The best movie opening in town today was made nearly 60 years ago. It's the 1948 British psychological thriller "The Fallen Idol," the first collaboration between director Carol Reed and author Graham Greene. Their next film together was the masterpiece "The Third Man," with Orson Welles as the elusive Harry Lime and Anton Karas' unforgettable zither score. Perhaps it's because the star and the music so dominated "The Third Man" that Greene liked to say he always preferred the earlier picture. Yet "The Fallen Idol" has been unjustly overlooked. The rerelease, with a beautifully restored print, may help change that. Read the full review
Baines is both both butler and hero to eight-year-old Phillipe, the son of an ambassador. While left in the care of Baines and his wife, the boy learns that the butler is having an affair. This knowledge draws him into a delicate drama in which he will find nothing more elusive than the truth.
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Sir Ralph Richardson, Michéle Morgan, Bobby Henrey, Jack Hawkins, Denis O'Dea
Run time: 95 minutes
Release date: 1948
Rating: Not rated; includes adult themes and a death.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B+
"An indelible portrait of childhood's confusions, disillusions and inevitable lost innocence."
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