Editing Cape Fear (1962 film)

{{Short description|Psychological horror thriller film}}
{{About|the 1962 film|other uses|Cape Fear (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Cape Fear
| image          = Cape fear1960s.jpg
| caption        = Film poster
| director       = [[J. Lee Thompson]]
| producer       = [[Sy Bartlett]]
| screenplay     = [[James R. Webb (writer)|James R. Webb]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[The Executioners (MacDonald novel)|The Executioners]]''<br>1957 novel|[[John D. MacDonald]]}}
| starring       = [[Gregory Peck]]<br>[[Robert Mitchum]]<br>[[Polly Bergen]]<br>[[Lori Martin]]<br>[[Martin Balsam]]<br>[[Jack Kruschen]]<br>[[Telly Savalas]]<br>[[Barrie Chase]]
| music          = [[Bernard Herrmann]]
| cinematography = [[Sam Leavitt]]
| editing        = [[George Tomasini]]
| studio         = [[Melville Productions]]<br>Talbot Productions
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures|Universal-International]]
| released       = {{film date|1962|06|15|}}
| runtime        = 106 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $1.8 million (US/Canada)<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety-1963-01/page/n69/mode/2up?q=1963|magazine=Variety|date=January 9, 1963|page=13|title=Big Rental Pictures of 1962}} Please note these are rentals and not gross figures</ref>
}}

'''''Cape Fear''''' is a 1962 American [[psychological horror]] [[thriller film]] directed by [[J. Lee Thompson]], from a screenplay by [[James R. Webb]], adapting the 1957 novel ''[[The Executioners (MacDonald novel)|The Executioners]]'' by [[John D. MacDonald]]. It stars [[Gregory Peck]] as Sam Bowden, an attorney and family man who is stalked by a violent psychopath and ex-con named [[Max Cady]] (played by [[Robert Mitchum]]), who is bent on revenge for Bowden's role in his conviction eight years prior. The film co-stars [[Polly Bergen]] and features [[Lori Martin]], [[Martin Balsam]], [[Jack Kruschen]], [[Telly Savalas]], and [[Barrie Chase]] in supporting roles.

Produced by Peck's company [[Melville Productions]] and distributed by [[Universal Pictures]], the film includes several key cast and crew who had previously worked with director [[Alfred Hitchcock]], including editor [[George Tomasini]] and composer [[Bernard Herrmann]]. J. Lee Thompson's direction was also strongly influenced by Hitchcock.

The film was released on June 15, 1962. It received positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Peck and Mitchum's performances. A [[Cape Fear (1991 film)|remake of the same name]] was released in 1991, directed by [[Martin Scorsese]] and starring [[Nick Nolte]] and [[Robert De Niro]] in the lead roles. Peck, Mitchum, and Balsam all appeared as different characters in the remake.<ref name="Book1">Kirsten Thompson, ''Cape Fear'' and Trembling: Familial Dread; In ''Literature and Film: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation'', Edited by Robert Stam, Alessandra Raengo, Blackwell Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0631230556 (pp.126-147)</ref>

==Plot==
In [[Southeast Georgia]], [[Max Cady]] is released from prison after serving an eight-year sentence for [[rape]]. He promptly tracks down Sam Bowden, an attorney whom he holds personally responsible for his conviction because Bowden interrupted his attack and testified against him. Cady begins to stalk and subtly threaten Bowden’s family, including his wife, Peggy, and 14-year-old daughter, Nancy. He kills the family dog, though Bowden cannot prove that Cady did it. A friend of Bowden, Police Chief Mark Dutton, attempts to intervene on Bowden's behalf, but he cannot prove Cady guilty of any crime.

Bowden hires [[private detective]] Charlie Sievers. Cady brutally rapes a young woman, Diane Taylor, when he brings her home, but neither the private detective nor Bowden can persuade her to testify. While Nancy is waiting in a car one day, Cady begins to walk near her, causing her to run and end up almost getting hit by a car. Bowden takes matters into his own hands by hiring three thugs to attack Cady and coerce him to leave town, but the plan backfires when Cady manages to fight back and get the better of all three. Cady's attorney vows to have Bowden [[disbarred]].

