It was about seven years ago that I first watched The Third Man, directed by Carol Reed and written by Graham Greene and starring Orson Welles. I was in a bit of an Orson Welles phase and had read about the famous cuckoo clock speech that Welles had written for the film and was very intrigued. Of course, it did not disappoint. It has been insinuated that Welles actually directed the film himself and you can see why such a theory took root, as the lighting and camera angles are very similar to those in Citizen Kane. The only other film by Reed I had seen was the Agony and the Ecstasy which is impossible to compare, both because it was in color and was made almost 20 years later. Naturally, when I read about another Reed film, made just a year before The Third Man, which supposedly contained many of the film techniques lauded in The Third Man, I had to see it.
The Fallen Idol is a 1948 British crime drama, again written by Graham Greene, that focuses on the goings-on at the French embassy located in England. It is both a children's tale and adult film. Young Philippe is the pampered son of the Ambassador who is practically given the run of the embassy while his father is gone to retrieve his mother from her extended hospital stay. His caretakers while his father are away are Baines, the butler, and Mrs. Baines, the head housekeeper. Mrs. Baines is cold and humorless and generally treats the boy like a pest, while Baines is the boy's best friend who regales him with tall tales of African safaris and quelled slave insurrections. With Baines' help, young Phil tastes the fruits of childhood fun forbidden by the seemingly omniscient Mrs. Baines; notably sneaking toffees, keeping a pet snake and running the streets of London. But life cannot remain idyllic forever and eventually the embassy becomes the focus of a criminal investigation by the police, thus isolating Phil and leaving him to lead his own investigation into the evidence. Phil's insight into the investigation are curious and often humorous. Is Baines the roughneck from the tall tales? Is Mrs. Baines only ever the witch she has made herself out to be? Should girls be trusted? Oh, the complexities of adult and married life. Plus, Phil must struggle with the essential code of children, namely how important is it to keep a secret? Even when you don't like the person? Is telling the truth more important? Does a child's opinion matter to adults?
The film isn't on par with The Third Man, and no it does not put to rest all doubts of Carol Reed's skill, but it is a very good film. I found it quite exciting and rather fun. Certainly, it is worth a watch especially if you enjoy the nostalgia of seeing the world from a child's point of view, as I do. It is available on Criterion DVD or for rent through Netflix.
Hat tip to ALW for turning me on to the article that started it all.
