IMDb > Cape Fear (1962)
Cape Fear
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Cape Fear (1962) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   9,193 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 21% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
J. Lee Thompson
Writers:
John D. MacDonald (novel)
James R. Webb (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Cape Fear on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1962 (Norway) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The Original Masterpiece Of Revenge, Confrontation And Murder! more
Plot:
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail. full summary | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
'Cape Fear' Director Thompson Dies
 (From WENN. 4 September 2002)

User Comments:
Good drama made great by an excellent Mitchum more (113 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Executioners (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Finland:(Banned) (1962) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1969) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1992) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Germany:16 (re-rating) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Chile:18 | Norway:16 (1962) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Approved (Certificate #20038)
Filming Locations:
Savannah, Georgia, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director J. Lee Thompson complained at the time that UK censor John Trevelyan had ruined the film by making extensive cuts, and the number of edits suggested ranged from 60 to over 100. Trevelyan later replied that he had made only 15 cuts, totalling around 6 minutes, with edits made to threatening dialogue and assault references, Cady's attack on Peggy, and all shots of him staring longingly at Nancy. All later UK video releases restored the cinema cuts. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: For some strange reason, just after Sam shoots Cady, the shot of Cady from Sam's POV shows the branches of a bush superimposed on the bottom and left side of the frame. The tipoff is that when the camera moves the branches of the "bush" do not - they move along with the camera, as if they're glued onto the frame (which they are). more
Quotes:
Diane Taylor: [after Cady has beaten her, she prepares to leave town] You can't help me.
Charles Sievers: But I can. Now you file an assault charge and Cady'll get six months in jail.
Diane Taylor: Six months! And after that... When he walked out of this room he said... he said to consider this only a sample. And from my limited knowledge of human nature, Max Cady isn't a man who makes idle threats.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 14 people found the following comment useful.
Good drama made great by an excellent Mitchum, 5 December 2002
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Sam Bowden is a lawyer who, eight years ago, acted as a witness against Max Cady to put him behind bars. Released from prison, Cady has studied the law and is set on terrorising the Bowdens without actually overstepping his legal rights. As Cady toes the line with increasingly worrying results, Browden begins to cross the line to deal with him and protect his family.

Having seen the remake first I wanted to go back and see it done originally. My first impression was that the remake had done some elements better than this. For example Nolte's lawyer is a lot less clean-cut than Pecks'. Also the sexual threat to the daughter is a lot more played out in the remake. Getting past this I saw how this was actually a better film in many ways. As a drama it moves along at a good pace – not jumping from one thrill to the next but not dragging either.

The film can only hint at the deeds of Cady because of the censors but it is clear even to the blind that Cady is a monster. This ups the tension as everything is slowly build to and we don't get a bloody or sexually shocking scene as a pay-off, no, here the tension is build on top of other tension. The direction is good, giving a dark feel to the look of the film as well as hinting constantly. Even if some of the thrills are signposted it still works well.

However, without Mitchum's performance this would be a very different film. With the help of De Niro's sneer or menacing tattoos, he is still a better Cady. He is on top form – where De Niro wore his threat large, Mitchum hints at it under a veneer of casual disinterest, making the threat seem bigger when he acts. Peck is good even if his character is too clean-cut when he should have been pushed further over the line for my tastes. Bergen doesn't have much to do, but her final scene with Mitchum is powerful and she really lets rip. Martin is perfectly cast – she looks like a child but also is `developed' enough to be a sexual role for Mitchum to prey on. It is easy to watch her as Mitchum closes in on her, almost licking his lips, but that's the power of the film.

Overall this manages to be powerful and thrilling despite the censors and is a really good drama. However it is totally carried by a monstrous yet subtle performance by Mitchum. De Niro was good in the role but once you've seen this you'll realise that menace can be acted subtly and not just by sneering and getting tonnes of tattoos.

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