The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

When deaf mute Singer moves to a small city to be near his only friend confined in a hospital, he grows attached to his landlady's sensitive 16-year-old daughter.

Director:

Robert Ellis Miller

Writers:

Carson McCullers (from the novel by), Thomas C. Ryan (screenplay by)

Stars:

Alan Arkin, Sondra Locke, Chuck McCann

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan Arkin	...	Singer
Chuck McCann	...	Antonapoulos
Peter Mamakos	...	Spirmonedes
John O'Leary	...	Beaudine
Sondra Locke	...	Mick
Biff McGuire	...	Mr. Kelly
Jackie Marlowe	...	Bubber
Laurinda Barrett	...	Mrs. Kelly
Robbie Barnes	...	Ralph
Wayne Smith	...	Harry
Richard Fingar	...	Sucker
Sherri Vise	...	Delores
Gavin Paulin	...	Spareribs
Percy Rodrigues	...	Dr. Copeland (as Percy Rodriguez)
Cicely Tyson	...	Portia

Storyline

Sentimental story centers around a deaf-mute, Singer, and Mick, a teenager who lives in the house where he rents a room. Mick and Singer become friends, though they are separated by Singer's lack of communication ability and Mick's struggle with teenage problems. The lives of the people Singer touches are varied, linked only by their friendship with Singer. His friends include a deaf-mute, a drunk, and a doctor. Singer does his best to help those around him solve their problems, but who is there to help him solve his own?

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | african american | drifter | loneliness | grief | 

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Taglines:

...and from this man who could not speak or hear, the girl heard many things.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English American Sign Language

Release Date:

31 July 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Herz ist ein einsamer Jäger

Filming Locations:

Hotel Albert, Broad St. and Dallas Ave., Selma, Alabama, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1961 when Ely Landau was planning to produce with Montgomery Clift, Sidney Lumet would have directed.

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Goofs

When Dr. Copeland goes in to see Judge Bronson he enters via a swinging door with a glass panel in it. A member of the camera crew is reflected in the glass as it swings shut.

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Quotes

Mick: Nice, idn't it? All the other girls are wearing ten-cent store perfume. I think it smells cheap. Besides it costs too much. So I just swiped some vanilla extract from the kitchen! I figure if I don't smell sexy at least I'll be appetizing.

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Crazy Credits

And Introducing

Sondra Locke

as Mick

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Connections

Featured in Alan Arkin: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Color of the Wind Is Cold
(uncredited)
Written by Dave Grusin and Hermine Hilton
Performed by Mac Davis

User Reviews

Sensitive, emotional, beautifully acted

This is a sensitively-made picture by all involved, with especially moving performances by Arkin and Locke, both of whom were Oscar-nominated. I saw it recently at a screening which was attended by Locke, McCann, Keach, and director Robert Ellis Miller. (The widow of cinematographer James Wong Howe was there, too, as the screening was part of a tribute to the great cameraman.)

After the screening, Keach told Miller that the movie had aged "like a fine wine." I think that's true. While the music and some aspects of the shooting style have dated (e.g., there are several zooms), the emotions of the story have not. This is a quite absorbing and affecting movie, and Arkin is simply astonishing in the way he is able to emote so much without uttering a word.

However, this movie overall feels good more in the way that a novel feels good, rather than the way that an originally-written movie does. I believe it has to do with the structure of the story, which is episodic and delves into several characters' points of view without a truly unifying visual thread. In other words, it feels literary. (This is analagous to movie adaptations of plays suffering from "staginess," which they almost always do. The problem is not as common with novel adaptations, but it still happens. Even "To Kill a Mockingbird" suffers somewhat from this problem.)

Still, the film is beautifully shot by the great James Wong Howe, and again, the performances overcome the inherent script problems to make this a satisfying experience.