Editing Cape Fear (1991 film) (section)

==Production==
The film's screenplay is adapted by [[Wesley Strick]] from the original screenplay by [[James R. Webb (writer)|James R. Webb]], which is based on the novel ''[[The Executioners (MacDonald novel)|The Executioners]]'' by [[John D. MacDonald]].

Originally developed by [[Steven Spielberg]], he eventually decided that it was too violent and traded it to Martin Scorsese in exchange for ''[[Schindler's List]]'', which Scorsese had decided not to make. Scorsese agreed to direct ''Cape Fear'' out of gratitude, as Universal had supported Scorsese during the controversy over ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ (film)|The Last Temptation of Christ]].''<ref>{{cite web |date=October 22, 2010 |title=Tom Pollock Interview |url=https://www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MIP_TomPollock_Interview.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003040133/https://www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MIP_TomPollock_Interview.pdf |archive-date=3 October 2021 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=www.carseywolf.ucsb.edu}}</ref>

Although Spielberg stayed as a producer through his company [[Amblin Entertainment]], he chose not to be credited personally on the finished film.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CEED9113FF933A25752C1A967958260 |work=The New York Times |first=Janet |last=Maslin |title=FILM; Martin Scorsese Ventures Back To 'Cape Fear' |date=1991-11-10}}</ref>

Although Scorsese had previously worked with Nolte in ''[[New York Stories]]'' (1989), he originally envisioned [[Harrison Ford]] in the role of Sam Bowden. However, Ford was interested only in playing Max Cady. Nick Nolte, who, by contrast, was more interested in playing Bowden, convinced Scorsese to cast him instead. [[Drew Barrymore]] and [[Reese Witherspoon]] both auditioned for the part of Danielle Bowden, and Spielberg reportedly wanted [[Bill Murray]] to play Cady.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Cormier|first=Roger|title=15 Intense Facts About ''Cape Fear''|date=November 16, 2016|magazine=[[Mental Floss]]|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/88173/15-intense-facts-about-cape-fear|access-date=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=30 August 1997 |title=This Ford's not for crossing |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/this-ford-s-not-for-crossing-1.101818}}</ref>

Nolte lost weight for the film while Robert De Niro gained muscle; this ensured that De Niro, who was noticeably shorter than Nolte, still came across as physically threatening on screen.

The work of [[Alfred Hitchcock]] was a significant influence on the style of ''Cape Fear''. As with [[Cape Fear (1962 film)|the 1962 film]], in which director [[J. Lee Thompson]] specifically acknowledged Hitchcock's influence, and employed [[Bernard Herrmann]] to write the score, Scorsese also adopted Hitchcock's style, using unusual camera angles, lighting and editing techniques. The opening credits were designed by [[Saul Bass]], a frequent collaborator of Hitchcock, and the link to Hitchcock was further cemented by the reuse of Herrmann's original score, albeit reworked by [[Elmer Bernstein]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cape Fear, film score |url=http://www.allmusic.com/composition/cape-fear-film-score-mc0002394599 |work=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> Portions of Bass's title sequences were reused from the unreleased ending to his film ''[[Phase IV (1974 film)|Phase IV]]''.