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Moonrise

  • 19481948
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
Ethel Barrymore, Dane Clark, and Gail Russell in Moonrise (1948)
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
Danny is despised by his schoolmates because his father was accused of killing another man and sentenced to death.Danny is despised by his schoolmates because his father was accused of killing another man and sentenced to death.Danny is despised by his schoolmates because his father was accused of killing another man and sentenced to death.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Frank Borzage
  • Writers
    • Charles F. Haas(screenplay)
    • Theodore Strauss(novel "Moonrise")
  • Stars
    • Dane Clark
    • Gail Russell
    • Ethel Barrymore
Top credits
  • Director
    • Frank Borzage
  • Writers
    • Charles F. Haas(screenplay)
    • Theodore Strauss(novel "Moonrise")
  • Stars
    • Dane Clark
    • Gail Russell
    • Ethel Barrymore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 53User reviews
    • 41Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos32

    Ethel Barrymore, Rex Ingram, Dane Clark, and Gail Russell in Moonrise (1948)
    Rex Ingram in Moonrise (1948)
    Ethel Barrymore in Moonrise (1948)
    Gail Russell in Moonrise (1948)
    Dane Clark in Moonrise (1948)
    Harry Morgan in Moonrise (1948)
    Dane Clark and Gail Russell in Moonrise (1948)
    Dane Clark in Moonrise (1948)
    Allyn Joslyn in Moonrise (1948)
    Dane Clark and Gail Russell in Moonrise (1948)
    Dane Clark and Houseley Stevenson in Moonrise (1948)
    Dane Clark and Gail Russell in Moonrise (1948)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dane Clark
    Dane Clark
    • Danny Hawkinsas Danny Hawkins
    Gail Russell
    Gail Russell
    • Gilly Johnsonas Gilly Johnson
    Ethel Barrymore
    Ethel Barrymore
    • Grandmaas Grandma
    Allyn Joslyn
    Allyn Joslyn
    • Sheriff Clem Otisas Sheriff Clem Otis
    Rex Ingram
    Rex Ingram
    • Moseas Mose
    Harry Morgan
    Harry Morgan
    • Billy Scriptureas Billy Scripture
    • (as Henry Morgan)
    David Street
    David Street
    • Ken Williamsas Ken Williams
    Selena Royle
    Selena Royle
    • Aunt Jessieas Aunt Jessie
    Harry Carey Jr.
    Harry Carey Jr.
    • Jimmy Biffas Jimmy Biff
    Irving Bacon
    Irving Bacon
    • Judd Jenkinsas Judd Jenkins
    Lloyd Bridges
    Lloyd Bridges
    • Jerry Sykesas Jerry Sykes
    Houseley Stevenson
    Houseley Stevenson
    • Uncle Joe Jingleas Uncle Joe Jingle
    Phil Brown
    Phil Brown
    • Elmer - Soda Jerkas Elmer - Soda Jerk
    Harry Cheshire
    Harry Cheshire
    • J.B. Sykesas J.B. Sykes
    • (as Harry V. Cheshire)
    Lila Leeds
    Lila Leeds
    • Julieas Julie
    Virginia Mullen
    Virginia Mullen
    • Miss Simpkinsas Miss Simpkins
    Oliver Blake
    Oliver Blake
    • Ed Conlonas Ed Conlon
    Tom Fadden
    Tom Fadden
    • Homer Blackstoneas Homer Blackstone
    • Director
      • Frank Borzage
    • Writers
      • Charles F. Haas(screenplay)
      • Theodore Strauss(novel "Moonrise")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A scene in which a group of children tar-and-feather another child was excluded from the final print at the request of the PCA.
    • Goofs
      Doctor said he had a corpus delecti in his office meaning a dead body. Corpus delecti are the elements that make up a crime not a dead body.
    • Quotes

      Sheriff Clem Otis: Sure is remarkable how dying can make a saint of a man.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Moving Pictures (2016)
    • Soundtracks
      The Moonrise Song (It Just Dawned On Me)
      Lyrics by Harry Tobias

      Music by William Lava

      Performed by David Street

    User reviews53

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Amazing visuals, rich night scenes, a terrific psychological dilemma
    Moonrise (1948)

    A small rural town is the setting for a man struggling with an ambiguous crime he has committed. It's a psychologically loaded movie, and the clues start with the first abstract frames and last through every scene to the end. There is enough simplifying going on to keep it from being a classic or having the inventive flair of some contemporaries (or like "Night of the Hunter" a few years later), but I was impressed again in this second viewing.

    One of the strengths here is certainly the mood created by all the richly blackened night scenes, both in the town and in the woods. The camera moves with unusual elegance and boldness through the scenes, or you might say through the shadows. The heightened angles and lack of faces in the first few shots is a sign of the atmosphere to come.

    The little known leading actor, Dane Clark, is almost perfect in his role, partly for doing a great job and partly for letting his awkwardness bleed through into the character's. You come to feel his circumstance as an utterly ordinary guy. The sheriff is a restrained character and the man's girlfriend has a wonderful simple presence as well.

    The real meat of it all is the trauma this man goes through bearing the guilt of his actions. He isn't so much pursued as just haunted by the thought of being caught. It's like the secret we all have had at some point and we get away with it for awhile, but it wears you out from inside until something has to give. One of his solutions finally it to run for it, and he has one last turning point near the end with his grandmother played by Ethel Barrymore. The folksy philosophy gets a little thick, I suppose, but by this point you go along with it because it's true. And it's not what you might think.

    If you don't like old movies this will feel clumsy at times. But if you do already have a hankering for film noir and other crime dramas, even ones with mostly unknown actors, give this a try. And keep your eyes open for some great photography by John Russell, who is as important as anyone in this production. On some level it's truly great stuff.
    helpful•10
    2
    • secondtake
    • Jan 13, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1, 1948 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Frank Borzage's Moonrise
    • Filming locations
      • Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Chas. K. Feldman Group Productions Inc.
      • Marshall Grant
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $849,452 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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