Cape Fear

Director: J. Lee Thompson J. Lee Thompson

Overview

"This edition of Cape Fear may not have everything, but nobody will come away disappointed with this Universal DVD release of the taut suspensor. The widescreen letterbox dual-layer transfer was struck from a very clean print; the print has some minor scratches on it but nothing that is too obtrusive. The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is pristine and showcases Bernard Herrmann's knock-out score. There are a few extras, the best of which is an original ""making of"" documentary. Better than the average DVD featurette, it basically contains edited interviews with star/producer Gregory Peck and director J. Lee Thompson. Both men are charming and Thompson displays cheeky good humor as he talks about the production in general, star Robert Mitchum in particular, how Hitchcock inspired him, the issue of censorship, and his positive view of the Cape Fear remake. It's an entertaining and educational featurette but it would've been wise to balance the memories of these two people with archival interview material with other members of the cast and crew, particularly Mitchum. During the Great Depression, the future actor was incarcerated as a teenage hobo in Georgia (where location shooting took place) and put into a chain gang. His crime was homelessness and the state got free labor out of prisoners at a time when unemployment ran rampant. Mitchum never forgot this injustice and was none too happy to be back in Georgia. Supposedly, the grudge he held about it colored his chilling portrayal of a brilliant, charming sociopath who feels he was wronged. His grounded, understated performance is far more chilling than anything Robert De Niro did in the worthy remake. The disc also includes the theatrical trailer, production notes, a poster gallery, biographies, and a rather paltry photo album."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/18/2001
UPC:	0025192063428
Original Release:	1962
Rating:	NR
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:46:00
Sales rank:	2,038

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

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	Garner
Page Slattery	Deputy Kersek
Ward Ramsey	Officer Brown
Edward Platt	Judge
Joan Staley	Waitress at Bowling Alley
Norma Yost	Ticket Clerk
Tom Newman	Lt. Gervasi(as Thomas Newman)
Alan Reynolds	Vernon
Herb Armstrong	Waiter
Bunny Rhea	Pianist
Cindy Carol	Betty(as Carol Sydes)
Alan Wells	Young Blade
Allan Ray	Young Blade
Paul Levitt	Police Operator
John McKee	Officer Marconi

Technical Credits

J. Lee Thompson	Director
Sy Bartlett	Producer
Waldon Watson	Sound/Sound Designer
Corson Jowett	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Robert Mitchum, one of the screen's most ruthless figures, was most menacing when he was most amiable. His role as Max Cady in Cape Fear (the role reprised by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's 1991 remake) comes in second in the sinister sweepstakes only to his chilling performance for Charles Laughton in Night of the Hunter seven years earlier. Mitchum's Cady is every father's and husband's worst nightmare: an untouchable, unstoppable, unrepentant corrupter of innocence. . .all with a sadistic smirk. Gregory Peck is cast obviously as the upright and proper father. Director J. Lee Thompson clearly envisioned Cape Fear as a 1962 challenge to the fading Fifties concept of the perfect nuclear family. Coming off the success of The Guns of Navarone, Thompson significantly scaled back his scope for this drama, and even the fight scenes at the end have a subdued, almost still aspect. A special note has to be given to Bernard Herrmann's haunting score, which ranks with his memorable scores for Vertigo and Psycho.