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Cape Fear [1961]
![Cape Fear [1961]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51lv6RqOBcL._SL160_.jpg)
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Superior to Martin Scorsese's punishing 1991 remake, this 1962 thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone) stars Robert Mitchum as a creepy ex-con angry at the attorney (Gregory Peck) whom he believes is responsible for his incarceration. After Mitchum makes clear his plans to harm Peck's family, a fascinating game of crisscrossing ethics and morality takes place. Where the more recent version seemed trapped in its explicitness, Thompson's film accomplishes a lot with a more economical and telling use of violence. The result is a richer character study with some Hitchcockian overtones regarding the nature of guilt. --Tom Keogh
"You have to know him to feel the threat..."
Review date: 2008-01-12 Rating: 8 out of 10
J. Lee Thompson's 1962 version of Cape Fear may not be a masterpiece, but in everyway it's a superior thriller to Martin Scorsese's horribly misjudged remake. More surprisingly, it's also much nastier even with the heavier censorship of the day - Robert Mitchum's treatment of Polly Bergen in the last reel is startlingly violent and disturbing even now and its still shocking to see an early 60s film that revolves around sex crimes. There's no doubt exactly what's on Mitchum's mind, whether he's eyeing up a pickup in a bar or breaking an egg in his fist and smearing the yolk over the mother's shoulders and neck: like a lazy reptile waiting to casually catch a fly with his tongue, he merely has to look at Gregory Peck's underage daughter to exude menace. Where the remake offered a dysfunctional family forced to come together, the original offers something much more anarchic, as Gregory Peck's Mr Civil Liberties gradually comes to realize that the only way to protect his All-American family from Mitchum's strutting lizard-like vengeful ex-con is play dirty himself and plan his murder using his own daughter as bait. He may be playing another small-town southern lawyer, but he's is as far way from Atticus Finch as Mitchum's seedy, cocky but thoroughly self-aware Max Cady is from his self-deluding self-righteous `preacher' Harry Powell.
While Mitchum and Peck occupy centre-stage, James Webb's tight script ensures the supporting cast make a strong impression too as they usher Peck further down the path to murder: Martin Balsam's sympathetic police chief who'll bend the law a little to harass an ex-con for a solid citizen, Telly Savalas (with hair) as a pragmatic private eye who is not above calling in as little help from the wrong side of tracks and Jack Kruschen, not playing Jewish for a change, as Cady's mouthpiece who knows just how to use the law to protect the guilty. Aided immensely by Samuel Leavitt's menacing black and white photography and Bernard Herrmann's dramatically sinister score, Thompson's direction is right on target throughout: he may not have been one of the great directors, but he knew how to tell a story without losing the characters along the way, and he's at the top of his game here. It may not be quite a classic, but it is a strikingly effective thriller, albeit an undeniably nasty one.
Unusually for a film of the period, this boasts a surprisingly excellent DVD, with a good widescreen black and white transfer and plenty of extras, from a half hour documentary (though sadly only Thompson and Peck contribute, with Mitchum notably absent), production notes, a well-designed stills montage and the original theatrical trailer.
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Reviews
Fearful "Cape"
Review date: 2006-11-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
Sometimes, the most terrifying monsters are the ones that look just like humans.
And one such monster is at the heart of "Cape Fear," one of the most harrowing movies from Hollywood's golden age. Rather than a straightforward thriller, this movie explores how sometimes both crime and justice can go outside the law -- and how far some people will go for revenge.
Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) sent Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) to prison for rape, eight years ago. Now Cady has been released, and is determined to settle the old score -- and Bowden's wife and teenage daughter are next. Bowden tries to get the police to help, but until Cady breaks a law, they can't do anything.
And so Cady begins his vendetta against Bowden -- he stalks Bowden's daughter and poisons the dog. He rapes a young woman, then frightens her into not telling. As Bowden's life becomes a living nightmare, he knows that he will have to go outside the law to deal with Cady -- and he'll have to set a trap.
Hitchcock would have been jealous. Not many movies -- even of his movies -- create the sense of pure evil that "Cape Fear" does. Stalking laws didn't exist back then, and so until a crime was committed and charges were pressed, the police literally could not do a thing.
And that conflict is the heart of "Cape Fear." As a lawyer, Bowden believes firmly in the justice of law at the beginning, but that is shattered when Cady uses the law for himself. J. Lee Thompson illustrates how law and justice aren't the same thing -- Cady is evil but works within the law, while Bowden must go vigilante to keep his innocent family safe.
And J. Lee Thompson does a great job creating this nightmare. Ominous music, shadowy sets, and taut, terrifying sequences that seem a little too real, such as when Cady relentlessly pursues little Nancy around the school. And the dialogue is as tight as the plot ("We're gonna nurse you back to health. And you're strong, Cady. You're gonna live a long life... in a cage!").
Peck and Mitchum are absolutely amazing in this movie. Few actors could pull off the cold, calculating evil of Mitchum's Cady. Rape, murder, pedophilia -- you name it, he'll do it. Peck is equally outstanding as the devoted father and husband, but he is at his best when Bowden is slowly being stretched to the breaking point.
