The Intruder (1962 film)
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| The Intruder | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by | Gene Corman Roger Corman |
| Written by | Charles Beaumont |
| Starring | William Shatner Frank Maxwell Jeanne Cooper Beverly Lunsford Robert Emhardt Charles Beaumont |
| Music by | Herman Stein |
| Cinematography | Taylor Byars |
| Editing by | Ronald Sinclair |
| Distributed by | Pathé-America Distrib.Co. |
| Release date(s) | 1962 |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80,000 |
The Intruder is a 1962 American film directed by Roger Corman, after a novel by Charles Beaumont, starring William Shatner. Also called Shame in US release, and The Stranger in the UK release. The story depicts the machinations of a racist named Adam Cramer (portrayed by Shatner), who arrives in the fictitious small southern town of Caxton in order to incite townspeople to racial violence against the town's black minority and court-ordered school integration.
The film was shot in black and white on location in Missouri. The production was banned in East Prairie and Charleston (two towns in Mississippi County, Missouri) because the local people objected to the film's portrayal of racism and segregation. Although it only had a budget of $80,000, the film lost money, as the major studios had predicted.[1]
[edit] Plot
The introduction to Cramer is a simple shot of him stepping off a bus, carrying only a light suitcase, with an attitude of innate confidence, a confidence which throughout the film never diminishes. On an interpersonal level, starting with the first character Cramer meets, the audience sees he is a charmer, but it is soon revealed that the character uses this charm quite professionally, in furtherance of a hard, cunning political effort to incite Caxton's existing racial tension into violence.
At the same time, Cramer seeks personal pleasure with every interaction. Cramer's racist, incendiary politics are thereby proven inseparable from his pleasure. By manipulating many of Caxton's citizens on a personal level, Cramer implements a strategic plan for incite violent action, which culminates in a lynch mob, after Cramer manipulates a teenager into making a false claim of interracial rape. A rational, internally secure character named Tom McDaniel, played easily by veteran actor Frank Maxwell[2] is willing to stand up against both Cramer and the townspeople's hatred toward their black neighbors.
While staying in a motel, Cramer meets salesman Sam Griffin and his wife. While Griffin is away on business, Cramer seduces Griffin's wife, Vi. Upon returning, Sam Griffin discovers his wife has left and confronts Cramer. Accurately assessing Cramer's nature during a conversation in Cramer's hotel room while living next to Cramer in the hotel, he goes on in the movie to break up the mob using his personal skills and natural presence. Rather than approach Cramer's sociopathy violently, or take revenge for Cramer's seduction of Griffin's depressed wife, Griffin, without animosity, offers Cramer bus fare out of town. This act preserves the film's focus on political manipulation of racism rather than getting payback for evildoing.
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- The Intruder at the Internet Movie Database
- The Intruder at Allmovie
- The Intruder at the Internet Archive
