Wait Until Dark

The most memorable marketing idea for this film was carried out in the auditorium. Warner Bros. advertised that during the last eight minutes the theatre would be darkened to the legal limit, and cinemas actually did it: as the lights on screen were smashed one by one, the house lights went with them and audiences watched the finale in the dark. Susy has recently lost her sight, and three con men get into her flat. A doll her husband brought home without knowing has drugs inside it, and the men construct an elaborate performance with false identities to find it. When Susy works out the game she uses her one advantage: she puts out the lights, because in the dark she is the one with practice. Audrey Hepburn was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. Alan Arkin's Roat, a showy part, was ignored; Arkin later said he had learned a useful lesson, that you do not get nominated for being mean to Audrey Hepburn. Who it is for: viewers who like single-location thrillers with patient construction. Who it is not for: anyone wanting speed. Its origins are theatrical and almost the whole first hour is preparation.