A lawyer and his family are tormented by an ex-convict and former client who believes he was misrepresented in court.
In 1990, Martin Scorsese released the acclaimed film GoodFellas, a deeply personal work and the culmination of a 20-year career, as well as his previous studies of violence, crime, Italian immigrant culture, etc. His next move was his most mainstream work to date, a remake of the 1962 thriller by J. Lee Thompson, and a project that Steven Spielberg was attached to direct before passing it along to his friend.
Robert De Niro was cast early on as the villain (iconically played by Robert Mitchum in the original), making this the seventh collaboration with Scorsese. De Niro went through rigorous training to get in shape for the role. Also starring are Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and newcomer Juliette Lewis. Mitchum has a cameo in the film, as does the original's other lead Gregory Peck.
The main difference between the versions is Scorsese's insistence that the hero and his family not be squeaky-clean and happy as in the original. Nolte's character is of questionable ethics and morals, his marriage in turmoil, and his teenage daughter struggling with her identity and burgeoning sexuality. This change turns De Niro's character into more of an avenging angel than a simple motiveless monster.
Scorsese's love for Hollywood classics is displayed here with numerous homages to the works of Alfred Hitchcock, seen in shot compositions as well as the use of color. In addition, the 1962 version's score was composed by Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Herrmann, rearranged here and combined with an unused Herrmann score from an actual Hitchcock film. Veterans Henry Bumstead (the art director who worked on Hitchcock's Vertigo, among many other classics) and cinematographer Freddie Francis, both multiple Oscar-winners, were utilized behind the camera, along with Scorsese's longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
Cape Fear was released to mostly positive reviews and became Scorsese's highest-grossing film to date. Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis received Academy Award nominations for their work. Scorsese would not return to the genre until 2010's Shutter Island.
Running time is approx 2 hrs.
No comments:
Post a Comment