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The Night Porter

Original title: Il portiere di notte
  • 1974
  • R
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde in The Night Porter (1974)
Max (Dirk Bogarde) is a night porter in a Vienna hotel in the 1950's. When beautiful Lucia (Charlotte Rampling) checks in, they recognise each other from a terrible past; Max was an SS officer in a Nazi concentration camp who had abused and tortured then teenage Lucia, a prisoner. Lucia is travelling with her husband, an orchestra conductor and when he leaves to continue his tour, Lucia stays behind as she and Max find themselves compelled to renew their former, intense, sadomasochistic relationship. Max is reluctant member of a group of former SS who are ruthlessly covering up their pasts. They soon consider Lucia a threat and urge Max to hand her over. He refuses and hides our with Lucia, while his former comrades enact their threats.
Play trailer1:07
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Psychological DramaDrama

A concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with an ex-SS officer working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel, but his former associates begin stalking them.A concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with an ex-SS officer working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel, but his former associates begin stalking them.A concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with an ex-SS officer working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel, but his former associates begin stalking them.

  • Director
    • Liliana Cavani
  • Writers
    • Liliana Cavani
    • Italo Moscati
    • Barbara Alberti
  • Stars
    • Dirk Bogarde
    • Charlotte Rampling
    • Philippe Leroy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Liliana Cavani
    • Writers
      • Liliana Cavani
      • Italo Moscati
      • Barbara Alberti
    • Stars
      • Dirk Bogarde
      • Charlotte Rampling
      • Philippe Leroy
    • 114User reviews
    • 79Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos2

    Night Porter Trailer
    Trailer 1:07
    Night Porter Trailer
    Il Portiere Di Notte: Bathroom
    Clip 1:10
    Il Portiere Di Notte: Bathroom
    Il Portiere Di Notte: Bathroom
    Clip 1:10
    Il Portiere Di Notte: Bathroom

    Photos141

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    Top cast22

    Edit
    Dirk Bogarde
    Dirk Bogarde
    • Max [Maximilian Theo Aldorfer]
    Charlotte Rampling
    Charlotte Rampling
    • Lucia
    Philippe Leroy
    Philippe Leroy
    • Klaus
    Gabriele Ferzetti
    Gabriele Ferzetti
    • Hans
    Giuseppe Addobbati
    Giuseppe Addobbati
    • Stumm
    Isa Miranda
    Isa Miranda
    • Countess Stein
    Nino Bignamini
    Nino Bignamini
    • Adolph
    Marino Masé
    Marino Masé
    • Atherton
    • (as Marino Mase')
    Amedeo Amodio
    • Bert
    Piero Vida
    Piero Vida
    • Day Porter
    Geoffrey Copleston
    • Kurt
    Manfred Freyberger
    • Dobson
    • (as Manfred Freiberger)
    Ugo Cardea
    • Mario
    Hilda Gunther
    • Greta
    Nora Ricci
    Nora Ricci
    • The Neighbor
    Piero Mazzinghi
    • Concierge
    Kai-Siegfried Seefeld
    • Jacob
    • (as Kai S. Seefeld)
    Anthony Forwood
    Anthony Forwood
    • Opera Audience
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Liliana Cavani
    • Writers
      • Liliana Cavani
      • Italo Moscati
      • Barbara Alberti
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Sir Dirk Bogarde considered retiring from acting after making this movie, which he found to be a draining experience.
    • Goofs
      In the flashbacks, Max is wearing the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords upside down on his SS uniform.
    • Quotes

      Hans: I'm only here to ask you some questions on behalf of myself and the others, and to have a look at you. Look, I could have come at another time to see him too, but, I don't need to speak to him. I don't need to speak to him... in front of you. Useless. With this business of the trial, he's... become too diffident.

      Lucia: He's right.

      Hans: What do you mean?

      Lucia: Because then for the first time he saw you all clearly. Nothing's changed, has it?

      Hans: You're wrong. We've all had our trials. Now we are cured and live in peace with ourselves.

      Lucia: There's no cure.

      Hans: It is you who are ill. Otherwise, you wouldn't be with somebody who made you...

      Lucia: That's my affair.

      Hans: Very well. But nevertheless, your mind is disturbed. That's why you're here, fishing up the past.

      Lucia: Max is more than just the past.

      [Lucia crawls under a table]

      Hans: Listen. Why don't you go to the police? If you want to, I'll take you. Hm?

      Lucia: Dr. Fogler, I remember you so well. You gave a lot of orders.

      Hans: Then you can't have forgotten that your Max was an obedient Sturmscharführer. Remember?

      Lucia: I don't remember.

      Hans: I certainly can't oblige you to remember if you don't want to.

      [clears his throat]

      Hans: I'm only here to ask you to testify, to find out... if the situation in which you find yourself is of your own choice.

      Lucia: I'm all right here.

      Hans: Yes. You both want to live in peace, right? One lives in peace... when one is in harmony with one's close friends, when one respects an agreement. Tell Max that. We could have denounced him to the police for the murder of Mario. But we didn't. Max is ill. He mustn't be too far away from us! He's locked you up here. We could go to the police about that, too, no?

      Lucia: I'm here of my own free will. This chain is because of you, so none of you can take me away.

      Hans: If we wanted to carry you off, would this chain stop us? You poor fool. A chain can be cut. None of us is thinking of violence.

      Lucia: Hmm, I know how your, your witnesses end up. Max told me.

      [Lucia crawls out from under the table, away from Hans]

      Hans: Max doesn't know what he's saying or doing. His mind is disordered.

      Lucia: [crawling into the bathroom] Get out. Go away. Go away!

      [slams the door]

      Hans: If you change your mind, if the chain grows heavy... call me.

    • Connections
      Edited into Bellissimo: Immagini del cinema italiano (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Don Juan
      (uncredited)

      Music by Christoph Willibald Gluck

    User reviews114

    Featured review

    I can't get this out of my head!

    I saw this film quite by accident last night on IFC and have been walking around in a state of near tears ever since. What really struck me about the story was not the sadomasochistic aspect which I actually found to be rather minor, (He slaps her around a bit and there is a scene where she is chained to a bed), but rather the tenderness and love shown by Max. He calls her "his little girl" throughout the movie and indeed that seems to be the most accurate description of his feelings. I couldn't help thinking of Lolita and indeed it is a similar idea. In both stories the man is both the tormentor and the tormented. Because he is in a position of absolute power of course he is the exploiter, but also it is almost as though he is held captive by "her", the illusive girl/child/women he want to both take care of the way one would a daughter and also penetrate like a lover. And in both stories this proves of course to be impossible as the mans very nature (in one case he is a pedophile, in another a Nazi) prevents it from being so.
    • nicolegilbert
    • Sep 7, 2004
    • Permalink

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    FAQ17

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1, 1974 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Portero de noche
    • Filming locations
      • Via Tuscolona, Rome, Lazio, Italy(concentration camp)
    • Production companies
      • Lotar Film Productions
      • Les Productions Artistes Associés
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $633,298
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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