Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I don't wish to duplicate other members synopses of the storyline of this wonderful, classic film, but I would like to say something about the performance of the then eight years old Bobby Henrey as Phillipe and how crucial he was to Carol Reed's realisation of The Fallen Idol. Bobby's parents were writers and he had initially been chosen to star in the film both for his looks when Reed had seen a photograph of him peering out of the window of his London apartment on the dust jacket of one of his parents books and because he was bi-lingual, having spent his early childhood in both France and England and spoke English with a French accent, which was called for in the script. Bobby had never acted before, but Reed, a man of infinite patience where children and child actors were concerned, persevered with him over an incredible shooting schedule of five months (a long time for those days) shooting numerous takes of every scene involving the boy and his dialogue, which paid off handsomely, as he managed to coax out of him the most incredible and natural performance by a child actor ever seen on the screen and certainly not bettered since.No better example of all this can be found than in the scene where Philippe is convinced that Baines, his only friend whom he idolises, is going to be sent to the gallows for a murder he did not commit. At this point, he realises just how much he adores and loves Baines and that he cannot live without him. With all the passion in his heart and soul, Phillipe pleads with the police to listen to him as he finally decides to tell the truth about what happened in the hope that this will save his friend: "Oh, please, you must listen to me! I have something to tell you! Oh, please listen to me! Oh, please! Please listen to me! You have to listen to me! You must listen to me! It will only take a moment and it will put everything right." But the police completely ignore him. This scene is so gut-wrenchingly heart-breaking, that it's almost too upsetting to watch and you become totally involved in it and feel very deeply for this increasingly desperate little boy. It is an incredible performance that is so perfect, it has to be seen to be believed. I cannot recommend this film highly enough. It is one of the finest films ever made in the history of the cinema.

This film is virtually unknown in America, but must be considered one of the greatest films of all time. Its a movie that could not have been made here since the censors and right wing hacks would have cut it up left and right. Aside from the great acting, direction, and cinematography is dialog that is so perceptive, witty, and tinged with sarcasm, yet still fresh and amazing after more than six decades. Some examples: --after being told he cannot go for a walk, the boy whispers to Ms. Baines: "I hate you." Then won't apologize, and when sent to his room states: "I don't care". --when he laments the death of his snake and proposes a tombstone heading: "Maacgregor, killed by Mrs. Baines. (pause) And the date." --the prostitute on finding out that the boy is the son of the ambassador: "Oh, I know your daddy."And the vivid scenes of London then, with little traffic, horse drawn wagons, noir streets; the embassy as a great haunted Gothic symbolic universe. What a film!

'The Fallen Idol' is in theory a good and interesting film. The final result can be disappointing. At least on an early impression. This is a complicated movie to rate and judge. It's not confusing or inconsistent but it's complex and doesn't always make sense. Nevertheless, it can grow on you with time.Visually it is one of the best-looking films in black and white. The plot is interesting although it could be better worked at times. This film is often said to be "hitchcockian" for its film-making and "suspense". There is some suspense but nothing all that "hitchcockian". And that's where lies one of the weaknesses of this film: it definitely could use more true suspense, more darkness, more terrifying moments.The film takes place in London, in a fancy big house with a french little boy named Phillipe, the butler Baines and the butler's wife Mrs Baines. Phillipe idolizes the butler, but can't stand Mrs. Baines. And rightfully so, she's a horrible person. She is mean for Phillipe (she even slaps him) and she hates MacGregor (Phillipe's little pet snake). MacGregor is a cute name for a little snake and, even though I never think of any snake as being cute, I think MacGregor is a cute snake. Phillipe is very fond of his beloved MacGregor and very loving towards him. Mrs. Baines is so cruel that she burns poor innocent MacGregor alive! So it's not like she doesn't deserve her fate, even if accidental.Phillipe witnesses Mrs. Baines's accidental death, but thinks he saw Baines intentionally murder her. Phillipe is a strange little boy. On one hand, he's utterly cute and adorable. On the other hand, he's not annoying but he often has erratic behaviors and seems to be a very confused and immature boy and has the bad habit of stubbornly lying. He doesn't seem to have a stable personality. That may be in part due to the abuse he suffered from Mrs. Baites. Or perhaps he was already born with some kind of personality disorder. He also runs away like crazy after witnessing Mrs. Baines's death as if he was terrified but acts as if he wasn't. He lies to the police and his clumsy attempts to protect his idol almost put Baines in trouble. Phillipe is a complicated character, definitely not an easy one to evaluate. He seems like a child who is losing his innocence and hides his emotions as much as possible.Actors do well in their roles: Ralph Richardson as Baines, Michèle Morgan as Baines's lover Julie, Sonia Dresdel as Mrs. Baines and Bobby Henrey (who really is french) as Phillipe.This should definitely be on Top 250.

