The Fallen Idol

In the late '40s, Carol Reed produced two seminal works of British cinema: Odd Man Out (1947) and The Third Man (1949). Between these two masterpieces lay The Fallen Idol (1948), a curious little thriller that doesn't reach its full potential.

Phillipe (Bobby Henrey) is the son of France's ambassador to the UK. With his parents constantly absent he leans on Baines (Ralph Richardson) who regales him with tales of African adventure. Baines' life isn't so glamorous: he's stuck in a loveless marriage with a shrewish wife (Sonia Dresdel) and carrying on an affair with much younger Julie (Michele Morgan). When Mrs. Baines finds out she pressures Phillipe to inform her of Baines' affair. This leads to a husband-and-wife showdown and her death. Scotland Yard thinks it a routine accident, but everyone's suspicious behavior (not the least Phillipe's) changes their minds.

The Fallen Idol starts with a clever idea. Reed and collaborator Graham Greene show the film through Phillipe's eyes, allowing him to misinterpret the very adult happenings around him. A day at the zoo is cover for a tryst; Mrs. Baines kills Phillipe's pet snake to frighten him into informing. His co-dependent relationship with the unhappy Baines forms the movie's strongest point: he gets a father, Baines a son (and a fantasy life). Reed's off-kilter direction, all staircases, polished decor, and Dutch angles, gives an appropriately baroque touch. The first two thirds play marvelously, building character and suspense, as a reverse Hitchcock where evidence points to a non-existent crime.

After the "murder," however, Fallen Idol loses traction. In fairness, Reed avoids the obvious cliche: Phillipe's efforts to exonerate Baines only get him into more trouble. This clever conceit, however, turns the film into little more than an exercise in craftsmanship. Without an actual crime the drama dissipates, the audience wondering when the detectives will note the obvious.

Ralph Richardson ably mixes subdued angst and surface bonhomie. Bobby Henrey isn't as annoying as some child actors, but neither is he especially likeable. Sonia Dresdel is appropriately unhinged but Michele Morgan proves flat. Scotland Yard provides a remarkable crop of character talent: Jack Hawkins, Denis O'Dea (The Informer), Bernard Lee (Last Holiday), Geoffrey Keen (Doctor Zhivago). Torin Thatcher's (The Desert Rats) impatient bobby and Dora Bryan's chatty call girl add light comic relief.

The Fallen Idol doesn't quite add up. It's worth watching, but the intriguing premise doesn't carry through to the end.