Fearing for Peggy's and Nancy's safety, Bowden takes them to their houseboat in the [[Cape Fear (region)|Cape Fear region]] of [[North Carolina]]. In an attempt to trick Cady, Bowden makes it seem as though he has gone to [[Atlanta]]. He fully expects Cady to follow his wife and daughter, and he plans to kill Cady to end the battle. On a dark night, Bowden and local deputy Kersek hide in the swamp nearby, but Cady realizes that Kersek is there and drowns him, leaving no evidence of a struggle. Eluding Bowden and setting the houseboat adrift down the current, Cady first attacks Peggy on the boat, causing Bowden to go to her rescue. Meanwhile, Cady swims back to shore to attack Nancy. Bowden realizes what has happened, and also swims ashore.

The two men engage in a final fight on the riverbank. Bowden manages to grab his gun, which he had dropped, and shoots Cady, wounding and incapacitating him. Cady tells Bowden, "Finish the job", but Bowden decides to do the thing that Cady earlier told him would be unbearable{{snd}}put him in prison for the rest of his life, to "count the years, the months, the hours until the day you rot". In the morning light, the Bowden family are together on a boat, traveling with police back to port.

==Cast==
<!--- Cast and order per tombstone opening credits --->
{{castlist|
* [[Gregory Peck]] as Sam Bowden
* [[Robert Mitchum]] as [[Max Cady]]
* [[Polly Bergen]] as Peggy Bowden
* [[Lori Martin]] as Nancy Bowden
* [[Martin Balsam]] as Mark Dutton
* [[Jack Kruschen]] as Dave Grafton
* [[Telly Savalas]] as Charlie Sievers
* [[Barrie Chase]] as Diane Taylor
* [[Paul Comi]] as Garner
* Page Slattery as Deputy Kersek
* [[Will Wright (actor)|Will Wright]] as Dr. Pearsell
}}

In addition, [[Edward Platt]], the future "[[Get Smart#The Chief|Chief]]" on the television series ''[[Get Smart]]'', and November 1958 [[Playboy Playmate|''Playboy'' Playmate]] centerfold [[Joan Staley]] make brief appearances as a judge and a waitress, respectively.

==Production==
===Development===
[[Cornel Wilde]] acquired the rights to John D. MacDonald's novel ''The Executioners'' for $30,000 in 1958.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety210-1958-03/page/n261/mode/1up|title=New York Sound Track|date=March 26, 1958|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|page=7|access-date=October 26, 2024|via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref> Gregory Peck had his own production company, [[Melville Productions]], in partnership with [[Sy Bartlett]], which had made ''[[The Big Country]]'' and ''[[Pork Chop Hill (film)|Pork Chop Hill]]'' and they later purchased the rights. They planned to make it after ''[[The Guns of Navarone (film)|The Guns of Navarone]]''. Peck was impressed by J. Lee Thompson's work on that film and hired him for ''Cape Fear''.<ref>PECK'S FILM FIRM PLANS 3 PROJECTS: Star and [[Sy Bartlett]] List 2 Comedies and Drama -- 'Apartment' Here Today
By HOWARD THOMPSON. New York Times June 15, 1960: 50.</ref> Peck said his goal was to make "first class professional entertainment intelligently done."<ref>Peck Wants to Make Film Classic: PECK FILM
Hyams, Joe. Los Angeles Times April 15, 1961: A6.</ref> He was responsible for the title of the film, as he found the novel title "kind of a turn-off" and happened to find the Cape Fear region when looking for Atlantic coast locations.<ref>https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2021/09/28/cape-fear-film-connection-cape-fear-river/8334452002/</ref>

===Casting===
Telly Savalas was screen tested for the role, but later played private eye Charlie Sievers.<ref>p.283 Chibnall, Steve ''J. Lee Thompson''  Manchester University Press, 2000</ref> [[Robert Mitchum]] refused to play [[Max Cady]] when he was first offered the part, but eventually accepted it after Peck and Thompson delivered him flowers and a case of bourbon.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/09/archives/robert-mitchum-rolls-merrily-on-despite-the-vehicles-mitchum.html|title = Robert Mitchum Rolls Merrily on Despite the Vehicles|newspaper = The New York Times|date = April 9, 1978|last1 = Honeycutt|first1 = Kirk}}</ref>

Thompson wanted [[Hayley Mills]], whom he had cast in ''[[Tiger Bay (1959 film)|Tiger Bay]]'', to play the daughter, but Mills was unavailable.

