Rent The Night My Number Came Up (1955)

3.7 of 5 from 61 ratings
1h 31min
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Synopsis:
Air Marshall Hardie is a guest at a society dinner party in Hong Kong on the eve of his flight to Tokyo. During the course of the night, another guest is persuaded to share the details of a strange dream he had, which involved a plane crash in the mountains of Japan. Hardie takes little notice of the story until the following day, when he discovers the plane he had been intending to fly has been swapped for a Dakota, the very plane that featured in the mysterious dream. Stranger still, two last minute passengers arrive, taking the number of passengers up to match with that which the dream foretold.
Hardie begins to wonder if it was indeed merely a dream — or a premonition which is about to become a deadly reality.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Writers:
Victor Goddard, RC Sherriff
Others:
RC Sherriff
Studio:
Optimum
Genres:
Thrillers
BBFC:
Release Date:
29/03/2010
Run Time:
91 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W

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Reviews (2) of The Night My Number Came Up

Supernatural thriller. - The Night My Number Came Up review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
25/07/2023

High tension disaster-thriller with a twist, which grips in the opening scene and won't let go. At a dinner party in Hong Kong, a visiting brass hat (Michael Hordern) tells a gathering of military officers and colonial staff his nightmare about a plane of 13 passengers and crew who crash in hazardous conditions on a remote coastline in Japan.

When it emerges that most of the people in the room are travelling the next day to Tokyo on a light aircraft, a germ of unease is sown. And then some minor details begin to come true. The key character is an administrator (Alexander Knox) who is so superstitious that he has published a book denying the existence of fate or premonitions!

And it's his growing panic that drives the suspense. Until the plane is circling a small island through a snowstorm in the dark with the fuel tank empty... There's an engaging crew of British stalwarts filling out the cast, led by Michael Redgrave as a rational RAF officer. It's mostly one for the chaps, with Sylvia Sim peripheral in her last film.

There's some informative chat about the psychology of superstition and fatalism. Today this wouldn't survive the edit, but it adds to the richness of the tale. The inspired premise is brilliantly realised on both sides of the camera. It's among the most suspenseful action films ever made, and afterwards, it feels a bit like a dream.

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Excellent, Tense, Exciting Premonition Airline Drama Set in Post-war Hong Kong - The Night My Number Came Up review by PV

Spoiler Alert
28/09/2024

I loved this. Of course, with its so-called national stereotypes it would never be made now BUT the white British army officers and working class businessman are NO less stereotyped than any Chinese characters.

Lots of fun stuff about precognition/premonition and superstition, beliefs, cultures etc. and the difference between the West and East. Really great to see Hong Kong again, before the Chinese 'invasion' after 1999. Sad to see it happen.

The scenes on the aeroplane, whether the dream at the start or the real events later (which I could sort of predict) are genuinely nail-bitingly tense. Compare to the airline section of 1980s movie THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Made me giggle when the hungover passengers were trying to get a hit of oxygen to ease their headaches and pain! Probably illegal now. Anyway, the lack of oxygen on the plane is because there is no need for it for an aircraft that does not go over 10,000 feet - a crucial part of the plot later (NO SPOILERS)

A superb cast including a very young and plummy Denholm Elliot (watch him over 30 years later in ROOM WITH A VIEW)

4 stars, almost 5. A great solid old-fashioned British film that some will hate and sneer down at - but I loved it! A hidden gem.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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