Cape Fear (1962)
Runtime: 106 minutes
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin, Martin Balsam
From: Universal
As has become increasingly common in 2020, last night a movie was seen on Turner Classic Movies. One day there will be a compare and contrast w/ what Scorsese did with the same material 29 years later but while this of course was not as explicit... it pushed the boundaries for the time and not only does the heel make a gross comment about a 14 year old girl, he makes it clear both she and her mother will be targets for vile deeds he wishes to perform.
It is a simple plot where criminal Max Cady is released from prison after 8 years (not explicitly said in the movie, but in the novel that was the source material, it was for rape) and he wants revenge against the lawyer-Sam Bowden-who put him away. Cady has enough cunning and guile (along with enough free time to study law) to terrorize the Bowden family without breaking what the early 1960's laws were concerning harassment. It was a nice cast as a whole and it was fortunate that Lori Martin-who played the 14 year old daughter-was thankfully not a bad child actor but of course it was Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum whom shone the brightest here. Peck was a typical hard-working family man who becomes increasingly desperate and his fright increases before it boils over. Mitchum, it was a tremendous performance; typically, the character was calm and even-keeled when dealing with others. That made him all the more menacing, although deep in the final act he revealed his true colors.
The Hitchcock influence was acknowledged; even if it wasn't, it would be obvious. How scenes are staged, the black and white photography's appearance, the suspense, the violin-heavy Bernard Herrmann score... if you love Hitch then Cape Fear is a must-see.
No comments:
Post a Comment