 January 1970. p. 8.
521:Mr. Forbush and the Penguins
438:Clemens took the project to
675:The Man who haunted Himself
455:The Man Who Haunted Himself
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1361:Films about missing people
1135:Walker, Alexander (2005).
898:. 4 July 1970. p. 14.
815:Dixon, Wheeler W. (2000).
18:
1265:The Abominable Dr. Phibes
1235:
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847:. Mandarin. p. 205.
503:A Fine and Private Place
395:as Radio DJ (Uncredited)
377:John Franklyn as Old Man
1088:"Best of the Seventies"
1065:"And Soon the Darkness"
768:Birmingham Evening Mail
738:"And Soon the Darkness"
536:A Question of Innocence
19:For the 2010 film, see
1341:British thriller films
1273:Dr. Phibes Rises Again
841:Forbes, Bryan (1993).
700:was released in 2010.
624:Halliwell's Film Guide
498:A Candidate of Promise
1249:And Soon the Darkness
1190:And Soon the Darkness
1179:And Soon the Darkness
1168:And Soon the Darkness
861:The Los Angeles Times
581:And Soon the Darkness
579:Forbes later said of
516:The Feathers of Death
479:The Breaking of Bumbo
465:And Soon the Darkness
243:And Soon the Darkness
191:5 July 1970
31:And Soon the Darkness
722:Moody, Paul (2018).
473:The Railway Children
328:. While hiding in a
1391:1970s British films
1371:Films set in France
1305:The Big Stuffed Dog
1281:The Final Programme
1005:The Daily Telegraph
915:The Daily Telegraph
881:The Daily Telegraph
484:The Bitter Lollipop
1227:Films directed by
1124:. 15 October 2012.
1028:The New York Times
698:remake of the film
650:wrote what became
616:The New York Times
591:Critical reception
449:Station Six Sahara
246:is a 1970 British
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421:Terry Nation
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326:trailer park
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271:Bryan Forbes
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252:Robert Fuest
250:directed by
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207:Running time
184:Release date
177:Warner-Pathé
70:Terry Nation
52:Robert Fuest
25:
653:See No Evil
512:Simon Raven
387:Jean Carmet
366:Clare Kelly
362:as Gendarme
354:Sandor Elès
275:EMI Elstree
264:Sandor Elès
166:EMI Elstree
115:Sandor Elès
79:Produced by
48:Directed by
42:Film poster
1336:1970 films
1330:Categories
783:Sunday Sun
704:References
681:Home media
567:Box office
405:Background
400:Production
293:Nottingham
211:94 minutes
195:1970-07-05
153:Production
128:Ian Wilson
58:Written by
1313:Aphrodite
1102:22 August
747:20 August
613:In 1971,
444:EMI Films
389:as Reiner
383:as Lassal
155:companies
134:Edited by
1069:Time Out
1034:20 April
695:American
671:Hoffmann
631:Time Out
350:as Cathy
317:gendarme
309:unsolved
235:£260,000
224:Language
142:Music by
98:Starring
966:Filmink
665:Critic
585:Dulcima
562:Release
550:Filming
542:Casting
489:Dulcima
460:Hoffman
356:as Paul
344:as Jane
280:Hoffman
227:English
216:Country
193: (
1316:(1982)
1308:(1981)
1300:(1980)
1292:(1975)
1284:(1973)
1276:(1972)
1268:(1971)
1260:(1970)
1252:(1970)
1244:(1967)
689:Remake
330:camper
297:France
232:Budget
163:(ABPC)
644:'
458:with
1173:IMDb
1104:2022
1036:2022
749:2024
673:and
603:The
583:and
419:and
336:Cast
287:Plot
262:and
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1171:at
693:An
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