All-Star Forged Can’t Save ‘The Chase’ 1966

First a Horton Foote
play and later a novel, the movie model of The
Chase got here with a screenplay by playwright Lillian Hellman. Sounds so distinguished,
proper? You wouldn’t know judging from the amateurish outcomes. Maybe it was
as a result of neither Foote’s play nor novel was profitable and Hellman hadn’t
written a screenplay in 20 years. Producer Sam Spiegel, after his profitable
epic Lawrence of Arabia, apparently
desired a southern epic, Tennessee Williams slathered with some Edward Albee scathing
social commentary. This was at odds with Foote’s slice of life fashion and
Hellman’s biting political agenda. 

Marlon Brando is Sheriff Calder, who the small city disrespects, in “The Chase.”

The middle of the
drama is round a nasty boy loser, “Bubber” Jackson, who escapes from jail simply
earlier than he is presupposed to get out. This impetuous transfer is made worse when his escape
companion kills a man throughout their carjacking. As soon as once more, Bubber’s holding the
bag.

James Fox is Jake Rogers, who’s in love with finest buddy Bubber’s spouse, Anna, performed by Jane Fonda, in 1966’s “The Chase.”

The locals of a small
city in Tarl County, Texas are alternately excited, indignant, or scared that
Bubber is heading their manner. All of it climaxes over a Friday night time the place everybody’s
feelings boil over, southern fashion. With a sheriff that no one respects, the
city meltdown seems like Excessive Midday
meets Twin Peaks.

Angie Dickinson, heart, performs Brando’s spouse Ruby. E.G. Marshall, left, is Val Rogers,  the city’s wealthy man in 1966’s “The Chase.”

Hellman disavowed the
closing script and her criticism was apt, however her imprint nonetheless appears to be in
the combination. Like many mid-60s films that appeared to have one foot caught within the
‘50s, this all feels very again lot, shiny, and overdramatic. The foot that’s in
the ‘60s may be very apparent in its “frankness.” Whoever actually wrote the ultimate script
appeared to elevate some juicy stuff from Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Talking of which, why on earth did Redford
turned down Nick to play Bubber!

Robert Redford selected “The Chase” & “This Property is Condemned” over “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” as his 1966 movies.

As usually the case with
these large funds bombs, the attract of some legendary skills obtained different large
names to signal on: The combo of Brando as star, playwrights Foote and Hellman,
Sam Spiegel producing, enticed many to return on board.

The Chase’s 4 leads do properly regardless of the dreary script: Marlon Brando, Jane
Fonda, Robert Redford, and Angie Dickinson are all stable and pure. Brando’s
performing may very well be fairly variable from the ’60s on, however as Sheriff Calder he underplayed
and is plausible as a superb man in a imply small city. Fonda is nice because the city
dangerous lady, Anna, estranged spouse of Bubber. Dickinson, enjoying a standard lady
as a substitute of her standard man lure, is simple as Brando’s spouse, Ruby. And
Robert Redford, usually distant as an actor, is intense as Bubber.

One other telltale signal that 1966’s “The Chase” was caught in Hollywood’s earlier period:  Although Jane Fonda’s enjoying poor white trash, her hair and make-up are fab.

I laughed after I learn
that Brando selected to realize weight to play the southern sheriff who’s in a rut.
Contemplating Marlon’s physique instantly earlier than and after, I’d evaluate the
story with Elizabeth Taylor being ordered to realize weight for Virginia Woolf . Regardless of that and claims
that he turned bored throughout capturing, his efficiency is constant and managed,
with out Marlon’s extreme mannerisms.

Marlon Brando because the sheriff & Miriam Hopkins because the convict’s mom in “The Chase.” Director Arthur Penn needed to tread evenly with both–surprise!

The
Chase ought to have taught Jane Fonda a lesson to let the script be
the deciding think about her movie profession. However Fonda hadn’t discovered from an
earlier southern camp basic Stroll on the
Wild Facet, nor did this maintain her from dashing to Hurry Sunset shortly after The
Chase. The distinction is Jane’s truly good within the latter two films,
as a substitute of being amateurishly hammy in Wild
Facet.

Jane Fonda trying simply nice within the junkyard scene of  1966’s “The Chase.” A lot later, a buddy instructed Jane her hair ought to have gotten its personal credit score!

Redford, who doesn’t
work together with the opposite stars until the climax of the movie, truly reveals
refined emotion as Bubber, whereas he usually performed it cool to return off like an
anti-hero. And whereas enjoying Marlon Brando’s loyal spouse wasn’t actually the function
of a lifetime, Angie Dickinson wished to work with Brando and play a severe
function.

It is not straightforward carrying this shade of inexperienced! Angie Dickinson because the sheriff’s spouse, carrying a gown that the city’s wealthy man purchased her, in 1966’s “The Chase.”

