Taglines: The romance of passion and power.
The Other Side of Midnight movie storyline. During WWII, beautiful Noelle meets dashing American pilot Larry in France and falls in love. She expects him to marry her, but instead he abandons her and meets successful Catherine in the United States and they marry. But Noelle hasn’t forgotten him even as she’s become a successful actress. She maneuvers to have Larry hired as the private pilot of her wealthy and powerful lover Constantin so she can seek revenge on him, but instead they rekindle their passion. Desperate to be together, they make deadly plans. But soon the lovers face a terrible fate determined by the jealous Constantin using Catherine as his pawn.
The Other Side of Midnight is a 1977 American drama film directed by Charles Jarrott and starring Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, Susan Sarandon, Michael Lerner, Raf Vallone, Clu Gulager, Christian Marquand, Sorrell Booke, Antony Ponzini, Lilyan Chauvin and Lidia Kristen. Herman Raucher wrote the screenplay based on Sidney Sheldon’s 1973 novel of the same name.
About the Story
In France just before the outbreak of World War II, young Noelle Page falls in love with Larry Douglas, an American pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed in France. The couple has a torrid love affair that ends abruptly when Larry receives orders to return to the United States. Larry promises to come back for Noelle and marry her. She later finds out that she is pregnant with his child. However, he never returns.
Vowing revenge after a harrowing abortion, Noelle begins using men for their money and power. She seduces her way into becoming a famous European actress, then arranges to be the mistress of one of the world’s wealthiest men, Greek tycoon Constantin Demeris, whom she does not love.
During this time, Larry has met and married Catherine Alexander, a sweet and trusting young woman from Chicago. Larry meets her in Hollywood, where she has gone to produce a film promoting military enlistment. Larry is now a United States Army Air Forces fighter pilot. He seduces the virginal Catherine with some of the same lines he used with Noelle.
After the war, Larry is employed by various civilian airlines. Noelle hires a detective to keep tabs on him, then sabotages any job Larry is able to find. Larry is in no position to refuse a job offer to come to Greece and be a private pilot, unaware that Noelle is who is hiring him.
Larry initially fails to recognize her. Noelle treats him rudely until Larry is not sure how much more he can take. When he is positive it is her, he bursts into Noelle’s hotel suite, where they rekindle their romance. Larry claims he will keep his long-ago promise and stay with her, but when his wife refuses a request for a divorce, Larry and Noelle begin to plot Catherine’s murder.
They carry out their plan, but things go wrong. Larry and Noelle ultimately are convicted of murder by a Greek court, which is under the influence of Constantin Demeris. They are executed by a firing squad. Catherine has miraculously survived. Suffering from shock, she ends up living in a convent, under the patronage of Demeris.
The Other Side of Midnight (1977)
Directed by: Charles Jarrott
Starring: Marie-France Pisier, John Beck, Susan Sarandon, Michael Lerner, Raf Vallone, Clu Gulager, Christian Marquand, Sorrell Booke, Antony Ponzini, Lilyan Chauvin, Lidia Kristen
Screenplay by: Herman Raucher
Production Design by: John DeCuir
Cinematography by: Fred J. Koenekamp
Film Editing by: Donn Cambern, Harold F. Kress
Costume Design by: Irene Sharaff
Set Decoration by: Raphael Bretton, Anthony Mondell
Music by: Michel Legrand
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 8, 1977
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