The Defiant Ones

The Defiant Ones
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStanley Kramer
Written byHarold Jacob Smith
Nedrick Young
Produced byStanley Kramer
StarringTony Curtis
Sidney Poitier
Theodore Bikel
Charles McGraw
Lon Chaney
King Donovan
Kevin Coughlin
Cara Williams
CinematographySam Leavitt
Edited byFrederic Knudtson
Music byErnest Gold
Production
companies
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • June 29, 1958 (1958-06-29) (Berlin[1])
  • September 24, 1958 (1958-09-24) (New York City, New York)
  • September 27, 1958 (1958-09-27) (United States)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$778,000[2]
Box office$2.75 million (US and Canadian rentals)[3][4]

The Defiant Ones is a 1958 American drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier.

The film was adapted by Harold Jacob Smith from the story by Nedrick Young, originally credited as Nathan E. Douglas. It was produced and directed by Stanley Kramer.

The film was highly regarded at the time of its release; it won Academy Awards for Cinematography (Black-and-White) and Original Screenplay and was nominated for seven others, including Best Picture and Best Actor for both Poitier and Curtis. Poitier won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival.

  1. ^ Myers, Harold (July 2, 1958). "Political Tensions, No U.S. Stars Mark Opening Of Berlin Film Fest". Variety. p. 2. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Balio, Tino (1987). United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 143. ISBN 978-0299114404.
  3. ^ "Vagaries of Overseas Playoff". Variety. May 27, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved June 16, 2019 – via Archive.org.
  4. ^ "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety. January 7, 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross