All these resent posts have been films screened on TCM, as part of their current Crime Wave season (yes - even High Society, which makes sense if Bing Crosby horrifies you as much as he does me). And this has been the best one so far. Robert Mitchum is an actor that I just appreciate more the older I get, and this has got to be his finest role. Absolutely terrifying as rapist Max Cady, Mitchum moves like a man who knows his body as a weapon.
He's come to town to exact his revenge on the family of Gregory Peck's upstanding lawyer Sam Bowden, who found him attacking a woman seven years ago and testified against him. The film just gets scarier, as the extent of Cady's capacity and aptitude for violence becomes apparent.
The only weakness in the film is Lori Martin as Sam's prepubescent daughter Nancy Bowden. She was given the hair style and clothes of a middle aged woman, which makes her look like... a tiny 55 year old. The Director wanted Hayley Mills for the part and you can imagine that she would have been charismatic enough to make an impact. Martin just simpers and widens her eyes through the movie, but it's still clear that by the end everyone has been irredeemably traumatised.
About a million times more intelligent and frightening than the 1991 Scorsese version.
Another A1 review J, totally agree with your final paragraph, but would say that Juliette Lewis was top notch jail bait (god I'm so seedy) in the remake, bad as it was, and shows what could have been done with the role. Also have a bit of a thing about Jessica Lange in the remake too, I'm sooooo sugary.
Compare and contrast Mitchum with deNiro's laughable performance in the remake. And people say he's (Bob deN) great.
IMDb lists the original under "Titles" and the remake under "Popular Titles", which shows what they know (excellent resource though it is).
Posted by: Gilbert | August 03, 2005 at 09:34 PM
Juliette Lewis was good in the remake, but the age of the girl playing the part in this version made Max Cady even more scarey. Jessica Lange is the weird missing link to this weeks veiwing - her middle name is Phyllis, she was in the remake of Cape Fear and also a remake of the Postman Always Rings Twice - the the same story Ossessione came from. Can't get the nasty picture of her, the flour and Jack Nicholson out of my head now...yuck.
Posted by: Josie | August 03, 2005 at 11:57 PM