IMDb > The Defiant Ones (1958)
The Defiant Ones
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The Defiant Ones (1958) More at IMDbPro »

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The Defiant Ones (1958) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   3,811 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Stanley Kramer
Writers (WGA):
Nedrick Young (story) (originally as Nathan E. Douglas)
Harold Jacob Smith (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Defiant Ones on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 September 1958 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
One of the great ones! more
Plot:
Two escaped convicts chained together, white and black, must learn to get along in order to elude capture. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 19 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
Poitier Awarded Medal of Freedom
 (From The Wrap. 12 August 2009, 2:42 PM, PDT)

Interview: Legendary Star Tony Curtis Likes it Hot in His Life, Career
 (From HollywoodChicago.com. 31 March 2009, 10:26 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Another Stanley Kramer great. more (43 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Tony Curtis ... John 'Joker' Jackson

Sidney Poitier ... Noah Cullen

Theodore Bikel ... Sheriff Max Muller
Charles McGraw ... Capt. Frank Gibbons

Lon Chaney Jr. ... Big Sam (as Lon Chaney)
King Donovan ... Solly
Claude Akins ... Mack
Lawrence Dobkin ... Editor
Whit Bissell ... Lou Gans
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer ... Angus (as Carl Switzer)
Kevin Coughlin ... Billy
Cara Williams ... Billy's mother
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
97 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Elvis Presley wanted the role of Joker Jackson, hoping to co-star with Sammy Davis Jr. (who had been first choice for the role of Noah Cullen) but was persuaded by his manager not to do the film. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: As John and Noah are swept downriver together, a person is seen on the shore moving into the top of frame, watching the two men. more
Quotes:
Law officier: How come they chained a white man to a black?
Sheriff Max Muller: The warden's got a sense of humor.
more
Soundtrack:
Long Gone more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
Another Stanley Kramer great., 10 August 1999
Author: yenlo from Auburn, Me

A great job by Stanley Kramer on this film. Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier turn in stellar performances as two convicts who get an unexpected shot at escape but are held together by a length of chain. They must learn to overcome their racial dislike of each other in order to survive and gain their freedom. But will they? The film is shot in black and white and had it been shot in color it would not have been as good. A remake was done some years later which was passable but didn't match this original version.

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