The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Robert Ellis Miller

Writers:

Carson McCullers (novel)
Thomas C. Ryan (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 July 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

...and from this man who could not speak or hear, the girl heard many things.

Plot:

Sentimental story centers around a deaf-mute, Singer, and Mick, a teenager who lives in the house where he rents a room...

Plot Keywords:

Deafness | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Alan Arkin	...	John Singer
Sondra Locke	...	Mick
Laurinda Barrett	...	Mrs. Kelly
Stacy Keach	...	Blount (as Stacy Keach Jr.)
Chuck McCann	...	Spiros Antonapoulos
Biff McGuire	...	Mr. Kelly
Percy Rodrigues	...	Doctor Copeland
Cicely Tyson	...	Portia
Jackie Marlowe	...	Bubber
Johnny Popwell	...	Willie
Wayne Smith	...	Harry
Peter Mamakos	...	Spirmonedes
John O'Leary	...	Beaudine
Hubert Harper	...	Brannon
Sherri Vise	...	Delores

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-8 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Selma, Alabama, USA

Company:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Trivia:

Mary Badham tested unsuccessfully for the role of Mick.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Laserblast (#8.6)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

a heartbreaking experience

I saw this movie as a 15 year old when it came out. I remember it was a Saturday night and none of my friends were around. My parents didn't have any plans either and asked if I would like to go to a movie with them. Although spending a Saturday night with ones' parents couldn't be more uncool for a teenage boy, I agreed. The story and performances sucked me in from the beginning and held me there while the unbearable sadness of the final scene tore my heart out. Of course teenage boys aren't supposed to be that sentimental so it took all my strength to hold back this tidal wave of grief that cut through me. As we walked out of the theatre and through the parking lot and got into the car I said nothing. After a few minutes my mother said, "Mark, you're awfully quiet". I shot back at her "leave me alone", which she did. I didn't want reality to intrude upon the profoundly deep feelings I was experiencing. That feeling stayed with me for months. Only decades later did I realize that the movie touched on a very personal sadness in my life that as a teenage boy I couldn't begin to grapple with. Micks' mothers inability to express love for her mirrored a similar void in my relationship with my father. During a particularly depressed part of my adulthood, while I was grappling with the reality of having an unloving father, one day I found myself thinking about this movie. Oh! That's why the movie had such a devastating effect on me! It brought to the surface all of the sadness, isolation and loneliness I suppressed as a child who wasn't loved for who he was! That's the definition of a true work of art. This movie had the ability to allow me to feel what I was unable to as a child and only years later would I be able to understand the reason for the overwhelming sadness I felt then.