Having seen him in Cape Fear, and Night of the Hunter, all Robert Mitchum had to do was appear on screen and I was scared. That said, strangely enough he was also one of my favorite actors. I've seen him in movies where he doesn't play the "bad guy", and it doesn't matter, he still scares me. Probably a good thing I never met him in "real life".
shareI agree, just his presence in this film was enough to evoke thrills.
That's right...I went there.
After appearing in "Annie Hall" and winning his Oscar for a suicidal character in "The Deer Hunter", Christopher Walken ended up with the same image; people were scared of him.
Then he made an appearance on Saturday Night Live (a show I do not like otherwise, by the way) and suddenly everyone realized he was a song and dance man, and he has since made endless appearances on the show in hilarious comedy skits that he steals everytime.
At best, Mitchum only had one appearance on Saturday Night Live, and I think he tried to have just as much fun. No, Mitchum wasn't known for his comedies (did he do any?) but his SNL episode would definitely be worth checking out sometime.
Well, Mitchum actually had a adverse against Savannah (where the film was shot) because he served there in a chain gang when he was only 14. Aside that, he always had a rough upbringing. So I wouldn't say his smirking and hateful looks were all acting!
Yup, and he makes no secret about it. Robert Mitchum strikes me as a man who had a lot of bitterness and hate in him; not a true sociopath, yet he seemed to get weird ideas in his head. It shows in his later films, mostly post-1960. If it had come out at a better time for him, Cape Fear might have enjoyed a success closer to Psycho, if not quite with the prestige, and given him a superstar second wind. Think Robert Shaw in the wake of Jaws.
shareYeah, movie villains do seem to do a random SNL once every blue moon. Although he isn't comparable with the likes of Mitchum and Walken, Peter Saarsgard was the most recent textbook baddie to host the show.
Cape Fear simply wouldn't have been a good movie without Robert Mitchum; he is the archetype stalker. I agree, his smooth, playful drawl and intimidating figure would terrify anyone.
i agree mitchum terrifies me in cape fear, he's just so primitive and predetory, he comes across as brutal, animalistic, sexually driven in the fact that he will get his kicks off a girl even if she doesn't want to give them to him, then he will throw her away like an empty can.he obviously has no feelings of guilt, sadness or compassion, he only feels hate,need for revenge and lust. terrifying. you forget he's acting and THAT is the sign of a brilliant actor
shareI've seen him in those two movies as well and he does indeed have a terrifying presence he brings to his villian characters. Though I have to admit I found him kind of sexy at the end, walking around with no shirt and all. I was paying more attention to him then Gregory Peck who didn't seem interesting to me at all. Terrific actor I must say, and I plan on watching some more of his movies.
"Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.
A kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it."
I got abit concerned with myself coz... well i find him so damn sexy! i don't find what he does sexy in the least, but his body, voice, and whole manner are just so damn alluring in the worst possible
I have too many fantasies to be a housewife, i guess i am a fantasy - Marilyn Monroe
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absoloutly, but he's just so damn sexy when he's doin it!!
I need sex for a clear complexion, but I'd rather do it for love- Joan Crawford
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I don't know what kind of husband and father he was but he can certainly play very versatile roles, I actually put off watching Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear because I didn't want to see him play the bad guy, the first movie I saw him in was "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison", he played a marine during the war who became stranded on an island with only a nun (yeah I know, sounds like the beginning of a bad joke), but he was very sweet and protective of her it is hard to believe that he could play such a bad guy but he does the job well.
shareHe was caught way back in the forties smoking pot. Back then it was the end of your career. Absolutely. When they brought Mitchum to the police station to book him they asked him "Profession?" and he replied "Ex-Movie Actor". And THAT what was in all the papers the next day and all America was laughing. And he got away with it, did his time and went back to work. Bad boy, always was a bad boy and a consummately understated actor.
shareHe was also excellent in Out of the Past. Tough, brutal, kind, sincere and trying to go straight. He knows he's in over his head with Jane Greer. But also can't quite get out. The ending is just classic.
As they say on that TCM thing: Damn Good Actor.
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