Then there’s the
supporting forged. Robert Duvall is empathetic and underplays because the bespectacled
wimp Edwin to Janice Rule’s brazen, slutty spouse Emily. They’re a Texas-style
twosome ala Virginia Woolf’s George and
Martha. Janice Rule, who boozily taunts him with one other man, comes off extra
like Bette Davis in Past the Forest than
Martha! Martha Hyer is mainly a middle-aged Honey from Virginia Woolf, and is totally
amateurish because the spouse who can’t deal with her booze or hubby. Richard
Bradford makes a terrific villain, as her creep husband Damon Fuller. E.G.
Marshall as wealthy man Val Rogers and James Fox as his married son Jake, who’s in
love with Fonda’s Anna, are stable in cliché roles.

Was Tobey Maguire impressed by Robert Duvall’s dazed expressions in “The Chase?”

Janice Rule, as Duvall’s trampy spouse, is having an affair with city dangerous boy, Richard Bradford, in 1966’s “The Chase.”

Miriam Hopkins actually
slices the ham thick as Bubber’s guilt-ridden mom, however she’s nonetheless efficient
in placing this over-baked drama over. Henry Hull, memorably terrible as Gary
Cooper’s mentor in The Fountainhead,
is simply as hammy right here, because the city’s one-man Greek refrain, commenting on one
and all as he takes a night stroll. Jocelyn Brando is aged as much as play his
spouse, however sadly she was simply 45 to Hull’s 75, so it doesn’t work in any respect.

Regardless of a 30 yr age distinction, Jocelyn Brando performed Henry Hull’s spouse in 1966’s “The Chase.” She would have been youthful if she had been forged as Redford’s mom!

There aren’t one however three events depicted on the fateful
night time: a giant celebration for Marshall’s large daddy; the trashy locals
swinging bash; and the teenagers rockin’ out subsequent door. A measure of The Chase’s excessive dramatics is
how ineptly these events are depicted. The wealthy Val Rogers “colourful” celebration is
stuffed with suck ups straight out of Cat
on a Scorching Tin Roof. The swingers’ soiree is like Virginia Woolf, however with weapons. And the children’ rockin and rollin’
appears to be like like Peanuts’ characters
dancing like no one’s watching! Most hilarious of all is {that a} precocious teen
is performed by future munchkin singer/songwriter Paul Williams—bear in mind him?
Right here, Paul appears to be like like a bespectacled Chucky doll! Oh, and there’s a raucous
dental conference on the town—heck, everybody however the Hell’s Angels are right here partying
down.

Future singer/songwriter Paul Williams is heart of the younger crowd in “The Chase.”

The Texan characters
are practically all trashy or rednecks. The allusion to the Kennedy assassination is
clumsily made with a Jack Ruby-style act within the finale. Producer Sam Spiegel
wished to make an vital assertion movie in regards to the American dream going up in
flames. Hellman particularly wished to make Texas the goal as an indictment
on America, symbolized by the current JFK assassination. Foote was introduced again into
the fold to beef up Hellman’s script, bewildered by how his intimate work was
now blown out of proportion.

Janice Rule because the adulterous spouse who comes between sad couple Martha Hyer  & Richard Bradford in 1966’s “The Chase.”

The Chase, regardless of the message is striving for, is kind of muddled. That all Individuals are violent and racist?
That the capitalist system is rotten and had seeped right down to all ranges of the
financial caste system? The case for the ills of US society is introduced about as
convincingly because the operatically absurd The
Fountainhead. The large downside with making The Chase was too many egos utilizing the movie as a soapbox, with non-Hollywood
director Arthur Penn not placing his foot down, like fellow neophyte Mike
Nichols did on controversial Virginia
Woolf.

Siblings Jocelyn and Marlon Brando on the set of 1966’s “The Chase.”

Arthur Penn, whose
profession had been fairly stylish, however totally on stage, had laid a couple of artsy bombs,
like Mickey One. Penn claimed the
slicing of the movie by Spiegel was the perpetrator for The Chase’s failure. Properly, that also leaves Arthur Penn responsible
for the horrible performing by half the forged, accepting an overworked script
and not using a battle, not insisting on location filming, and tip-toeing round
tough actors like Brando and Miriam Hopkins.

Producer Sam Spiegel toots his personal horn on this advert for 1966’s “The Chase.” Fortunately for mere director Arthur Penn, he directed “Bonnie & Clyde” the subsequent yr!

Producer Sam Spiegel
actually performed up his resume whereas presenting The Chase as his movie.
And what Hollywood kind wouldn’t brag, with these producer credit: The African Queen; On the Waterfront; The Bridge
on the River Kwai; Immediately, Final
Summer time; and Lawrence of Arabia.
Three received Finest Image Oscars. Nonetheless, once you consider any of those movies,
do you consider Spiegel, such as you would a Selznick? Whereas he wished Carte Blanche
as a substitute of collaboration, what Spiegel did infected the opposite skills’ egos,
alongside together with his personal. Too many cooks stirred the pot, leading to an overcooked
movie.

The Chase is value watching as soon as for the expertise concerned. However the
distinction between this and the next yr’s Hurry Sunset is that the latter is watchable trash and The Chase is a uninteresting, muddled message
movie.

As soon as once more, Marlon Brando will get a beatdown on movie, and he was all for it, in 1966’s “The Chase.”