Cape Fear (1962)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

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

Release Date:

1962 (Norway)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Original Masterpiece Of Revenge, Confrontation And Murder!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Dog | Rape | Bowling | Backwoods

Cast

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	...	George Garner
John McKee	...	Officer Marconi
Page Slattery	...	Deputy Kersek
Ward Ramsey	...	Officer Brown
Edward Platt	...	Judge
Will Wright	...	Dr. Pearsall
Joan Staley	...	Waitress

Also Known As:

The Executioners (USA) (working title)
2 gigantes sygrouontai (Greece) [el]
Círculo do Medo (Brazil) [pt]
Cabo de miedo (Venezuela) [es]
Cabo do Medo (Brazil) [pt]
Ein Köder für die Bestie (West Germany) [de]
El cabo del terror (Spain) [es]
Farlig främling (Sweden) [sv]
Frygtens terror (Denmark) [da]
Il promontorio della paura (Italy) [it]
Korkusuzlar (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Le cap de la terreur (France) (literal title) [fr]
Les nerfs à vif (France) [fr]
Rt straha (Serbia) [sr]
Tuomitun kosto (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1962) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1969) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1992) (uncut) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Germany:16 (re-rating) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Chile:18 | Norway:16 (1962) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Approved (Certificate #20038)

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Company:

Melville-Talbot Productions

Trivia:

The financial failure of Cape Fear (1962) ended Gregory Peck's company, Melville Productions.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: For some strange reason, just after Sam shoots Cady, the shot of Cady from Sam's POV shows the branches of a bush superimposed on the bottom and left side of the frame. The tipoff is that when the camera moves the branches of the "bush" do not - they move along with the camera, as if they're glued onto the frame (which they are).

Quotes:

Diane Taylor: [after Cady has beaten her, she prepares to leave town] You can't help me.
Charles Sievers: But I can. Now you file an assault charge and Cady'll get six months in jail.
Diane Taylor: Six months! And after that... When he walked out of this room he said... he said to consider this only a sample. And from my limited knowledge of human nature, Max Cady isn't a man who makes idle threats.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Incredible Melting Man (#8.4)" (1996)

insane man terrorizes a family

Robert Mitchum was born for this role. He played the evil Max Cady as though Cady's spirit was actually inside him. Cady was a psychopathic murderer who became obsessed with a couple and their daughter. To counteract this persistent attention, the couple hired a security agent. When this went terribly wrong, the family made a run for their houseboat. Unfortunately, Cady was wise to them leading to a nail biting finale. 5 stars go to this great film.