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Cry of the Hunted
Cry of the Hunted
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joseph H. Lewis
Screenplay by	Jack Leonard
Story by	Jack Leonard; Marion Wolfe
Produced by	William Grady Jr.
Starring	Vittorio Gassman; Barry Sullivan; Polly Bergen
Cinematography	Harold Lipstein
Edited by	Conrad A. Nervig
Music by	Rudolph G. Kopp
Production; company	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by	Loew's Inc
Release date	May 8, 1953 (United States);
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$544,000
Box office	$625,000

Cry of the Hunted is a 1953 American crime film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis. The drama features Vittorio Gassman, Barry Sullivan and Polly Bergen.^[2]

Plot

An obsessive lawman (Barry Sullivan) who works for the state chases an escaped fugitive (Vittorio Gassman) through the Louisiana bayou.

Cast

Vittorio Gassman as Jory
Barry Sullivan as Lieutenant Tunner
Polly Bergen as Janet Tunner
William Conrad as Goodwin
Mary Zavian as Ella
Robert Burton as Warden Keeley
Harry Shannon as Sheriff Brown
Jonathan Cott as Deputy Davis

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $376,000 in the US and Canada and $249,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $179,000.^[1]

Critical response

Film critic Hal Erickson, of Allmovie, has praised the directing of the film, writing, "On the whole, the MGM B product of the 1950s contained some of the studio's best-ever 'small' pictures...Cry of the Hunted is directed with flair by Joseph H. Lewis, who always managed to rise above the slimmest of budgets and the barest of production values."^[3]

TV Guide in its film guide also wrote well of the film, "Stylishly directed chase film from Lewis who had previously shown his talent in Gun Crazy...At one point he is caught but again breaks free, only to be recaptured again at the finale. Interesting subplot has Conrad waiting for Sullivan to make a wrong move so he can grab his job."^[4]

Noir analysis

Critics Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward, in various sections of their analysis of the film, discuss a sub silentio theme found in the movie: the homosexual undercurrent of the protagonists; they write, "After an initial scene, in which Sullivan and Gassman wrestle each other to exhaustion and then sit sharing cigarettes like brothers," and, "...even in his sleep [Sullivan] is obsessive as he dreams of the escapee in homoerotic terms," and, "Gassman too seems drawn to his pursuer."^[5]

Film critic Eddie Muller, in an interview for Bright Lights Film Journal, agrees, "I once showed this goofy B film called Cry of the Hunted, with Barry Sullivan and William Conrad — it's swamp noir. In Los Angeles, the audience adored it. They howled, especially at the over-the-top gay subtext between the two lead actors. They fight, and when it's obvious the fight is over, they're still wrestling around the floor. Then they lie against the wall and smoke cigarettes. The L.A. audience ate it up."^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
^ Cry of the Hunted at IMDb.
^ Erickson, Hal Cry of the Hunted at AllMovie. Last accessed: February 17, 2011.
^ TV Guide web site. Last accessed: November 16, 2023.
^ Silver, Alain, and Elizabeth Ward, eds. Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, film noir analysis by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward, page 390, 3rd edition, 1992. New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-479-5.
^ Sorrento, Matthew. Bright Lights Film Journal, "A Writer's Evolution: An Interview with Eddie Muller," Issue 68, May 2010. Last accessed: February 17, 2011.