Polly Bergen signed in December 1960. It was her first film in eight years.<ref>GABLE'S LAST FILM SLATED HERE FEB.1: 'Misfits' Is Due at Capitol -- 3 Other Premieres Set -- Hudson, Doris Day Cited
By HOWARD THOMPSON. New York Times December 31, 1960: 10.</ref>

===Filming===
Principal photography of ''Cape Fear'' began on April 6 and ended in June 1961. Thompson envisioned the film in black and white, believing that shooting the film in color would lessen the atmosphere. As an [[Alfred Hitchcock]] fan, he wanted to have [[Hitchcockian]] elements in the film, such as unusual lighting angles, an eerie musical score, closeups, and subtle hints rather than graphic depictions of the violence Cady has in mind for the family. Hitchcock collaborators [[Robert F. Boyle]] and [[George Tomasini]] served as production designer and editor, and his regular composer [[Bernard Herrmann]] wrote the score.
 
The outdoor scenes were filmed on location in [[Savannah, Georgia]]; [[Stockton, California]]; and the Universal Studios backlot at [[Universal City, California]]. The indoor scenes were done at Universal Studios Soundstage. Mitchum had a real-life aversion to Savannah, where as a teenager, he had been charged with vagrancy and put on a [[chain gang]]. This resulted in a number of the outdoor scenes being shot at Ladd's Marina in Stockton, including the culminating conflict on the houseboat at the end of the movie.

The scene in which Mitchum attacks Polly Bergen's character on the houseboat was almost completely improvised.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} Before the scene was filmed, Thompson suddenly told a crew member: "Bring me a dish of eggs!" Mitchum's rubbing the eggs on Bergen was not scripted and Bergen's reactions were real. She also suffered back injuries from being knocked around so much. She felt the impact of the "attack" for days.<ref>{{cite book|title=Robert Mitchum The Reluctant Star (DVD)|year=2009|publisher=Janson Media|location=Harrington Park}}</ref>  While filming the scene, Mitchum cut open his hand, leading Bergen to recall: "his hand was covered in blood, my back was covered in blood. We just kept going, caught up in the scene. They came over and physically stopped us."<ref name="jeff stafford">{{cite web|last=Stafford|first=Jeff|title=Cape Fear|url= https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/70207/cape-fear#articles-reviews|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|publisher=Turner Entertainment Networks|access-date=October 26, 2024}}</ref>

In the source novel ''[[The Executioners (MacDonald novel)|The Executioners]]'', by [[John D. MacDonald]], Cady was a soldier [[court-martial]]ed and convicted on then Lieutenant Bowden's testimony for the brutal rape of a 14-year-old girl. The censors stepped in, banned the use of the word "rape", and stated that depicting Cady as a soldier reflected adversely on U.S. military personnel.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

===Music===
[[Bernard Herrmann]], as often in his scores, uses a reduced version of the symphony orchestra. Here, other than a 46-piece string section (slightly larger than usual for film scores), he adds four [[flutes]] (doubling on two [[piccolos]], two [[alto flute]]s in G, and two [[bass flute]]s in C) and eight [[French horn]]s. No use is made of further wind instruments or percussion.<ref>[http://www.filmscorerundowns.net/herrmann/cape_fear.pdf Bill Wrobel: Cape Fear, score rundown analysis]</ref>

