Product Details

• Actors: Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin
• Directors: William Wyler
• Writers: Joseph Hayes
• Producers: William Wyler, Robert Wyler
• Format: Anamorphic, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: June 10, 2003
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008Z44E
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,943 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #23 in	Movies & TV > Classics > Classic Directors > Wyler, William
  #43 in	Movies & TV > Classics > Classic Stars > Bogart, Humphrey

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Humphrey Bogart is at his villainous best in William Wyler's taut home-invasion thriller, The Desperate Hours. Sharply adapted by John Hayes from his own fact-based novel and Broadway play, this marked a slight departure for Wyler, whose celebrated versatility is on ready display as Bogart--leading a panicky trio of escaped convicts--seizes control of a suburban family in the (dis)comfort of their own home. The domestic terror (similarly dramatized in the 1954 potboiler Suddenly) escalates as cautious patriarch Frederic March waits for an opportunity to retaliate, while the police (led by Arthur Kennedy) close in for an ambush. Viewers may recognize the home's exterior from TV's Leave It to Beaver, while its interior gives Wyler a sealed chamber for nail-biting advances and setbacks--and Bogey was rarely better at portraying ruthless, unpredictable menace. Poorly remade in 1990, The Desperate Hours remains a potent precursor to the many similar films (like Panic Room) that followed its enduring example. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
Bogart plays an escaped con who has nothing to lose. March is a suburban everyman who has everything to lose - his family is held hostage by bogart. As time ticks by the two men sqare off in a battle of wills & cunning that tightens into an unforgettable fear-drenched finale. Studio: Paramount Home Video Release Date: 12/30/2003 Starring: Humphrey Bogart Gig Young Run time: 112 minutes Rating: Nr Director: William Wyler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Players, some awkward dialogue, great ending, January 24, 2003

By	Dom Miliano (Denville, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desperate Hours (1955) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have been a Bogart fan all my life. He was that rare Hollywood breed so seldom seen today - and actor AND a movie star. In this "little" movie, Bogart and March lock wills - each knowing that the other is dangerous and desperate, each knowing that they both have more than their own lives to lose. They take the conflict to the edge, their hands, virtually at each other's throats in nearly every scene and then find a way to back off to live another day or another hour. In the quiet moments, March stares away from the camera several times, effectively showing the "wheels turning," an action not lost on Bogart. When he catches him at it he says "click-ity, click-ity" and warns him not to try anything. Advice, you know he'll never heed. This movie may not appeal to viewers who have grown up watching shoot-em-ups but movie fans and fans of good acting will find plenty to hold their attention. A few of the bit players, especially the cops, are saddled with hokey 1950's dialog but you'll get over it. The ending is all you could ask for. I suggest you give it a shot.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Bogart fans, December 31, 2000

By	Johny Bottom "Insane and lonely guitarist" (Jacksonville, NC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Desperate Hours (1955) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Now this is a great flick. No one played the hard-edged bad guy like Bogie. This flick is old schol, meaning the story depends on the acting and not special effects or overused violence.

Bogart, his brother, and a simple minded convict escape prison and hold up in a suberbian 'Beaver-Cleaver' household. They have to hideout there until Bogie gets some dough from his girlfriend. The confrontations between the family and the convicts keep this movie going fluently without a break in drama, suspense, or action. If you've only seen Casablanca or the Maltese Falcon, rent or buy this flick if you like or are interested in Humphrey Bogart.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Top-drawer thriller from Hollywood's 'golden age', September 4, 2003

By	Libretio - See all my reviews

THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
[Filmed in VistaVision]
DVD soundtrack: Dolby 2.0 mono
Theatrical soundtrack: Mono

The patriarch of a middle-class suburban family (Fredric March) is forced to take action when they're held hostage in their own home by three escaped convicts, one of whom (Humphrey Bogart) is an experienced lifer with nothing to lose...

The first and only pairing of superstars Bogart and March is a tightly-wound thriller, written by Joseph Hayes (based on his novel and stageplay, inspired by actual events), and directed by Hollywood veteran William Wyler, distancing himself from the 'women's pictures' he had helped to popularize during the 1940's (THE LITTLE FOXES, MRS. MINIVER, THE HEIRESS etc.). Photographed in gleaming deep-focus VistaVision by Lee Garmes (SCARFACE, THE PARADINE CASE), the movie wrings incredible tension from the claustrophobic settings and frequent stand-offs between staunch family man March and embittered con Bogart. The movie's themes are fairly conservative and the outcome is never really in doubt, but this is a top-drawer thriller from Hollywood's 'golden age'. Also starring Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin and Gig Young in crucial supporting roles. Unmissable.

NB. Though nowhere near as dreadful as most critics would have you believe, Michael Cimino's remake DESPERATE HOURS (1990) isn't a patch on the original.