THE FALLEN IDOL (1948) **1/2 There are many, particularly British men of a certain age, who number Carol Reed among the great directors. I have to admit that I may not be subtle enough to get all that out of him, but a certain, well almost quite roguish charm does invariably shine through. Here we're treated to a simmering suspense not unlike that associated with Hitchcock, though of perhaps a less intrusive magnitude. The thing I really like about Reed is that he shoots the humanity of his characters: yes Graham Greene gives him better than porkchop to work with, but there's no questioning the integrity of Ralph Richardson despite his quite nearly every act, or the magnificence of the ill-considered motivations of young Bobby Henrey. Little Henrey is central to the film's success, he comes off as a real kid who happens to have a camera on him rather than merely a talented kid who knows where the camera is. In what must have been a terribly shocking development at the time, one could hardly consider the adulterers much less than.well, less than saints, actually, for those Catholics who absolutely must have them, but what parent wouldn't be delighted to have (or at least settle for ) Michèle Morgan for a daughter? If Sonia Dresdel is a lesser cartoon her aesthetic station only serves the drama, and its more substantial subterranean psychological channels. It's remarkable, the institution of British murder mysteries.not that this is one, just that when events and inclination clash it's so often just a bit of murder more gently.
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