The Fallen Idol (1948)

100% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
88% of users liked it
(1,848 ratings)

Adapted from the Graham Greene story The Basement Room, director Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol is told almost completely from a child's eye view-but it isn't a children's story. Young Bobby Henrey idolizes household butler Ralph Richardson. Therefore, when it seems as though Richardson might be… More Adapted from the Graham Greene story The Basement Room, director Carol Reed's The Fallen Idol is told almost completely from a child's eye view-but it isn't a children's story. Young Bobby Henrey idolizes household butler Ralph Richardson. Therefore, when it seems as though Richardson might be implicated in a murder, Bobby does his best to throw the police off the track. The boy succeeds only in casting even more suspicion upon Richardson. As the story progresses, Henrey's hero worship is eroded by Richardson's shifty behavior, and even more so when the boy discovers that the butler's boasts of previous heroism are just so much hot air. The ending of the film differs radically from Greene's story. While it would seem that director Reed was merely paying homage to the "happy ending" philosophy (hardly likely, given the doleful climaxes of such films as Odd Man Out and The Third Man), the director had very solid reasons for altering the story: he was more fascinated by the concept of the boy's imagination nearly sending his idol to the gallows, rather than having the butler entrapped by facts. And though the ending is happy for the boy, the butler's fate is much more nebulous. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Carol Reed
Written By: Lesley Storm, William Templeton, Graham Greene (I)
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Nov 15, 1949 Limited
On DVD: Nov 7, 2006
Studio: Rialto

Critic Reviews

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Masterful 1948 suspense thriller.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
As a portrait of the sometime destructiveness of innocence and as a sharp fresco of post-war Britain, this movie is a little masterpiece, an idol that has never fallen.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
It's a masterful and unsentimental child's-eye view of the cold, hard adult world.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An indelible portrait of childhood's confusions, disillusionments and inevitable lost innocence.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
Remains one of those classics that makes you thankful you haven't seen them all.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
A Hitchcockian thriller with human conundrums to go with the suspense.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... one of the great films of innocence lost and a powerful portrait of the powerlessness of children in the adult world, where they are so often ignored or discounted.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's a gripping mystery story involving adult secrets, childhood lies and betrayal as part of the human equation.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
separates itself from what would otherwise be a rather rote drama/thriller.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
Watching The Fallen Idol is like setting off one of those milelong mazes of dominoes, with ramps and loop-de-loops and sheer drops. First, every element is ingeniously set up; then, everything falls into place.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Many themes are tragic, but Fallen Idol also extols the resilience of innocence.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
This earlier pairing between the two masters is another well-crafted and thought-provoking film. And it makes you wish that Reed and Greene had teamed for more than just three films.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Reed and Greene build unbearable tension, with the nifty trick of showing events both as they happen and as little Philippe interprets (and occasionally misinterprets) them.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cassandra M

Lies, sometimes, are an act of kindness. Many times I hasten to add. The imagination of a lonely child is ignited by a meek man in love. The man, as played by the extraordinary Ralph Richardson, is a mass of contradictions and yet we understand him. Married to a shrew and in love with… More
Lies, sometimes, are an act of kindness. Many times I hasten to add. The imagination of a lonely child is ignited by a meek man in love. The man, as played by the extraordinary Ralph Richardson, is a mass of contradictions and yet we understand him. Married to a shrew and in love with Michele Morgan no less. Carol Reed is not a director that comes immediately to mind when one lists the greatest directors of all time, but in my book, is right up there with the very best. No other director has been able to bring Graham Green to the screen with its spirit so gloriously intact. Guilt and fear as riveting entertainment. Suspenseful, funny and beautiful to look at. Go try to top that.
AJ V

Literally about a boy who idolizes someone and finds out their not all that they thought they were. An okay movie, but not very exciting.
Tim S

With more suspense and twists than half the "thrillers" out there today. Bobby Henrey would eat HJO for breakfast.
Sarah B

You always know when you are about to watch a Carol Reed film, you're in for something special. However this hidden gem is truly special. It's quiet, slow-burning and subtle and all the more believable for it. The performances are naturalistic, compelling and so sympathetic… More
You always know when you are about to watch a Carol Reed film, you're in for something special. However this hidden gem is truly special. It's quiet, slow-burning and subtle and all the more believable for it. The performances are naturalistic, compelling and so sympathetic you find yourself totally immersed in the story and the characters that when it ends all too soon, you grieve for the loss. Never has the term "they don't make them like that anymore" been so apt.
Simeon D

I got this one out of curiosity because I'm a huge fan of Carol Reed's other noir masterpiece The Third Man and I've heard that this one is in fact better than that. I was skeptical after watching it, so I checked online and discovered that barely anyone has ever made… More
I got this one out of curiosity because I'm a huge fan of Carol Reed's other noir masterpiece The Third Man and I've heard that this one is in fact better than that. I was skeptical after watching it, so I checked online and discovered that barely anyone has ever made that claim. Ralph Richardson delivers a tense and spectacular portrayal of a butler for the French embassy in Britain who is suspected of murder. The film is shown from the perspective of the spoiled son of the French ambassador, and Carol Reed's filming-style makes it as if you are spectating on the drama as it unravels from the son's point of view; such as when the butler is referring to his mistress, he calls her his "niece" and then looks at the ground nervously. Graham Greene also should be given some credit for this too. Both The Third Man and The Fallen Idol are written by famous author Graham Greene and they both share superb dialogue and a riveting storyline. Carol Reed provides some great direction and camera angles, but it's nothing compared to The Third Man. I think the problem is that The Third Man just got so intense and visually magnificent as it came towards its climax, whereas this was semi-predictable and lacked suspense. In the last thirty minutes or so Ralph Richardson started acting like Orson Welles in The Third Man; where he would seem as if he's hiding some immense secret or suppressing a violent rage, and as the film ended there was no official clarity to his anxiety. The film's central character is the French ambassador's son, and it actually took me a while to realize he was the French ambassador's son; which explained his atrocious habit to slur every other word. The Fallen Idol is nowhere near The Third Man, but it benefits from Graham Greene's crafty script and a strong lead from Ralph Richardson. 86/100