Customer Reviews

Desperate Hours [VHS]

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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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.

If I remember correctly "The Desperate Hours" was originally a stage play that was based on a true story. A photo-magazine ran a spread on either the play or the film with pictures of the "real" house and the family sued for invasion of privacy; one of their lawyers was Richard Nixon. Humphrey Bogart gets top-billing in "The Desperate Hours" as gangster on the lam Glenn Griffin, but this is really Frederic March's film. March plays businessman Dan Hilliard, who discovers his home has been invaded and his family taken hostage by Griffin's little band of criminals, which includes his kid brother Hal (Dewey Martin) and the brutish Sam Kobish (Robert Middleton). That morning Hilliard's biggest concerns had been Chuck Wright (Gig Young), the boyfriend of his daughter Cindy (Mary Murphy), the refusal of young son Ralphie (Richard Eyer) to kiss his old man goodbye, and what wife Eleanor (Martha Scott) is going to make for dinner. Now he has to find a way to keep his family alive in a world where the police are perfectly willing to gun down unarmed criminals so their ability to protect an innocent family is certainly suspect.

This is a taunt drama, carried mostly by the desperation of March's character, who fails every time he tries to prove himself the hero. Bogart's performance is notable because it is a return to the tough guy role that made him a star, only this time showing more restraint than we had seen two decades earlier. This 1955 film also stands as a testament to how much things have changed in Hollywood, because they would never allow for this clean of an ending to this situation, a point that would be obvious even without the horrible remake of this film with Mickey Rourke and Anthony Hopkins, which gives into the perceived need for sadistic violence.

Ultimately what makes this film work is that the climax exceeds our expectations given the set-up. You have to admire how a man can walk into a house with an unloaded gun and save the day. The final confrontation between Hilliard and Griffin is powerful because it speaks to not only the fact that you can hurt somebody without killing them, but also that even when confronted with barbarians there is still virtue in being a civilized man. I still watch the ending of this film every time I stumble across it on television. In fact, I just did.

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.

Consistent with so many Bogie roles, Humphrey Bogart plays a prison escapee, who along with his brother and a strongarm (small brain) take a suburban family hostage in their home. While this may sound very similiar to many of Bogart's earlier roles, there is alot to say for this film. Bogart is surrounded by a very good cast and was handed an excellent script (although there are a few questions that pop in your head as you watch the movie). Bogart does well portraying a man whose over-confidence and absolute reluctance towards going back to prison muddles his descisions and clouds his judgement.

The DVD is simple. Good quality picture and adequate sound. The extras are..well....not much extra at all. But the movie collector and Bogart fan must grab this DVD for your collection. Good quality DVD, great story, and a very reasonable price

THE DESPERATE HOURS

(USA - 1955 - black and white)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (VistaVision)
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.

this film, like many other great classics, been forgotten or so it seems. i have always cherished this little gem. it was directed by William Wyler, a man whose name is synonymous with great filmmaking. though this film may pale in comparison to the epic "Ben Hur" it should by no means be disregarded.

the basic premise is a band of criminals "on the lam" from the police decide to converge upon a midwestern family and use their home as a refuge from the authorities. Humphrey Bogart gives one of the best performances of his career, reviving the old gangster type roles which propelled him to stardom in the 1930s. to divulge any of the plot elements would be unfair to anyone considering the viewing or purchase of this great little gem of a film. it seizes your attention from the beginning with its ominous score to the last riveting scene and never lets go.

as for the DVD, the picture clarity is amazingly sharp and the sound is good too. as for the special features, there are none. this was very disappointing. this one really deserved the special treatment. in spite of its lack of special features, the clarity and sound are enough to warrant a closer look at this wonderful little film.

William Wyler directs Humphrey Bogart in the super tense thriller THE DESPERATE HOURS. Three on the lam thugs invade a heartland American home and hold a family hostage. Everyone seeks survival and an ordinary dad (Frederick March) puts his life on the line for his family. Bogie at his very best as a snarling, deadly con. Heartstopping showdown. Unforgettable climax. You'll hold your breath and bite your nails. This is one to own. See what great filmmaking and storytelling is all about.

Don't confuse this with the pallid 1990 remake starring Mickey Rourke, directed by Michael Cimino.

What a pair: Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March face to face as mortal enemies. Good vs. evil. We know who will win but we don't know how. The excellent twists and turns keep us forever surprised. Spencer Tracy originally declined the role opposite Bogart because he refused second billing.

All acting is superb, though a bit of overkill with the 2 hysterical women captors. The child actor is a marvelous spunky character who never rose to deserved fame as did other kid actors.

As one reviewer wrote, What indeed would we do in this same situation, where Bogart & his 2 prison cronies hold a suburban family hostage. Fredric March, with his "clickety-clickety" mind, as Bogey calls it, is constantly trying to outwit the brutal escaped convicts once they escape from their jail like uncaged lions.

This is actually a great family action film where true loyal family values dominate, unlke today, and the starring family actually sits down for meals together and lovingly communicate with one another.

As a point of interest, the story is loosely based on the eponymous novel. The original story was covered in Time Magazine. The family held hostage sued Time - apparently there was never a settlement - but the lawyer representing the family was none other than Richard Nixon, an attorney in private practice between campaigns.

In THE DESPERATE HOURS, Humphrey Bogart, returned to his signature bad guy roles after years of playing the world weary hero. Fredric March co-starred in this classic thriller, directed by William Wyler and based on a true story, which, in turn, was adapted into a hit stage play by Joseph Hayes.

March plays the head of a happy suburban family whose household is invaded by by three vicious escaped convicts, led by Bogart.

True, this kind of hostage drama is familiar television fare these days, but this 1955 film is still the best of them all. The movie holds up remarkably well, and the cast, which includes Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Robert Middleton and Gig Young, is superb.

© Michael B. Druxman

Humphrey Bogard was great at playing private detictives like in maltese falcon and Desperate Hours shows that he can play the opposite of a private decective- a criminal. Desperate Hours is a really great suspenful movies about a group of convicts that hold a family hostage in their home. Desperate hours really keeps you guessing until what happens next.