Coaxed Mrs. WWTW into watching the original “Cape Fear” last night. Not an easy task, mind you.
The Mrs. doesn’t take kindly to old films. The pace is just too slow for her modern sensibilities.
But the lean, mean “Cape Fear” blasted through those preconceptions. The film is being re-released as part of a considerable new box set dedicated to Oscar-winner Gregory Peck (now available).
“The Gregory Peck Film Collection” features five of Peck’s more notable films – “Cape Fear,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Arabesque,” “Mirage,” “Captain Newman, M.D.” and “The World in His Arms.”
You can quibble with the set’s choices, but the sampling provides a solid look at Peck’s stoic presence.
“Cape Fear” (1962) neatly captures the actor’s earthy appeal. He plays the noble lawyer hounded by the man he helped send to prison (Robert Mitchum, one of Hollywood’s best casting choices). Peck’s struggle, a moral, ethical and physical challenge that leaves very little dead space on screen, served as the template for the equally blistering 1991 remake.
And yes, my love, Peck has played the villain in a few movies, including “Duel in the Sun” and “The Boys from Brazil.” But Peck is best remembered for performances which played off his genteel spirit and rock-solid presence, like “Mockingbird.”
Related posts:
on 
on 
on 
on 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
It appears that this is a Universal set of films. The studios usually make a mish-mash in these types of box sets, boxing the superb with, often, the merely mediocre.
In any case, everything you wrote of Peck is true.
I don’t think there will ever be anyone like him in film.
That’s the rub, David. They often mix a few classic films with duds/lesser hits for these box sets. The fact that you get Cape Fear AND Mockingbird is a good sign, though.
The original Cape Fear is one of my favorites. Robert Mitchum is absolutely terrifying, easily eclipsing his psychopathic reverend in Nigh of the Hunter.
I don’t think that the remake is equally blistering though. I love Scorsese, but turning the Peck character into a cheating jerk with a dysfunctional family was annoying, and De Niro’s over the top “Hey-look-at-me-I’m-ACTING!!!!” southern accent got worse as the film went on.
Night of the Hunter is well worth a look, Blackhawk, as another great example of how menacing Mitchum could be.
I do like the fact that the Cape remake added some complexity to the counselor’s character, but the dysfunctional family element was overwrought.