The Night the Prowler (also known as Patrick White's The Night the Prowler) is a 1978 Australian film written by Patrick White, produced by Anthony Buckley and directed by Jim Sharman. Ruth Cracknell was nominated in 1979 for an AFI Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role for her part.
Cast
Ruth Cracknell as Doris Bannister
John Frawley as Humphrey Bannister
Kerry Walker as Felicity Bannister
John Derum as John
Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madge Hopkirk
Terry Camilleri as The Prowler
Harry Neilson as Old man
Alexander Archdale
Production
Sharman had worked successfully with White directing the latter's play The Season at Sarsaparilla. White suggested that his book The Night the Prowler might make a film; Sharman agreed and White wrote a screenplay.
The film was shot in November and December 1977.
Release
The film was selected to open the 1978 Sydney Film Festival and was harshly received.
Reception
Paul Byrnes of Australian Screen Online wrote the following in his review: The film is a savage satire on the neuroses of the privileged of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where White lived, and the director Jim Sharman grew up. Much of the satire verges on invective, and the film was criticised for being ponderous, pretentious and condescending. Parts of it are like that—especially some of the dialogue—but the film also has some moments where everything works.