J. Lee Thompson's black-and-white revenge thriller is still effective after its debut 45 years ago, perhaps even more so today with a growing awareness of sexual predators and child abductions. 'Cape Fear' was a very risqué film for its time, receiving numerous edits from the American and British censorship boards and nearly being slapped with an 'X' rating in the United Kingdom. But when all was said and done, the material for a good film was there, coming down to us with nail-biting suspense for which 'Cape Fear' is known.
The adaptation by James Webb of John MacDonald's novel 'The Executioners' was a perfect vehicle for all involved. J. Lee Thompson, recently off an Oscar nomination for 'The Guns of Navarone,' was still very much within his element after a series of British realist dramas that included 'North West Frontier' and 'Tiger Bay.' Robert Mitchum, one of the more underrated strongmen in film history, was physically and temperamentally ideal as Max Cady and Gregory Peck eased into the Sam Bowden mix of family man and protector. Peck actually teamed with Universal Pictures to make 'Cape Fear'; the entire cast and crew was hand-picked, resulting in this vintage gem.
'Cape Fear' boasts a plot that was extraordinary for its time and has been copied repeatedly. The story follows a Savannah layer named Sam Bowden (Peck) who is visited by Max Cady (Mitchum), an imposing man whom Bowden testified against in a Baltimore trial. Cady was sent to jail for raping a woman and, eight years removed from entering prison, he vows to make Bowden pay for his civic duty. He turns the Bowden family's life into Hell on Earth, following Sam, his wife Peg (Polly Bergen), and adolescent daughter Nancy (Lori Martin) around town. Along the way, he fatally poisons their dog and rapes a newcomer to Savannah, Diane Taylor (Barrie Chase).
Sam Bowden, a man of law and order, uses every legal tactic within his reach to drive Cady out of town. With help from police chief Mark Dutton (Martin Balsam) and a private detective named Charlie Seavers (Telly Savalas), he tries to drum up pretentious charges. Cady, however, has learned a great deal about the justice system while in prison, rambling off statute effortlessly. Bowden grows desperate, soon offering Cady hard dollars in exchange for leaving his family alone, hiring a band of enforcers to rough him up, and even considering murder. To make matters worse, Sam discovers that Cady is the lowest of all sexual predators, targeting his young daughter.
Shocking in 1962, 'Cape Fear' is no less effective today, in an age of Megan's Law and Amber Alerts. The social landscape has changed since this film was made - laws have been passed in an effort to restrict the movement of sex offenders - but the Bowdens, an ordinary family in an extraordinary situation a la Hitchcock, are still easy to associate with. The danger that Cady brings is excruciating and he also reveals the failures of law enforcement with his own disgusting brand of irony.
As J. Lee Thompson has said, Max Cady is the focal character, a sarcastic man with visibly bad intentions. Robert Mitchum, who is listed as 6' 1" in height, is such a dominant force both physically and emotionally, that he seems closer to 6' 5" or 6' 6". Because of this, Sam Bowden comes across as quite ordinary, although Gregory Peck's character takes on a bold dimension in the final half-hour. The film could not have managed without an excellent supporting cast and everyone delivers. Martin Balsam is quietly superb as usual, Telly Savalas does well as a slick private eye, and the portrayals of Bowden's family by Polly Bergan and Lori Martin fit like neat pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Jack Kruschen (as Dave Grafton, Cady's lawyer) and Barrie Chase are not asked for very much, but help in spurring the plot.
Cinematographer Samuel Leavitt ('Anatomy of a Murder,' 'Exodus') uses black and white filming techniques that give 'Cape Fear' a sinister edge not attainable in color. Part of what makes 'Cape' such an effective story is its use of shadow and the 'bare bones' feeling that is common in film noir. In the early 21st century, this film takes on an added gloominess, seeming to come from an innocent, bygone world and yet shattering our illusions. George Tomasini, an editor for several of Hitchcock's films including 'North by Northwest' and 'Psycho,' is a major complement to Thompson's well-paced direction. 'Cape Fear' is also not complete without the score of Bernard Herrmann, another Hitchcock regular. Writing on the orchestral scale of 50 years ago, Herrmann's music is notable for its use of ponderous strings and explosive brass. The score, in fact, was used almost verbatim in Martin Scorcese's 1991 remake.
Largely a potboiler, 'Cape Fear' has its flaws. There are plot holes, such as the willingness of Dutton to bend laws for Bowden's sake, and implausibility, such as how easily Cady pushes around the band of enforcers hired by Sam. The final scene taking place between a swamp house and houseboat is confusing at first and Sam swims downstream rather quickly to catch up with the villain. The circa-1960 attitudes towards violence against women are also painfully outdated. But none of this takes away from the core storyline, a twisted one for all times.
Universal has given 'Cape Fear' elite treatment on its DVD, offering anamorphic widescreen presentation with English captioning for the hearing impaired and subtitles in Spanish and French. The disc is chock full of bonus material that includes interviews with Peck and Thompson, photographs, posters, and the theatrical trailer. Peck and Thompson offer some fascinating insights, including censorship of the film and the original plan to cast Hayley Mills as Nancy. Bernard Herrmann's music is used throughout. The film itself is presented with clean visuals and Dolby-enhanced sound.
