The Intruder (1962)
8/10
I don't mean to intrude, but this movie is so underrated. It needs more praise! It's one of the best films on the subject of racism ever made! It deserves better than it got.
22 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This film that also known under its US reissue titles as 'I Hate Your Guts!', 'Shame', or 'The Stranger' in the UK release; is often, overlooked by main stream critics, due to the film's harsh portrayal of racism and segregation. Directed by fame B-movie Director Roger Corman & based off, Charles Beaumont's 1959 novel with the same name. The movie tells the story of a racist named Adam Cramer (William Shatner), who arrives in the fictitious small southern town of Caxton in order to incite townspeople to racial violence against the town's black minority and court-ordered school integration. Will Cramer have success in this small town or will the town folks rise above hate? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, the story is unusually mature and complex for its time, contrasting with the often patronizing approaches of other films of the 1950s and 1960s to the subject of race. Other films at the time, are just too polite and restrained, as if they were really afraid to anger people. This one is above all bold. The film language is ugly and vicious. It's not afraid to use the N-word, more than once. I like, how it's not frightened, to show, how mean-spirited, people can be. It even mention rape. You don't see, that, in many early 1960s film. There were tons of intense scenes in this film that could have play anyway. It was no way, predictable. The pacing of the film is very straightforward. However, the sub-plots with Adam Cramer & Sam Griffin (Leo Gordon) weren't really needed. Tom McDaniel (Frank Maxwell) could easily, replace him. Don't get me wrong, Sam Griffin is a great character, and Leo Gordon plays him, well. Still, his scenes have little to do with the main plot. Tom McDaniel is a more-well-rounded character that has much to do with the story. Both men play men of deep intelligence and a way with words. They are immensely identifiable in their respective roles. It just that Frank Maxwell did a better performance. I can really see, his views on race, change, throughout the film. Not to have him, confront Adam in the end is somewhat of a disappointment. Still, I like how the film ends. It shows, that the only mature way, to stop mindless violence & hate is through rational thought. If they were somethings, worth nitpicking about; it has to be, the fact that the movie doesn't give us, much characterization, besides the small amount of white people that are not stereotype one-dimensional racists. I would love the movie to show, how blacks could easily be, just as racist as those of the Southern whites. The story reeks of some simplistic clichés. I just glad, there wasn't many of those. Unlike some critics may say, there are truly, characters with shades of gray personalities. While, this movie is shown in black and white, their world is not. I do like the black and white cinematography, regardless. It has that grim German Expressionism and Italian neorealism feel to the film. When Adam Cramer is doing his speech in front of City Hall; it reminds me, so much of Adolf Hitler and his rowdy polemic speeches, from WW2 documentaries. William Shatner did a great job, playing the young white supremacist leader. The way, he moves his hands to make gestures, the over-stressing of certain words, and his use of facial emotions, all makes Shatner's performance so superb. While, it might look a bit over-the-top. This was pretty good for an actor known infamous mostly for his choppy delivery. I don't why, producer Roger Corman allegedly blamed star, William Shatner's performance for the box-office failure of the movie, and the breaking of Corman's perfect track record of successes; because I thought he did, pretty good. Anybody that makes fun of Shatner's acting ability should see this film. It shows that he can do, so much more. The rest of the supporting cast were alright for the most part. They were hardly any mediocre acting in this film. The background music appropriately hints at tension and danger. It really sounds like something really bad is, going to happen, any minute, throughout the film. Well, I guess, something did awful did happen, during filming. The film crew got thrown out, of several towns in Missouri by the chief of police, for allegedly being "leftist communists". This leaded to many reshoots. Regardless, the film was beautiful shot and all the locations used, so well. Overall: This racial segregation film from the Pope of Pop Cinema was jaw breaking thought provoking. Raw, and somewhat hard to watch at times, this movie represents the dark side of America. In my opinion, it must be preserved and viewed for future generations to come, so that we may never forget, that racism is immoral.
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