"Cape Fear" is the sort of horror story that can happen in real life, and Peck and Mitchum's performances elevate it into a classic. Absolutely terrifying, amazingly made.
OH MY GOD.......THIS FILM SHOOK ME......CLOSE YOUR CURTAINS!
Review date: 2005-07-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
WOW!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT A FILM....DE NIRO IS SUCH A GREAT - FANTASTIC ACTOR AND PLAYS THE REALLY NASTY PART OF MAX KATIE, AND PLAYS IT VERY WELL!
SUCH A EVIL, SCARY, SHOCKING FILM WITH SO MUCH SUSPENSE THAT YOU COULD NOT LEAVE THE ROOM EVEN IF YOU ARE PISSING YOURSELF....IT IS THAT GOOD.
I LOVE IT WHEN THE EX COP INVESTIGATOR SENDS THE 3 (USELESS) HITMEN TO KILL MAX KATIE....KATIE(DE NIRO) WAS A STRONG, INTELLIGENT MADMAN.....ROB DONE IT AGAIN,A GREAT FILM......A MUST WATCH. (NEVER GO ON A BOAT WHEN THERES A EX PRISON INsAN0 AFTER YOU!!!!!! REVENGE.....)
Brutal and bloody and better than the original
Review date: 2004-07-25 Rating: 6 out of 10
Having seen the original I was curious to see what film veteran partners Scorsese and De Niro could build on the 1962 thriller classic. The original lacks the thrills of a Hitchcock film and seems a little routine, but Bob Mitchum is considerably greater at playing a swaggering, seductive villian than De Niro. De Niro is far better at playing a recluse or a more human man with inner demons (check out Taxi Driver/Raging Bull) and Mitchum is better as a deranged maniac (check out The night of the Hunter), however, De Niro performs admirably and this is a first rate thriller.
The film is tense, Juliette Lewis is great as the pubescent teenager led on by Max Cady, and Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange are quite frankly a disappointment, playing very 2D characters that require more depth to emphasise their dilemma.
The story is simple but effective, Scorsese's trademark occasional scenes of bloodshed, brutality, religious symbolism and misogyny are there and check out the artificial coloured skies and the fireworks that pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock who obviously greatly influenced Scorsese here. The film has succeeded in updating a thriller where brutality and violence far too graphic for 1962 have been incorporated.
De Niro is over the top, Nolte is too routine and the climax is thrilling but ridicoulas, but still this is highly entertaining cinema.
"Every man has to go through hell to reach paradise..."
Review date: 2004-03-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
Very few thrillers stand out like Martin Scorsese's "Cape Fear." It's a terrifying ride that frightens us to the very core. It shakes you violently and paints an intense picture of revenge that is taken to a whole different level. This is a dark and brutal film that doesn't let you off easy for a single second.
Attorney Sam Bowden appears to have the perfect life upon simple examination. He has a loving wife and daughter, a very nice home, and a pretty successful and providing career. Things take a drastic turn when Max Cady is released from prison after serving a term of fourteen years. Cady was once represented by Bowden and is now looking for a little payback, as he feels that his former attorney didn't do everything he possibly could to keep him out of prison. Now, Sam must realize the present danger that is before him, as not only is his life in absolute danger--but also his family and everybody else he loves and cares for. The stakes have never been higher.
This is an absolutely disturbing film that pulls no punches. It's a very uneasy movie to watch, and yet it is so well done that it is hard NOT to watch. Robert De Niro is extremely terrifying as the vengeful "Max Cady" who is out and about, looking to settle the score. This is definitely a signature role for De Niro, as this would be one of his many roles that he will be remembered for most. Nick Nolte also gives a remarkable performance that adds a human quality to his character. The movie is well written and is perfectly executed frame by frame. It plays like a Hitchcock film on ecstasy. Martin Scorsese flawlessly directs this horrifying picture and knows what strings to pull to get a reaction from us. Be warned, this is not a movie for those who have weak stomachs or faint hearts.
The DVD does a splendid job when it comes to doing the movie the justice that it deserves. The picture quality is great--it is such a relief that I don't have to deal with the terrible laserdisc version that had the most horrendous picture quality. The sound quality is also great, and you even get the chance to watch it in DTS, if your system carries it. There are some cool extras for DVD fanatics, with extras like featurettes, deleted scenes, production notes, a theatrical trailer and more. Surely, there will be some who will want more for a film of this caliber, but the overall presentation is more than satisfactory.
"Cape Fear" is a relentless thriller that is terrifying and suspenseful. The movie has an excellent cast, a great script, and an extremely talented director behind it all. Again, the movie is very intense and isn't recommended for those who have weak hearts and don't like scenes with graphic and disturbing violence. This is definitely a classic that will always be around in the fine world of cinema. -Michael Crane
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Martin Balsam
Robert Mitchum
Polly Bergen
Gregory Peck
Creators:
Robert Mitchum (Primary Contributor)
Gregory Peck (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582001853
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2008-05-05
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 101 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2001-12-06
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: German (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Danish (Subtitled)
Language: Finnish (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Norwegian (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Turkish (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Bulgarian (Subtitled)