Barnes & Noble

An unusually daring thriller that inspired controversy upon its theatrical release in 1962, Cape Fear broke new ground in its cinematic depiction of terrorization with sadistic and sexual components. Robert Mitchum portrays the villain superbly, bringing quiet menace to his depiction of the cruel ex-convict bent on revenge. The object of his terror is a small-town Georgia lawyer (played by Gregory Peck as initially stolid but eventually unnerved) who he believes is responsible for his imprisonment. When Peck learns that Mitchum's scheme threatens his wife (Polly Bergen) and teenage daughter (Lori Martin), he's moved to consideration of unusual precautions -- including, if necessary, murder. Next to 1961's Guns of Navarone(in which Peck also starred), Cape Fear is easily the best film directed by J. Lee Thompson, a prolific, competent, but generally uninspired journeyman who took John D. MacDonald's pulpy novel The Executioners and adapted it into a cinematic classic of riveting suspense. Taut and gripping, its Hitchcockian verisimilitude enhanced by a suitably eerie Bernard Herrmann score, Cape Fear is the progenitor of literally hundreds of subsequent movies and TV shows that have mined the same vein. And even though others have hit paydirt, this is the one that struck the mother lode. The DVD offers a documentary covering the film's production, along with still galleries, production notes, cast and director highlights, trailers, and DVD-ROM content. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In Cape Fear, Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) is set free after an eight-year prison term for rape and assault. Immediately making a beeline to Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck), the former prosecutor responsible for Cady's conviction, Cady laconically informs Sam that he intends to "pay back" the attorney for his years behind bars. Conducting a meticulous campaign of terror, Cady is careful to stay within the law. Sam, realizing that Cady intends to wreak vengeance by raping the attorney's wife (Polly Bergen) and daughter (Lori Martin), tries to put the ex-criminal behind bars, but has no grounds to do so. Chief Dutton (Martin Balsam) tries to help Sam with a few strong-arm tactics, but succeeds only in having the courts take Cady's side in the matter. Things come to a head when Sam moves his family to the "safety" of a remote houseboat on Cape Fear river. Cady shows up unannounced and is about to ravage Bowden's wife and daughter and when Sam turns the tables. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 025192063428
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: B&W, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, monaural
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Español, Français
• Time: 1:46:00
• Sales Rank: 3,850

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• The Gregory Peck Film Collection

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