Cape Fear (1962 & 1991)

Cape Fear (1962)

B&W – 106m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: The Executioners
Novel: The Executioners / Cape Fear (Rerelease Title) by John D. MacDonald
Screenwriter: James R. Webb
Dir.: J. Lee Thompson
Starring: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin, Martin Balsam, Telly Savalas, Barrie Chase, Edward Platt, Will Wright, Joan Staley, Herb Armstrong, Cindy Carol, Don Anderson, Eddie Baker, Fred Rappaport and Jeffrey Sayre.
Music By: Bernard Herrmann

A lawyer’s family is terrorized by a man he once helped put into jail. A disturbing tale to be sure, but it boasts of great talent on both sides of the camera and the score is haunting. It may come as a surprise that this was not a Hitchcock film but had all the elements of one. Worth a watch, if for no other reason that to compare it to the Martin Scorsese remake. 

Trivia: This film was a financial flop and ended Gregory Peck’s film production company, Melville Productions. He got the name of the company when he played Captain Ahab in Moby Dick (1956). Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck did not get along well in real life after Mitchum told people he acted Gregory Peck off the screen in this film. For Peck’s part, he felt he paid Mitchum handsomely and that he had given Mitchum the better part. Robert Mitchum didn’t want to do the film until Gregory Peck had a case of Bourbon to his house. Mitchum’s response was: “Okay, I’ve drunk your bourbon. I’m Drunk. I’ll do it.”  

Polly Bergan suffered minor bruising at the hands of Mitchum when he pushed her through a series of doors. He was using her as a battering ram because a crew member mistakenly locked some of the doors. The hotel were Mitchum takes Barrie Chase is, “Mother’s House,” from Psycho (1960), where Martin Balsam met his end some two years earlier. Rod Steiger wanted to play Max Cady but backed off when he heard Robert Mitchum was after the role. Telly Savalas was originally screen tested for Max Cady but played the private detective, Charly Sievers, instead. Earnest Borgnine was originally offered the role of Max Cady. Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Jack Palance, John Wayne and Charlton Heston were all considered for the role of Sam Bowden. When Heston, who was originally cast, dropped out of the film, Gregory Peck replaced him. J. Lee Thompson originally wanted Haley Mills for the role of Nancy Bowden but couldn’t get her because she was contracted to Walt Disney Studios. Jim Backus was set to play attorney Dave Grafton but left because of his new show, Gilligan’s Island (1964 – 1967). This film correctly depicts what someone sees when they look through binoculars.

And finally: The Hollywood Production Code Office censored idea of Max Cady being a Officer who executed the brutal rape of a 14 – year–old girl and was convicted because of then Lt. Boden’s testimony. They forced the removal of the word, “rape,” and said that depicting Cady as an officer reflected poorly on the US Armed Forces.  

Out Of Print on VHS & Laserdisc but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy

Cape Fear (1991)

C – 128m
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 – Widescreen / 2.35:1 – Widescreen (Blu–ray)
Novel: The Executioners by John D. MacDonald
Earlier Screenplay By: James R. Webb
Screenplay By: Wesley Strick
Dir.: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Robert De Niro, Nick Notle, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam, Illeana Douglas, Edgar Allan Poe IV, Catherine Scorsese and Charles Scorsese.
Original Score: Bernard Herrmann
Adapted Score: Elmer Bernstein

A prisoner is released from prison only to harass the family of the man he believed helped put him in there. A more horrifying version of the classic film is, itself, a cult classic. Great cast with wonderful talent on both sides of the camera. De Niro is more menacing than Mitchum though. A must watch for comparison sake.

Trivia: Nick Nolte lost a fair amount of weight for his role. Interestingly Robert Redford was considered for Nolte’s role. More on that role in a few… Robert De Niro was tattooed with vegetable dyes that faded away after a few months. The thick accent De Niro used to play Cady gave Martin Scorsese the creeps. As such, De Niro would call Scorsese’s house as Cady and leave messages. The scene of De Niro and Juliette Lewis in the school building was completely adlibbed, shot in three takes, but the first take is the one you see in the film. Juliette Lewis reportedly developed a crush on Robert De Niro during the drama class seduction scene.

Nicole Kidman lobbied for the role that went to Juliette Lewis but Scorsese wanted a younger actress. Drew Barrymore auditioned for Juliette Lewis’ role but failed. Reese Witherspoon also auditioned for the same role. Additionally Christina Applegate and Alyssa Milano auditioned for the role but had to turn it down for their own respective reasons. Also Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder turned down the role. This was Gregory Peck’s final appearance in a theatrical film before his death on June 12, 2008 at the age of 87.

Steven Spielberg was originally set to direct but recommended Martin Scorsese for the job. When Spielberg was set to direct he planned to cast Bill Murray as Max Cady. Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky in that horror franchise, was considered for the role of Max Cady. Mitchum replaced George C. Scott who dropped out of this film due to health issues. The adapted score by Elmer Bernstein, of the original Bernard Herrmann score, also featured unused portions of Bernstein’s score for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain (1966). 

Rated: [R] – Strong Violence & Language
Out Of Print on VHS & Laserdisc but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy