Reviews

Those of us who were fortunate to have seen this made-for-television production from the Hallmark Hall of Fame have never forgotten it and continue to hope that someone, somehow will find a way to make it available on DVD or video. My understanding is that Mr. Gallico specified in his Will that it was not to be made commercially available, but why he would do such a thing is beyond me! He wrote both the book and the screenplay and the final product was an exquisite use of the medium. Richard Harris has never given a better performance in his career, indeed, all the fuss about his appearance in the Harry Potter movies only reminds me that this wonderful performance is virtually unknown to most people. It is not an exaggeration to say that you cannot watch this film and come away unmoved.

On the surface, THE NIGHT PORTER will be at a minimum, politically incorrect to some, repugnant and perverse to others. How can one find redeeming virtue in the sado-masochistic affair between a former S.S. Officer and concentration camp survivor who chance to encounter one another after the war and resume their "affair?" But indeed, the power of this film is in that very choice. Charlotte Rampling's postwar concert pianist is beautiful, refined, successful and married. Dirk Bogard's former S.S. officer is resigned to quietly living out his days incognito as a night porter in a hotel, secretly preserving his true identity and trying to avoid detection by authorities. In his servile role as a night porter, it's hard to believe he was ever in a position of power over anyone else. But we see in flashbacks what he became when he did have that power, and it isn't pretty. Yet, as E.M. Forster said, "Only connect." And therein lies the mystery. For no matter how one points a finger at these lovers and declares them to be "sick," they are indeed lovers and their attraction to one another compels them to act in spite of the danger to both of them. I believe this is one of the most intriguing stories of human connectedness you will ever see! If you can get past the impulse to respond like the rest of the pack, you may get a glimpse at the mystery of the human condition.