| Cape Fear | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Cape_fear1960s.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Screenplay by | James R. Webb |
| Based on | The Executioners 1957 novel by John D. MacDonald |
| Produced by | Sy Bartlett |
| Starring | Gregory Peck Robert Mitchum Polly Bergen Lori Martin Martin Balsam Jack Kruschen Telly Savalas Barrie Chase |
| Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
| Edited by | George Tomasini |
| Music by | Bernard Herrmann |
Production companies | Melville Productions Talbot Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.8 million (US/Canada)[1] |
Cape Fear is a 1962 American psychological thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson, from a screenplay by James R. Webb, adapting the 1957 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 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.[2]
- ^ "Big Rental Pictures of 1962". Variety. January 9, 1963. p. 13. Please note these are rentals and not gross figures
- ^ 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)