*** out of 4
The adaptation by James Webb of John MacDonald's novel 'The Executioners' was a perfect vehicle for all involved. J. Lee Thompson, recently off an Oscar nomination for 'The Guns of Navarone,' was still very much within his element after a series of British realist dramas that included 'North West Frontier' and 'Tiger Bay.' Robert Mitchum, one of the more underrated strongmen in film history, was physically and temperamentally ideal as Max Cady and Gregory Peck eased into the Sam Bowden mix of family man and protector. Peck actually teamed with Universal Pictures to make 'Cape Fear'; the entire cast and crew was hand-picked, resulting in this vintage gem.
'Cape Fear' boasts a plot that was extraordinary for its time and has been copied repeatedly. The story follows a Savannah layer named Sam Bowden (Peck) who is visited by Max Cady (Mitchum), an imposing man whom Bowden testified against in a Baltimore trial. Cady was sent to jail for raping a woman and, eight years removed from entering prison, he vows to make Bowden pay for his civic duty. He turns the Bowden family's life into Hell on Earth, following Sam, his wife Peg (Polly Bergen), and adolescent daughter Nancy (Lori Martin) around town. Along the way, he fatally poisons their dog and rapes a newcomer to Savannah, Diane Taylor (Barrie Chase).
Sam Bowden, a man of law and order, uses every legal tactic within his reach to drive Cady out of town. With help from police chief Mark Dutton (Martin Balsam) and a private detective named Charlie Seavers (Telly Savalas), he tries to drum up pretentious charges. Cady, however, has learned a great deal about the justice system while in prison, rambling off statute effortlessly. Bowden grows desperate, soon offering Cady hard dollars in exchange for leaving his family alone, hiring a band of enforcers to rough him up, and even considering murder. To make matters worse, Sam discovers that Cady is the lowest of all sexual predators, targeting his young daughter.
Shocking in 1962, 'Cape Fear' is no less effective today, in an age of Megan's Law and Amber Alerts. The social landscape has changed since this film was made - laws have been passed in an effort to restrict the movement of sex offenders - but the Bowdens, an ordinary family in an extraordinary situation a la Hitchcock, are still easy to associate with. The danger that Cady brings is excruciating and he also reveals the failures of law enforcement with his own disgusting brand of irony.
As J. Lee Thompson has said, Max Cady is the focal character, a sarcastic man with visibly bad intentions. Robert Mitchum, who is listed as 6' 1" in height, is such a dominant force both physically and emotionally, that he seems closer to 6' 5" or 6' 6". Because of this, Sam Bowden comes across as quite ordinary, although Gregory Peck's character takes on a bold dimension in the final half-hour. The film could not have managed without an excellent supporting cast and everyone delivers. Martin Balsam is quietly superb as usual, Telly Savalas does well as a slick private eye, and the portrayals of Bowden's family by Polly Bergan and Lori Martin fit like neat pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Jack Kruschen (as Dave Grafton, Cady's lawyer) and Barrie Chase are not asked for very much, but help in spurring the plot.
Cinematographer Samuel Leavitt ('Anatomy of a Murder,' 'Exodus') uses black and white filming techniques that give 'Cape Fear' a sinister edge not attainable in color. Part of what makes 'Cape' such an effective story is its use of shadow and the 'bare bones' feeling that is common in film noir. In the early 21st century, this film takes on an added gloominess, seeming to come from an innocent, bygone world and yet shattering our illusions. George Tomasini, an editor for several of Hitchcock's films including 'North by Northwest' and 'Psycho,' is a major complement to Thompson's well-paced direction. 'Cape Fear' is also not complete without the score of Bernard Herrmann, another Hitchcock regular. Writing on the orchestral scale of 50 years ago, Herrmann's music is notable for its use of ponderous strings and explosive brass. The score, in fact, was used almost verbatim in Martin Scorcese's 1991 remake.
Largely a potboiler, 'Cape Fear' has its flaws. There are plot holes, such as the willingness of Dutton to bend laws for Bowden's sake, and implausibility, such as how easily Cady pushes around the band of enforcers hired by Sam. The final scene taking place between a swamp house and houseboat is confusing at first and Sam swims downstream rather quickly to catch up with the villain. The circa-1960 attitudes towards violence against women are also painfully outdated. But none of this takes away from the core storyline, a twisted one for all times.
Universal has given 'Cape Fear' elite treatment on its DVD, offering anamorphic widescreen presentation with English captioning for the hearing impaired and subtitles in Spanish and French. The disc is chock full of bonus material that includes interviews with Peck and Thompson, photographs, posters, and the theatrical trailer. Peck and Thompson offer some fascinating insights, including censorship of the film and the original plan to cast Hayley Mills as Nancy. Bernard Herrmann's music is used throughout. The film itself is presented with clean visuals and Dolby-enhanced sound.
*** out of 4