Silent Night, Lonely Night (1969)

This is a slow-moving and gently philosophical film (see Plot Synopsis) about the subject of marriage, suitable chiefly for adults. It's a bit sad, but not really a tear-jerker, in my opinion. For its day, I think it has quite a bit of depth regarding commentary on marriage and sexual temptation. In the old-fashioned style of movies, nothing overtly sexual is shown, but those scenes are very striking and tenderly suggestive. I liked it quite a bit, and it also taught me something about fidelity, too (as another poster said). Its ending is not predictable but consonant with the characters' struggles and the film's attempt to address the underlying issues.

Something I learned in this movie has helped me avoid the temptation to have an affair. Even though Lloyd Bridges' wife is ill, (I think she was mentally ill, and would never love him again) and the alluring Shirley Jones is there for the taking; Lloyd stays with his wife. As he put it "How important it is to have someone to REMEMBER WITH. Without her, I have no past." Each time I think about this movie, I realize that my spouse is irreplaceable...and I love her more and more. There are lots of pretty faces and pretty bodies "out there", but you'll be happier if you stay with what you have.

I've loved this TV movie from the first time I saw it. The reason I now think of it as a "guilty pleasure" is that, since it was made in 1969, it's now quite dated and I think I'd be embarrassed now if I were caught watching the characters in their dated clothes, language, etc. But underneath the surface, it is a very mature, compassionate and moving story. Very touching. The sex scenes are almost hard to watch, they're so intimate and real. I think it's a timeless story. Lloyd Bridges was a hunk!!

The film is watchable, especially if you have a soft spot for homey New England countryside in wintertime, or for Lloyd Bridges or Shirley Jones in fairly small roles. They circle each other, she: self-depriving and disciplined by principle, stunted socially; he: rougish in a restrained and admirable sort of way, but refusing to divulge a lie to her.There is a hilarious scene in which John Sparrow (Lloyd Bridges) takes an afternoon jaunt on a Ski-Doo snowmobile, tearing around, laughing out loud and bailing out. This fad must have been in full swing in 1969 but looks bizarre and forced as an 'amusement' activity now! Later they take a picture perfect sleighride through Robert Frost country and you wish you were along.Post-Airplane, it's indeed hard to see Lloyd Bridges open a bottle of scotch whiskey without saying aloud "Looks like I picked the wrong week to give up drinking!" Seeing son Jeff Bridges play Lloyd in a flashback to his college days (scene is shot inside the old Amherst College "Cage" basketball gymnasium) is fun. Carrie Snodgress appears as a student with her boyfriend, who admonish John and Katherine as the "establishment types" for their old tired ethics, and all share in the merriment of the season....Cloris Leachman is wonderful in a cameo as the townie whom John may or may not recall from his past.Nice film to watch at Christmastime -- the action all unfolds in the day or two before Christmas, and resolves on Christmas morning.