影片主角是一個(gè)78歲的英國著(zhù)名作家，他身患重病卻仍然酗酒成性，口不擇言。夜晚不時(shí)陷于噩夢(mèng)的纏繞中，令他想入非非，一邊琢磨著(zhù)他最后一部作品的情節構思，一邊回憶著(zhù)他的往事。于是，噩夢(mèng)、他的想象加上往事的回憶相互混淆在一起，共同構成了他作品的故事框架?！ ∮捌瑢⑽膶W(xué)創(chuàng )作的過(guò)程跟幻想、憤怒等融為一體，制造了一個(gè)精致的弗洛伊德啞謎。這是雷奈的第一部用英語(yǔ)拍攝的影片。劇本比較拗口羅嗦，有較重的文學(xué)味，影片被認為是雷奈的杰作，博加德的演出尤為精湛，但一般觀(guān)眾可能會(huì )覺(jué)得單調乏味?！ live Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, through flashbacks, how spiteful, conniving and treacherous his family is. But is this how they really are or is it his own vindictive slant on things?