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Fear and Desire (1953)

Not Rated | | Drama, Thriller, War | 1 April 1953 (USA)
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Four soldiers trapped behind enemy lines must confront their fears and desires.

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Cast

Cast overview:
... Mac
Kenneth Harp ... Lt. Corby / The General
... Sidney
... Fletcher / The Captain (as Steve Coit)
... The Girl
David Allen ... Narrator (voice)
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Storyline

A ficticious war in an unidentified country provides the setting for this drama. Four soldiers survive the crash-landing of their plane to find themselves in a forest six miles behind enemy lines. The group, led by Lt. Corby, has a plan: They'll make their way to a nearby river, build a raft, and then, under cover of night, float back to friendly territory. Their plans for getting back safely are sidetracked by a young woman who stumbles across them as they hide in the woods, and by the nearby presence of an enemy general who one member of the group is determined to kill. Written by Eugene Kim <genekim@concentric.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

directorial debut | building raft | behind enemy lines | forest | raft | See All (20) »

Taglines:

Trapped... 4 Desperate Men and a Strange Half-Animal Girl!

Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

1 April 1953 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Shape of Fear  »

Filming Locations:

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Box Office

Budget:

$33,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Acting debut of future director Paul Mazursky. See more »

Goofs

The shots of the dead girl show her either with her face three-quarter turned to the ground (close shot) or with her face looking straight out to the side (long shot). This may be deliberate due to the surreal nature of the scene, namely the mental state of her killer. See more »

Quotes

Lieutenant Corby: You know, there's nothing so refreshing as an afternoon outdoors in enemy territory. It's really too bad that the sun doesn't burn us green instead of brown - camouflage.
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Connections

Referenced in Eyes Wide Shut (1999) See more »

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User Reviews

Not Bad
10 March 2008 | by – See all my reviews

Fear and Desire (1953)

** (out of 4)

Stanley Kubrick's first feature film isn't nearly as bad as some reviews have said and I'm really not sure why he doesn't want the public to see this one. Four soldiers are shot down behind enemy lines and must face their fears in order to survive. The film has an extremely low budget, which hurts matters but it's interesting enough to see Kubrick working on his technique. The camera-work by Kubrick is certainly the highlight and there's some nice editing along the way.

As of today the Kubrick estate hasn't released any of his shorts but you can find the online at various places.
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