The Nelly Carmicheal Theatre--as you all already know--began as a high-class bordello in the rough and tumble streets of 1920s Boston. In 1927, the bordello had fallen on hard times, and in a desperate bid to save her establishment, the eponymous proprietor bought a single, silver screen and turned her girls to ticket taking and popcorn peddling. The gamble paid off, and the opening night Valentine’s Day feature of The Dancing Cavalier was the talk of the town.
The present day “Nelly” keeps to the same high-standard set by Madame Carmichael and her girls, with last night’s The Fallen Idol being no exception.
Fallen Idol: (Full disclosure: I slept during the last third of this movie), A must-see movie that sustains edge-of-your-seat suspense up until the last frame. When I awoke to find "THE END" etched into the screen, my friend told me that the scenes leading up to "THE END" had been masterfully done. From what I had seen in the first 2/3rds and from what I know about the film's creators, I have 0 doubt. First of all, this was a screenplay written by the great Graham Greene. Second of all, this was a collaboration with the great director, Carol Reed. The other collaboration between these two was The Third Man: one of the greatest films ever made. So, this story, of a diplomat's son who possibly witnesses a heinous act by his beloved butler, does not disappoint. We see the Butler's story unfold from the child's point of view, and understand his confusion at being thrust into the heart of messy, human relationships and intrigue. Idols may fall through no fault of their own, and an innocence lost can never be reclaimed...I think, from what my roommate told me.
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