Roger Corman's "The Intruder" (1962) may prove something of a revelation for those viewers who are used to thinking of William Shatner as nothing more than a self-parodying, space-trucking blowhard. Shatner is simply superb in this picture, and gives one of the finest performances I have ever seen him essay. His Adam Cramer, when we first see him, appears to be a polite, well-mannered and chivalrous gentleman. One would never know that, as a representative of the Patrick Henry Society, he has come to the small Southern town of Caxton to stir up riots against the new school integration laws. His Cramer has loads of snake-oil charm, is a mesmerizing orator and is suavely seductive with the ladies; no wonder that he soon has Caxton eating out of his slimy hands. Five years before he ever sat in the captain's chair, Shatner is truly a wonder to behold here, and his ranting speech before the Caxton courthouse may be the finest work of his career; better, even, than those final two minutes of "The City on the Edge of Forever." Trekkers may perhaps understand me when I say that his Adam Cramer is hardly an E Plebnista performance! The film's other three professional actors are also very fine, and indeed, even the large cast of nonactors seems very authentic. Though set in the Deep South, Corman (who directs extremely imaginatively here, by the way) has since revealed that the picture was actually filmed in Mississippi County, Missouri (to avoid trouble with locals, although that trouble came anyway), and that, typical for this director, the film was shot in only three weeks and for the price of only $80,000. Despite that, the film seems very well made. It is, famously, the only picture of Corman's that ever lost money, but nevertheless carries an emotional charge and important message almost five decades later. And Shatner, in his first starring role, an Oscar-worthy one, is largely responsible for that charge. This is a great film.
Review of The Intruder
