The Boston Strangler (1968)

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Edward Anhalt (screenplay)
Gerold Frank (book)

Release Date:

16 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Why did 13 women willingly open their doors to the Boston Strangler?

Plot:

Boston is being terrorized by a series of seemingly random murders of women. Based on the true story...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Courtroom | Fetish | Place Name In Title | Gay Bar

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tony Curtis	...	Albert DeSalvo
Henry Fonda	...	John S. Bottomly
George Kennedy	...	Det. Phil DiNatale
Mike Kellin	...	Julian Soshnick
Hurd Hatfield	...	Terence Huntley
Murray Hamilton	...	Det. Frank McAfee
Jeff Corey	...	John Asgeirsson
Sally Kellerman	...	Dianne Cluny
William Marshall	...	Atty. Gen. Edward W. Brooke
George Voskovec	...	Peter Hurkos
Leora Dana	...	Mary Bottomly
Carolyn Conwell	...	Irmgard DeSalvo
Jeanne Cooper	...	Cloe
Austin Willis	...	Dr. Nagy
Lara Lindsay	...	Bobbie Eden

Also Known As:

Der Frauenmörder von Boston (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Boston canavari (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Boston kvæleren (Denmark) [da]
Boston-strypare (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Bostonin kuristaja (Finland) [fi]
Bostonstryparen (Sweden) [sv]
El estrangulador de Boston (Spain) [es]
Kveleren fra Boston (Norway) [no]
L'étrangleur de Boston (France) [fr]
Lo strangolatore di Boston (Italy) [it]
O Homem Que Odiava as Mulheres (Brazil) [pt]
O strangalistis tis Vostonis (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Norway:11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Canada:18A (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (re-rating) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Tony Curtis broke his nose while filming a chase scene.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the film it is assumed DeSalvo was guilty, and it portrays him as suffering from multiple personality disorder and committing the murders while in a psychotic state. DeSalvo was never diagnosed with, or even suspected of having that disorder.

Quotes:

Sgt. Frank McAfee: So the women were strangled with a double square knot.
Sgt. Frank McAfee: What are you trying to tell us, that it was a doctor or an Eagle Scout?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: (#2.25)" (1969)

Soundtrack:

There Will Never Be Another You

Curtis Should Have Been Nominated

It takes a lot of courage to take on a role as challenging as one of the most brutal serial murderers in United States history. Tony Curtis made you believe that he was Albert DeSalvo and he did it after years of playing the handsome leading man. He took a big chance and it paid off in some of the greatest reviews of his career, but when it came to an Oscar nomination, nothing. Tony Curtis is one of the greats in Hollywood. Too bad when he played the role of a lifetime the Academy forgot him. Also, Henry Fonda deserved a nomination for his role. This was probably one of the most intense roles of his career.

The other thing that made the film great was its innovative use of split screen. You pretty much got the creeps as you saw people living their ordinary lives on one side of the screen, while on the other side you saw the strangler stalking his victim. Also, I think that the director really did a good job by not really showing any of the attacks in progress, at least until the last one. This film truly was a great psychological thriller.