In his 2002 book ''A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann'', Stephen C. Smith writes:
<blockquote>
 "Yet Herrmann was perfect for ''Cape Fear'' ... Herrmann's score reinforces ''Cape Fear's'' savagery. Mainly a synthesis of past devices, its power comes from their imaginative application and another ingenious orchestration ... a rehearsal for his similar orchestration on Hitchcock's ''[[Torn Curtain]]'' in 1966. Like similar 'psychological' Herrmann scores, dissonant string combinations suggest the workings of a killer's mind (most startlingly in a queasy device for [[cello]] and [[bass viol]]s as Cadey{{sic}} prepares to attack the prostitute). Hermann's prelude searingly establishes the dramatic conflict: descending and ascending chromatic voices move slowly towards each other from their opposite registers, finally crossing–just as Boden and Cadey's game of cat-and-mouse will end in deadly confrontation."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1mUcGRpt0EC&pg=PA252 |title=A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann - Steven C. Smith - Google Books |date=May 31, 2002 |access-date=March 14, 2016 |isbn=0-520-22939-8 |page=252|last1=Smith |first1=Steven C. |publisher=University of California Press }}</ref>
</blockquote>

==Release==
===Censorship===
Although the word "rape" was entirely removed from the script before shooting, the film still enraged the censors, who worried that "there was a continuous threat of sexual assault on a child." To accept the film, British censors required extensive editing and deleting of specific scenes.<ref>Why Cape Fear can't go on
Author: Cecil Wilson Date: Thursday,  May 3, 1962,
Publication: Daily Mail p 6</ref>

After making around 6 minutes of cuts, the film still nearly garnered a British X rating (meaning at the time, "Suitable for those aged 18 and older", not necessarily meaning there was sexually explicit or violent content).{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}<ref>Film chief censors Our 'Erb
Author: Barry Norman Date: Wednesday,  June 13, 1962,
Publication: Daily Mail p 3</ref> Thompson said he had to make 161 cuts; the censor argued it was fifteen main cuts but admitted they took 5 minutes. The censor said this was primarily because the film involved threat of sexual assault against a child.<ref>Why we cut Cape Fear—by the film censors
Author: Barry Norman Date: Friday,  June 22, 1962,
Publication: Daily Mail p 3</ref>

===Critical response===
Upon its release, the film received positive but cautious feedback from critics due to the film's content. {{Rotten Tomatoes prose|92|7.9|25|An exemplary thriller powered by Robert Mitchum's chilling performance and Bernard Herrmann's sinister score, ''Cape Fear'' seethes with perfectly modulated tension.|ref=yes|access-date=March 8, 2024}}

[[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the "tough, tight script", as well as the film's "steady and starkly sinister style." He went on to conclude his review by saying, "this is really one of those shockers that provokes disgust and regret."<ref>{{cite web|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|title=Screen: Pitiless Shocker:Mitchum Stalks Peck in 'Cape Fear'|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9804E2D6143DE532A2575AC1A9629C946391D6CF|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 14, 2012|date=April 19, 1962}}</ref> The entertainment-[[trade journal|trade magazine]] ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reviewed the film as "competent and visually polished", while commenting on Mitchum's performance as a "menacing omnipresence."<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape Fear|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789689?refcatid=31|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=October 26, 2024|date=December 31, 1961}}</ref>

===Home media===
''Cape Fear'' was first made available on VHS on March 1, 1992. On May 14, 1992, it was released on laserdisc.  It was later re-released on VHS, as well as DVD, on September 18, 2001. The film was released onto [[Blu-ray]] on January 8, 2013. It contains production photos and a "making-of" featurette.<ref>{{cite web |last=Seller |first=Ryan |date=October 12, 2012 |title=Cape Fear (1962) Blu-ray |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=9728 |access-date=October 14, 2012 |publisher=Blu-ray.com}}</ref>

== Remake ==
A remake of the same name was released in 1991, attributing both MacDonald's novel and Webb's 1962 screenplay as source material. Directed by [[Martin Scorsese]] and written by [[Wesley Strick]], the film stars [[Nick Nolte]] as Bowden, [[Robert De Niro]] as Cady, [[Jessica Lange]] as Bowden's wife (renamed 'Leigh') and [[Juliette Lewis]] as his daughter (renamed 'Danielle').

Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, and Martin Balsam all make [[cameo appearance]]s, and [[Bernard Herrmann]]'s original score was adapted and re-orchestrated by [[Elmer Bernstein]].

The film makes several notable changes to the story, namely by changing Sam Bowden to Cady's former defense attorney, who secretly and deliberately sabotaged his client's case to ensure a conviction. Cady dies during the film's climax, after the houseboat sinks. The remake also combines Charlie Sievers and Deputy Kersek into a single character - Claude Kersek (played by [[Joe Don Baker]]).

