The Young Savages (1961)

Director:

John Frankenheimer

Writers:

Edward Anhalt (writer)
Evan Hunter (novel)

Release Date:

24 May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

HERE IS THE RAW TRUTH...NAILED TO THE SCREEN!

Plot:

A district attorney investigates the racially charged case of three Italian teenagers accused of the murder of a blind Puerto Rican boy...

Plot Keywords:

Juvenile Delinquent | Gang | Beautiful Woman | Deep Focus | Based On Novel

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Hank Bell
Dina Merrill	...	Karin Bell
Edward Andrews	...	R. Daniel 'Dan' Cole
Vivian Nathan	...	Mrs. Escalante
Shelley Winters	...	Mary di Pace
Larry Gates	...	Randolph
Telly Savalas	...	Police Lt. Gunderson
Pilar Seurat	...	Louisa Escalante
Jody Fair	...	Angela Rugiello
Roberta Shore	...	Jenny Bell
Milton Selzer	...	Walsh
Robert Burton	...	Judge
David J. Stewart	...	Barton
Stanley Kristien	...	Danny Di Pace
John Davis Chandler	...	Arthur Reardon

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | West Germany:12 (f) (cut version) | West Germany:16 (f) | UK:12 (2009) | UK:12 | UK:X (1961) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Contemporary Productions

Trivia:

Burt Lancaster was forced by United Artists to make four films for $150,000 a picture in the 1960s: The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Train (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965) rather than his normal fee of $750,000, because of cost overruns at his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, for which he was personally responsible.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Portraits chinois (1996)

oh so cool

overall the film is not an 8 but the cool parts just won't allow me to give it a lower score.When it was first released I was in junior high school and there existed a non-conformist society within a society.These non-conformists wore long dark coats(trench coats ?) and small brimmed dress hats.My older brother used this kind of dress,I thought it looked so cool.The best I could do was a hand-me-down off white coat that had been balled up in the closet.My big head size ruled out using a hat,instead of looking like a teenage gangster I probably resembled a juvenile Colombo.In the film the gang called the Horsemen dress in the coat and hat style,I really could relate to this cool look.Real gang members are used for some parts of the movie.The viewer sees a style of dress that really existed at the time,for me it's history preserved.The slang and look of the young people are what I like about this movie.The big finale court trial is unbelievable,a fairytale.About the most realistic scene involving Burt Lancaster is when he is at home talking to his wife and reflects on changing his name from Bellini to Bell,many other men I imagine might relate to that part.Look for the emphasis on poverty,one gang leader lives in a crowded apartment with people laying around on cots,it looks like a flop house where sleeping is done in shifts.My favorite touch is a rooster pecking around on the stairwell INSIDE the apartment building(a housebroken slum rooster?)