Night Moves (1975)

Director:

Arthur Penn

Writer:

Alan Sharp (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 1975 (Finland)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

What private eye Harry Moseby doesn't know about the girl he's looking for... just might get him killed.

Plot:

Former footballer and present private detective Harry Moseby gets hired on to what seems a standard missing person case...

Plot Keywords:

Private Detective | Runaway | Actress | Missing Person | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Harry Moseby
Jennifer Warren	...	Paula
Susan Clark	...	Ellen Moseby
Edward Binns	...	Joey Ziegler
Harris Yulin	...	Marty Heller
Kenneth Mars	...	Nick
Janet Ward	...	Arlene Iverson
James Woods	...	Quentin
Melanie Griffith	...	Delly Grastner
Anthony Costello	...	Marv Ellman
John Crawford	...	Tom Iverson
Ben Archibek	...	Charles
Dennis Dugan	...	Boy
C.J. Hincks	...	Girl
Max Gail	...	Stud (as Maxwell Gail Jr.)
Susan Barrister	...	Ticket Clerk
Larry Mitchell	...	Ticket Clerk
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phil Altman	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Neil Brooks Cunningham	...	Voice (uncredited)
Michael Ebert	...	Voice (uncredited)
Louie Elias	...	Cop (uncredited)
René Enríquez	...	Voice (uncredited)
Avril Gentles	...	Voice (uncredited)
Tim Haldeman	...	Delivery Boy (uncredited)
Carey Loftin	...	Cop (uncredited)
John Moio	...	Cop (uncredited)
Victor Paul	...	Cop (uncredited)
Christopher Riordan	...	One of the suspects as a youth (uncredited)
Sandra Seacat	...	Voice (uncredited)
Bob Templeton	...	Crewman (uncredited)
Jacque E. Wallace	...	Bit Part (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Penn

Writing credits
Alan Sharp		(writer)

Produced by
Gene Lasko	....	associate producer
Robert M. Sherman	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Bruce Surtees

Film Editing by
Dede Allen
Stephen A. Rotter		(co-editor)

Casting by
Nessa Hyams

Production Design by
George Jenkins

Set Decoration by
Ned Parsons

Makeup Department
Irene Aparicio	....	hair stylist
Bruce Jossen	....	hair stylist
Bob Stein	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Thomas J. Schmidt	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pat Kehoe	....	second assistant director (as Patrick H. Kehoe)
Jack Roe	....	assistant director

Art Department
Barry Bedig	....	property master
David M. Haber	....	assistant art director (as David Haber)

Sound Department
Richard P. Cirincione	....	sound editor (as Richard Cirincione)
Craig McKay	....	sound editor
Robert M. Reitano	....	sound editor (as Robert Reitano)
Jack Solomon	....	sound mixer
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recordist (as Richard Vorisek)
Maurice Schell	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Joe Day	....	special effects
Marcel Vercoutere	....	special effects

Stunts
Dean Engelhardt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted Grossman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Hackman	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rick Lockwood	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernie F. Orsatti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Parkison Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Betty Raymond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Scott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred M. Waugh	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Holmes	....	gaffer (as Chuck Holmes)
Jordan Klein Sr.	....	underwater camera operator (as Jordan Klein)
James Pergola	....	camera operator (as Jim Pergola)
Billy Simpson	....	key grip (as Bill Simpson)
Roland 'Ozzie' Smith	....	camera operator (as Ozzie Smith)
Robert C. Thomas	....	camera operator
William D. Barber	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Michael McGowan	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Arnie Lipin	....	costumer
Rita Riggs	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Angelo Corrao	....	assistant editor
Ronald Roose	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Michael Small	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Joe Sawyers	....	transportation

Other crew
Bonnie Bruckheimer	....	assistant to producer
Dean Engelhardt	....	aerial coordinator
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Gordon K. Kee	....	location auditor (as Gordon Kee)
Ronnie Kramer	....	production secretary
Marshall Schlom	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1975) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Also Known As:

The Dark Tower (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Australia:PG (TV rating) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Sanibel Island, Florida, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Paula (Jennifer Warren) tells Harry (Gene Hackman) that the first boy who touched her breasts was named Billy Dannreuther, which is the name of Humphrey Bogart's character in Beat the Devil (1953).

Quotes:

Paula: Where were you when Kennedy got shot?
Harry Moseby: Which Kennedy?
Paula: Any Kennedy.
Harry Moseby: When the president got shot, I was on my way to San Diego. Football game. When Bobby got shot, I was sitting in a car waiting for a guy to come out of a house with his girlfriend. Working on a divorce case. One of those times I wish I was in another business.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Sinister Saga of Making 'The Stunt Man' (2000) (V)

Finally a film that gets neo-noir right

This one has all the bells and whistles of the early detective films of the 40's and 50's. There's the classic disgraced self-loathing detective who seems destine to fail, more than one femme fatale, a sub-plot involving adultery, as well as an emphasis on exotic and seedy locations. Alan Sharp's screenplay is Oscar worthy. It intertwines commentary on society, relationships, intimacy, and aging that may have sound like a recipe for disaster for a director, however Arthur Penn turns it into a coherent story. Towards the end it gets a little more confusing but its intentionally crafted that way. This is in my opinion is the mark of a great film noir. When things make sense, but don't at the same time because your not sure about the where, how, and who but only the why. Gene Hackman is superb. I've always loved it when hes given the opportunity to take on a lead role. I only wish more people could see it.