== Legacy ==
Although it makes no acknowledgement of ''Cape Fear'', the episode "The Force of Evil" from the 1977 [[NBC]] television series ''[[Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected]]'' uses virtually the same plot, merely introducing an additional supernatural element to the released prisoner.<ref name="muir">[http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2008/03/cult-tv-flashback-54-quinn-martins.html John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: CULT TV FLASHBACK # 54: Quinn Martin's Tales of the Unexpected (1977)]</ref><ref name="horror">[https://books.google.com/books?id=yxpDUAFrwfwC&pg=PT126 Muir, John Kenneth, ''Terror Television: American Series 1970-1999'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2001.] {{ISBN|978-0-7864-3884-6}}. Not paginated.</ref>

The film and [[Cape Fear (1991 film)|its remake]] serve as the basis for the 1993 ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Cape Feare]]" in which [[Sideshow Bob]], recently released from prison, stalks the Simpson family in an attempt to kill Bart. The episode, and both films, serve as inspiration for [[Anne Washburn]]'s play ''[[Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play]]''.

In April 2007, ''[[Newsweek]]'' selected Cady as one of the 10 best villains in cinema history. Specifically, the scene where Cady attacks Sam's family was ranked number 36 on [[Bravo (US TV channel)|Bravo]]'s ''[[The 100 Scariest Movie Moments|100 Scariest Movie Moments]]'' in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 Scariest Movie Moments|url=http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml|publisher=Bravo.tv.com|access-date=October 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030070540/http://www.bravotv.com/The_100_Scariest_Movie_Moments/index.shtml|archive-date=October 30, 2007}}</ref>

A consumer poll on the [[Internet Movie Database]] rates ''Cape Fear'' as the 65th-best trial film, although the trial scenes are merely incidental to the plot.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055824 Cape Fear at Internet Movie Database].</ref>

The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 2001: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills]] – #61<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/thrills100.pdf |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>
* 2003: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]]:
** [[Max Cady]] – #28 Villain<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/handv100.pdf |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of films featuring home invasions]]
* [[List of films featuring surveillance]]
* [[Trial movies]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* Bergman, Paul; Asimow, Michael. (2006) ''Reel justice: the courtroom goes to the movies'' (Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel). {{ISBN|0-7407-5460-2}}; {{ISBN|978-0-7407-5460-9}}; {{ISBN|0-8362-1035-2}}; {{ISBN|978-0-8362-1035-4}}.
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=E9snGGV1X5MC&q=George+Washington+University+movie+law+film+list Machura, Stefan and Robson, Peter, eds. ''Law and Film: Representing Law in Movies'' (Cambridge: Blackwell Publishing, 2001)]. Thain, Gerald J., "Cape Fear, Two Versions and Two Visions Separated by Thirty Years." {{ISBN|0-631-22816-0}}, {{ISBN|978-0-631-22816-5}}. 176 pages.

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0055824}}
* {{TCMDb title|70207}}
* {{AFI film|22392}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|1003492-cape_fear|Cape Fear}}

{{J. Lee Thompson}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1960s American films]]
[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
[[Category:1960s legal films]]
[[Category:1960s horror films]]
[[Category:1960s psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:1962 films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American films about revenge]]
[[Category:American legal films]]
[[Category:American legal thriller films]]
[[Category:American horror thriller films]]
[[Category:American psychological thriller films]]
[[Category:Film censorship in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Films about families]]
[[Category:Films about home invasion]]
[[Category:Films about rape in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about stalking]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on thriller novels]]
[[Category:Films based on works by John D. MacDonald]]
[[Category:Films directed by J. Lee Thompson]]
[[Category:Films produced by Gregory Peck]]
[[Category:Films scored by Bernard Herrmann]]
[[Category:Films set in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Films set in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Films set on boats]]
[[Category:Films shot in California]]
[[Category:Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Savannah, Georgia]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by James R. Webb]]
[[Category:Melville Productions films]]
[[Category:Southern Gothic films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]
[[Category:English-language thriller films]]