Five Miles to Midnight
Five Miles to Midnight (French: Le Couteau dans la plaie, literally The Knife in the wound) is a 1962 Franco-Italian international co-production drama film produced and directed by Anatole Litvak. It starred Sophia Loren and Anthony Perkins. It was produced through Filmsonor S.A., Dear Film Produzione and Mercury, and distributed by United Artists.
| Five Miles to Midnight | |
|---|---|
 The VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Anatole Litvak |
| Produced by | Anatole Litvak Louis Wipf |
| Written by | Peter Viertel Hugh Wheeler Maurice Druon |
| Starring | Sophia Loren Anthony Perkins |
| Music by | Mikis Theodorakis Jacques Loussier Giuseppe Mengozzi |
| Cinematography | Henri Alekan |
| Edited by | Bert Bates |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | France, Italy, United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Immediately after Lisa (Loren) declares that she is leaving her immature, abusive, but easy-going husband Robert (Perkins), he is reported dead in a plane crash. Secretly still alive, he convinces her to collect his life insurance, although she knows that it's a bad idea. Lisa must contend with the complications of the scheme, which involve an aggressive suitor (Gig Young), Robert's jealousy, and her own guilt.
Eventually the stress of putting up with Robert is too much for Lisa, and she runs over him and disposes of the body and car in a lake. The suitor realizes what she did as she has a mental breakdown and calls the police.
The film takes place primarily in Paris. Lisa is Italian; Robert is American.
Production
The film was directed by Anatole Litvak and produced by Litvak and Louis Wipf from a screenplay by Peter Viertel and Hugh Wheeler with dialogue by Maurice Druon, based on an idea by André Versini. The musical score was written by Mikis Theodorakis for the film, which also includes music by Jacques Loussier and Giuseppe Mengozzi. The cinematography was by Henri Alekan.
The film stars Sophia Loren and Anthony Perkins, with Gig Young, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Yolande Turner, and Tommy Norden.
Cast
- Sophia Loren as Lisa Macklin
- Anthony Perkins as Robert Macklin
- Gig Young as David Barnes
- Jean-Pierre Aumont as Alan Stewart
- Yolande Turner as Barbara Ford
- Tommy Norden as Johnny
- Pascale Roberts as The Streetwalker
- Mathilde Casadesus as Mme. Duval the Concierge
- Billy Kearns as Captain Wade
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Five Miles to Midnight (film). |