The Fallen Idol
An intelligent film from Carol Reed and Graham Greene, starring Ralph Richardson as the butler in the French embassy in London. The screenplay by Greene is based on his short story "The Basement Room," and the script is excellent, requiring some attention to catch all the details that are later lied about.
The gist of the story is that young Phillipe (Bobby Henrey) is the only, lonely child of the ambassador, and he's taken under the wing of Baines, the embassy's butler. Baines fills the impressionable youngster with tall tales of derring do and shootings in the wilds of Africa. Phillipe adores Baines. Mrs. Baines (Sonia Dresdel), however, is a harridan and our villainess, requiring strict behavior from her ward.
The problem is that Baines's tall tales take on a sinister aspect as we find out more about him and his relationship with his "niece." Baines is discovered by Phillipe who has no clue; at Baines's request, Phillipe agrees to keep the knowledge of the niece's existence secret. Based on the short story, I believe the boy is seven, but the actor was nine when the movie was made. In either event, Phillipe is no match for Mrs. Baines nor any other adult, so his attempt to keep his secrets are soon found out, and his attempts to protect Baines are branded as lies.
Mrs. Baines, of course, meets her end in an accidental fall from a window ledge. However, it appears that Baines pushed her down the stairs, and the police are called to investigate. Phillipe lies to protect Baines, and the police soon find out about the niece and other goings on, which exposes Phillipe as a liar. It turns out that had everyone told the truth from the beginning, the suspicions would not have been aroused.
Graham Greene is an excellent author, and I recommend his works. Since this is a Greene script, there are many turns of expectations and many amusing moments that are snuck in to take us unawares. (My favorite line: "Oh! I know your father, dear!") What makes this movie really work is the ending. Phillipe finally decides to tell the truth, but by doing so, he'll destroy Baines, although he doesn't know it. His attempts to get the police to listen to him are both tense and funny. It's a great ending to the movie. Greene also gets lots of characters in the movie in small parts; watch (and listen) for the charwomen and the clock winder. It's all very British.
The movie was made in 1948 by the director of "The Third Man," which premiered the following year. Unlike Harry Lime's Vienna, Phillipe's London is untouched by war and corruption. (Both movies were scripted by Graham Greene and had two of the Korda brothers on the crew.) The camera work is great, and we get a wonderful view of (I think) Belgravia from the upper floors of the embassy. The movie is subtle, and attention is rewarded. The themes are adult, and the use of the child for perspective makes the movie work much better than a straight telling of an affair of the heart.
The short story is considerably different from the film, and I recommend reading it after you've seen the movie. It's freely available online if you search for "The Basement Room." Phillipe has a much darker side in the story.