Without a Trace (1983)

This film, centering on a child's abduction, casts Kate Nelligan as the distraught mother who lashes out at the police (in the person of a relentless detective played by Judd Hirsch), who ... See full summary »

Director:

Stanley R. Jaffe

Writers:

Beth Gutcheon (screenplay), Beth Gutcheon (novel)

Stars:

Kate Nelligan, Judd Hirsch, David Dukes

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Nelligan	...	Susan Selky
Judd Hirsch	...	Al Menetti
David Dukes	...	Graham Selky
Stockard Channing	...	Jocelyn Norris
Jacqueline Brookes	...	Margaret Mayo
Keith McDermott	...	Philippe
Kathleen Widdoes	...	Ms. Hauser
Danny Corkill	...	Alex Selky (as Daniel Bryan Corkill)
Cheryl Giannini	...	Pat Menetti
David Simon	...	Eugene Menetti
William Duell	...	Polygraph operator
Joan McMonagle	...	Vivienne Grant
Louise Stubbs	...	Malvina Robbins
Deborah Carlson	...	Naomi Blum
Charles Brown	...	Sachs

Storyline

This film, centering on a child's abduction, casts Kate Nelligan as the distraught mother who lashes out at the police (in the person of a relentless detective played by Judd Hirsch), who treat her and her husband as suspects, even as she hounds them to find her child and drives away her husband (David Dukes) and friends (including Stockard Channing) with her intensity and single-mindedness.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | pedophile | media coverage | anonymous tip | missing child | 

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Taglines:

One morning, Alex Selky got dressed, waved goodbye to his mother, set off for school and disappeared.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 February 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Still Missing

Filming Locations:

Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prior to writing the film's source "Still Missing" novel, its author Beth Gutcheon spent a considerable amount of time doing research. This including compiling masses of newspaper accounts about missing children and reading copious volumes of police texts and crime victim sociological studies.

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Quotes

Susan Selky: [to Jocelyn] You have no idea what this feels like.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

User Reviews

Very Good

A bit contrived, yes, but exceptional performances by Judd Hirsch and Kate Nelligan. The pain and desperation just radiates from Nelligan. As a father, I can't even imagine what it must have took to just keep functioning.

The ending is emotionally thrilling. if you don't have an enormous lump in your throat, and tears in your eyes.......