Remember the Night is directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Preston Sturges. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Willard Robertson and Sterling Holloway. Music is by Friedrich Hollaender and cinematography by Ted Tetzlaff.

A lovely heart warming tale for the Yuletide season, story pitches Stanwyck as a lady thief and MacMurray as the prosecutor who takes pity on her and takes her home to meet his family. Back stories are revealed and the chemistry between the two principals is palpable. The genius pen of Sturges provides much humour, romance and family values, while Leisen smartly directs his cast to bonzer performances. Also of note is that the director never lets the film slip into deep treacle territory, getting the various balances just right.

A must see Christmas movie across the board. 8/10

4 years before the memorable "Double Indemnity," Fred MacMurray first teamed with Barbara Stanwyck in "Remember the Night."

The story is typical Preston Sturgis-people meeting in unusual circumstances and falling in love.

In this one, MacMurray prosecutes Stanwyck for shoplifting, and since it's Christmas time, he takes her home for the holidays. They encounter a madcap adventure before settling in his home.

Virginia Brissac is memorable in a brief but devastating performance as a cold mother whose veneer tells you immediately what she is like. Contrast this with MacMurray's family, the wonderful, understanding Beulah Bondi as his mother and Elizabeth Patterson, as an also understanding spinster aunt. This film tries to depict that we are what we are because of our environment. It alternates in being funny and serious. Stanwyck's hard-nosed character does become gentle right-away but that's due to environmental factors.

The ending may disappoint you at first but upon further thought there is hope for our two major characters.

The main plot of this movie is stupid. There is no other way to say it. Think about it for a moment,...

A woman who is a career thief is going to be sitting in jail over the Christmas holiday. But the prosecutor feels sorry for her and arranges her bail. This isn't 100% unbelievable, but pretty tough to say the least. Then, he takes her with him on a cross-country drive to see his family! Talk about completely unbelievable!!

However, if you force yourself to ignore the basis for the movie, you will find that the rest of the film is wonderful. The dialog and acting in particular were fine--with exceptional performances from Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. But, to me, the real important acting was done by Beulah Bondi and Elizabeth Patterson as his mother and aunt. Their performances were really touching and sweet. In fact, they reminded me of the two nice old ladies from ARSENIC AND OLD LACE--except, of course, the ladies from REMEMBER THE NIGHT weren't serial killers! This movie is a real fine example of supporting actors or actresses helping to boost a film above the ordinary.

The film was written by Preston Sturgis--a writer with a great reputation but who also, from time to time, had really dopey plot elements in some of his films (great example is this film and especially THE MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK). I have thought for a long time that Sturgis was fantastic with dialog but often made ridiculous errors with his basic plot. But, considering he is nearly a god to some, what do I know.

Hmmm,....no I stand by my statements. This film was so wonderful but why in the heck would Sturgis have Stanwyck be on trial for theft? This just defies all common sense and prevents the movie from being a true classic. Too bad--with a minor re-write, this film could have easily scored a 9. In the end, a near miss.