I'd call it a must-see, a drama full of the darkest of humor. Ingrid Bergman is steely cold as Karla; Anthony Quinn marvelous as the hapless, desperate Serge. The townspeople are wholly believable in their blind hypocrisy. Although changed from the original play, the ending is just as powerful, showing how easily one can abandon one's conscience, turn against others, and justify one's own worst deeds.

Copyright 23 September 1964 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. An American-French-Italian-German co-production of Les Films du Siecle/PECF/Dear Film/Deutsche Fox Film. Released worldwide through 20th Century-Fox. New York opening simultaneously at the Rivoli, the Murray Hill and other theaters: 21 October 1964. U.S. release: September 1964. U.K. release: First promised for 1964, then for 1965, then for 1966, but never generally released at all. Australian release: December 1964. Sydney opening at the Palace (yes, the Palace, a fortnightly-change, action grind-house, of all theaters). 9,010 feet. 100 minutes.SYNOPSIS: The woman reputed to be the richest in the world, Karla Zachanassian (Ingrid Bergman), announces that she is returning to the town of her birth, Guellen, for a visit. She has not seen the town since she left many years ago. The people of Guellen, a middle- sized town in an unidentified European country, rejoice at the news. The town is economically depressed, most of its population are out of work, and the people hope that Karla will offer financial aid. They all work feverishly to repair and refurbish the town. Particular excitement is focused on Serge Miller (Anthony Quinn), proprietor of the general store who was friendly with Karla when she was a girl. At the town's hotel, work is being supervised by the innkeeper and Anya (Irina Demick), a pretty young maid who is having an affair with Police Captain Dobrik (Hans-Christian Blech). When anticipation is at fever pitch, Karla arrives accompanied by a Rolls Royce, servants, bodyguards and her pet, a magnificent leopard with gold collar and chain. During a banquet that night, Karla shocks the townspeople by offering them two million dollars if they will execute Miller!NOTES: Duerrenmatt's play, "Der Besuch der alten Dame" opened in Zurich on 29 January 1956. Valency's translation opened on Broadway at the Lynn Fontanne Theatre on 5 May 1958. Peter Brook directed Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne.COMMENT: All my colleagues agree on this one. Me too. Dreary direction. Principals woefully miscast. (In the original they are both very aged). All the bite taken out of the play. The conclusion changed. And a stupid sub-plot romance added.In a postscript to his play, Duerrenmatt wrote: "Nothing could harm this comedy with a tragic end more than heavy seriousness." Director Bernhard Wicki falls into that error, compounding it with a gimmicky screenplay. The eunuchs, the coffin, and much of the mordant wit are omitted, as is the wooden leg. The sex angle is fattened up with a juicy subplot... Sadder still, "The Visit" suffers from heroic miscasting. Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn work hard and seriously but to little purpose. The audience never really believes that the robust Quinn is an aging, frightened, sycophantic shop-keeper, or that Ingrid Bergman could be anything like as cruel as the script demands.

This is a very "European" looking film, with many of the conventions of European film-making. At the beginning I was trying to figure why the film looked or sounded dubbed, even though the characters were all clearly speaking the lines in English. Turns out, as I read elsewhere, that in many European films, the dialogue is overdubbed AFTER the scenes are shot, which was the case here and would explain this. The sound seems detached from what the acoustics of the setting would be. At any rate, it's a great story with a great premise and great acting. Ingrid Bergmann is absolutely mesmerizing here, and Quinn does his usual wonderful work. There are some artificialities in this story of a wronged woman who returns to her natal town to wreak revenge, but on the whole the story is gripping, as we watch the town, driven by greed, slowly turn on one of its own. The black and white photography is perfect for the story. The final scene is a completely surprising plot twist, and powerful in its fateful implications for the town. "The Visit" is a rarity on TV; catch it if you can.

I'm ashamed I've never seen this film till now. I've always known "of" it, as I've always known "of" the play, and "of" Friedrich Dürrenmatt's controversial take on "epic theater." So its allegorical aspects don't put me off at all. It's amazing to see how realistically and cinematically this play is filmed and acted.Co-Produced by Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Bergman, who co-star, this entire enterprise is a work of love and art: not commercial entertainment.And what a payoff! The suspense, the emotional builds, are incredible. Yes, you can see the act breaks that were in the play. No matter. The film surges along seamlessly to the unexpected and shattering climax.And the acting, from the entire cast, but especially Quinn and Bergman, is something to behold.The conclusion cuts like a knife.Watch it again and again for the layers in Bergman's performance. The transitions in her close-ups alone are astonishing.