The Nightcomers

Judging from his penchant for exploding frogs—not to mention his blasphemous views on heaven and hell—Peter Quint (Marlon Brando), a "dung shoveler" and gardener on a remote English estate, may not be the best role model for freshly orphaned Miles and Flora. But the creepy kids worship Quint and are soon emulating his behavior—most disturbingly, his kinky S&M relationship with the nanny (Stephanie Beacham). The Nightcomers, Michael Winner's ineptly-directed prequel to Henry James' classic novella The Turn of the Screw, is one twisted flick, anticipating Brando's sexcapades in Last Tango in Paris. In the audio commentary, Winner mostly ignores what's happening onscreen in favor of telling Brando anecdotes. Contrary to the actor's reputation for being difficult, Winner maintains he had "never known an easier man (to work with) in my life," while also claiming Brando said that of all his films, he had the most fun making The Nightcomers, which immediately preceded his triumphant comeback in The Godfather following a near decade-long nadir. Brando completists will want this career curiosity, but this is otherwise not recommended. (D. Liebenson) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—May 7, 2019—Kino Lorber, 96 min., R, DVD: $19.95, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1972’s The Nightcomers features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Michael Winner, the other by film historian Kat Ellinger), as well as an introduction by Winner (2 min.). Bottom line: an oddity notable mainly for featuring Marlon Brando, The Nightcomers is mostly a curio for Brando fans.]