Cape Fear (1962)

A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

John D. MacDonald (novel), James R. Webb (screenplay)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Sam Bowden
Robert Mitchum	...	Max Cady
Polly Bergen	...	Peggy Bowden
Lori Martin	...	Nancy Bowden
Martin Balsam	...	Police Chief Mark Dutton
Jack Kruschen	...	Attorney Dave Grafton
Telly Savalas	...	Private Detective Charles Sievers
Barrie Chase	...	Diane Taylor
Paul Comi	...	Garner
John McKee	...	Officer Marconi
Page Slattery	...	Deputy Kersek
Ward Ramsey	...	Officer Brown
Edward Platt	...	Judge
Will Wright	...	Dr. Pearsall
Joan Staley	...	Waitress

Storyline

Small-town lawyer Sam Bowden's life becomes torturous when Max Cady re-enters his life. Cady went to jail for 8 years after Bowden testified that Cady attacked a young woman. Now that Cady has been released, he begins to terrorize Bowden and his family, particularly targeting Bowden's daughter, Nancy. Initially, Cady uses his newfound knowledge of the law (learned in prison) to annoy the Bowdens, then poisons the family dog... Who's next ?

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | family in jeopardy | small town | stalking | psychopath | 

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Taglines:

CHILLING SUSPENSE in the screen's most gripping war of nerves!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

At first, Robert Mitchum didn't want to do the film but finally relented after Gregory Peck and J. Lee Thompson delivered a case of bourbon to his home. His reply was, "Okay, I've drunk your bourbon. I'm drunk. I'll do it."

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Goofs

The house Nancy is hiding in has power for her 45 rpm record player, but uses kerosene lamps for lighting.

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Quotes

Police Chief Mark Dutton: Let's make with the pants.

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Connections

Spoofed in Daria: Camp Fear (2001)

User Reviews

Robert Mitchum at his creepy best

I recently picked up a VHS copy of Cape Fear from a market and watched and found it an excellent movie. This is long deleted on video in Britain, so I was lucky to see it.

A lawyer and his family are terrorised by a killer he helped to put in prison. Released after eight years, he wants his revenge. He starts by poisoning the family dog and he kills a woman before picking on the lawyer's daughter. The family flee to their houseboat and the killer is finally arrested after he is set up and faces many more years in prison.

This is Robert Mitchum at his creepy best, in a role very similar to the one he played in Night Of the Hunter.

The lawyer is played by Gregory Peck and the movie also stars Polly Bergen, Martin Balsam and an early role for Telly Savalas (Kojak).

The excellent score is by the great Bernard Herrmann (The Day the Earth Stood Still, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Psycho).

This movie was rather creepy in parts and is a must for any movie fan.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 1962 (Canada)

Also Known As:

The Executioners

Filming Locations:

Armstrong Junior College, Savannah, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melville Productions, Talbot Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1