Abduction (1975 film)

Abduction
Abduction
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joseph Zito
Written by	Kent E. Carroll
Based on	Black Abductor (novel); by Harrison James
Produced by	Kent E. Carroll
Starring	Gregory Rozakis; David Pendleton; Judith-Marie Bergan; Dorothy Malone; Leif Erickson
Cinematography	João Fernandes
Edited by	James Macreading
Music by	Ronald Frangipane; Al Steckler
Production; company	Blackpool Partnership
Distributed by	Venture Distributors
Release date	October 24, 1975;
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Abduction is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Joseph Zito, produced and written by Kent E. Carroll and based on the novel Black Abductor by Harrison James, which has similarities to the Patty Hearst case^[1] which it predates.^[2] It stars Gregory Rozakis, David Pendleton and Judith-Marie Bergan and was first released in the U.S. on October 24, 1975.^[3]

Premise

The daughter of a rich property developer is kidnapped and held hostage for ransom by a group of radicals. After being brutalised and brainwashed she eventually becomes converted to their cause.^[4]^[1]^[5]

Violence

The movie is violent throughout though the details are largely kept out of shot. The kidnappers beat up Michael, Patricia's boyfriend, when they seize her. Frank tries and fails to rape her on camera and then Dory takes over. The scenes are sent to Patricia's father along with her reading out the kidnappers' demands. Alongside a second set of demands, Patricia is forced to make love with Carol on camera. The police violently interrogate Jake, a friend of Frank, to find out the identities and location of the gang members. In the final scenes, Patricia shoots the police who have broken in to rescue her, showing that she is now part of the group.

Cast

Prescott family and friend

Judith-Marie Bergan - Patricia Prescott
Leif Erickson - Mr. Prescott
Dorothy Malone - Mrs. Prescott
Andrew Rohrer - Michael, Patricia's boyfriend

Kidnappers

Gregory Rozakis - Frank
David Pendleton - Dory
Catherine Lacy - Carol
Presley Caton - Angie

Also credited

Lawrence Tierney - FBI Agent
Andrew Bloch - Jake, who informed on the kidnappers under police interrogation

Release

The film opened exclusively in New York for two weeks before expanding to Los Angeles and San Francisco.^[2]

Reception

The New York Times described this as "bargain-basement movie-making of the least interesting sort, an ineptly produced ripoff of the Patricia Hearst story ... based on a novel that was actually written before the kidnapping".^[1] Steve Carlson, on the letterboxd website, commented that this is "a plainly scummy little hostage feature that would barely rate a footnote in exploitation-film history if not for that it kicked off the career of Joseph Zito."^[3]

Hearst Newspapers refused to run advertisements for the film.^[2]