For awhile, 'The Fallen Idol" was part of the Criterion Collection but according to what I've read, the rights have now been acquired by Lionsgate. Be that as it may, any film that ends up as part of the Criterion Collection (even for a short while) is supposed to be considered a highly rated 'art' film, if not a 'masterpiece.' Certainly the film has things going for it including some wonderful noirish cinematography, Director Carol Reed's remarkable coaching job of a child actor, solid acting performances on the part of the adult actors and haunting on-location shots in 1948 London.Despite the classy 'look' of the film, the screenplay itself is weak and as a result, I relegate the whole affair to the pantheon of 'B' melodrama. The weakest aspect of the film is obvious: the character of Mrs. Baines, who is just such a vapid, unlikeable martinet who would have been probably diagnosed as bipolar if she were alive today. And is Mr. Baines much better a character than the evil Mrs.? What exactly do we find out about the wily butler besides the back story that he killed a black man while he was living in Africa before working at the Embassy? As it turns out, that's just a tall tale Baines has made up to impress Phillipe. Otherwise, Baines spends most of his time trying to convince Phillipe to keep his mouth shut so that no one finds out about his affair with Julie, an Embassy employee who works in the steno pool.I suppose it was very progressive of director Reed to hold up Baines and Julie as 'the good guys' despite the fact that they were having an affair (Reed himself was the product of an illegitimate union). But why should we hold them in such high esteem? Just because they're the victims of the unreasonable Mrs. Baines? I appreciate the fact that Baines wins points because he's kind to Phillipe but really that's all we know about him. And as far as Julie is concerned—to my mind, she's seems to be a complete empty vessel.In watching the documentary about director Reed as part of the DVD 'supplement', we learn that he was master in extracting wonderful performances from the child actors he worked with during his long career. The case of Bobby Henrey who played Phillipe was no exception. Henrey reportedly could never sit still and eventually Reed had to hire a magician to perform tricks for the boy in order to keep his attention. Reed expertly brings out the child's confusion as he misunderstands the reason for Mrs. Baines' death which leads to Baines being placed in jeopardy (the child believes that Baines 'murdered' his wife after confusing that event with Baines' tall tale which initially the butler appeared to communicate as a 'murder' but later clarifying it as 'self defense').The rest of "Fallen Idol" involves the rather stodgy police investigation into Mrs. Baines' death. Will the boy gum things up despite attempting to cover for the butler at every turn? Since he's just a kid, he's unable to cover up the discrepancies in Baines and Julies' story and after they're found out, Baines is on the verge of suicide. Fortunately an eagle eyed cop comes upon Mrs. Baines' footprint next to the window where she fell; this of course ends up exonerating the happy (or shall we say semi-happy) couple. I believe that the original ending from the book the film was based on, was Baines doing himself in, and some internet posters would prefer the more unpleasant denouement. I was actually pleased that the films' scenarists changed the ending to a happy one as the thought of having that child experience such an awful event as suicide would have ruined the picture for me.If there is a moral in this story, it's probably 'always be honest' because Baines and Julies' decision not to tell the truth almost led to their arrest and complete downfall. Despite the fact they prevail in the end, I would have much preferred that Phillipe had a direct hand in saving them. As it turned out, it was pure coincidence that saved Baines from the hangman's noose and not little Phillipe who will only be remembered for not being able to keep his big mouth shut.Like Hitchcock, The Fallen Idol is concerned with an innocent man being unjustly accused. Unlike Hitchcock, the characters of The Fallen Idol have little or no ambiguity. And when the protagonist is finally saved, it's not from his own exciting efforts or efforts on the part of a valuable ally (in this case, a nine year old boy) but from a slow-paced, pedestrian police investigation. Where was Hitchcock when you needed him?