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   3,832 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
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:
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)
User Comments:
A well directed outing more (44 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
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Additional Details

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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The film's co-writers, Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith, were cast as the prison truck drivers, with the writing credits below their faces, because Young was blacklisted and writing under a pseudonym at the time and producer Stanley Kramer wanted to identify them truthfully. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The dirt on the shirts throughout the film goes from clean to dirty to clean and dirty. So does the dirt on the faces. more
Quotes:
John 'Joker' Jackson: Ya'll can't lynch me! I'm a white man! more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Long Gone more

FAQ

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
A well directed outing, 27 November 2004
Author: davidbyrne77 from Ottawa

I found this film very entertaining, thanks in part from great performances by both Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis, and due to great directing by Stanley Kramer. The black and white cinematography is great, as is the story of a black man and a white man, chained together and on the run from the law, who hate each other more than captivity itself. Shared experiences and the realization that inside they are both very similar helps both men to understand each other. I also liked the friction between the gung-ho sheriff and the more laid-back, realistic one. The character of the bloodhound owner rings true to anyone who knows a person who breeds dogs. The only thing I didn't like about this film was the Poitier character's singing. I know thats its a big part of the film and it is a form of defiance on its own, but it bugged me none the less. Oh well, small criticism for a great film. But what's with woman who'll sell out her son to some guy who stumbles into her yard? Wrong priorities, I guess.

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more (44 total)

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