The Desperate Hours (film)

Infobox Film
name =The Desperate Hours


caption ="The Desperate Hours" (1955) DVD cover
director = William Wyler
producer = William Wyler
writer =Joseph Hayes
starring =Humphrey Bogart
Fredric March
music = Gail Kubik
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = October 5, 1955 (U.S. release)
runtime = 112 min
language = English
budget = $2,388,000 (estimated)
imdb_id = 0047985

"The Desperate Hours" is a 1955 film from Paramount Pictures starring Humphrey Bogart and Fredric March. The movie was directed by William Wyler and based on a novel and play written by Joseph Hayes which were loosely based on actual events.

The original Broadway production had actor Paul Newman in the Bogart role. The character was made older in the script so Bogart could play the part in the film. Bogart said that he viewed his role in the film as "Duke Mantee grown up", Mantee having been Bogart's breakthrough movie role in "The Petrified Forest". Spencer Tracy was also first cast to be in the film with Bogart, but the two friends could not decide who should get top billing. [Tracy and Bogart only made one film together, John Ford's "Up the River" (1930), the first feature film for both actors, and one in which Bogart played a supporting role and Tracy was the star.]

"The Desperate Hours" was the first black-and-white movie in VistaVision, Paramount's wide-screen process.Exterior shots of the Hilliards' home are the same house used in the final seasons of "Leave it to Beaver". In 1956, Joseph Hayes won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.

Plot

Bogart portrays Glenn Griffin, the leader of a trio of criminals who invade the Hilliard family's suburban home in Indianapolis, IN and hold the four members of the family hostage while awaiting the arrival of a cohort who is bringing the three fugitives funds to aid them in their escape. Police organize a statewide manhunt for the escapees and eventually discover the distraught family's plight. Bogart's character menaces and torments the Hilliards and threatens to kill them, and an unfortunate garbage collector who happens upon the situation is murdered. At the climax of the film, Mr. Hilliard (March) throws Griffin (Bogart) out of the house by holding Griffin's loaded gun on him. Griffin is subsequently gunned down and killed when he hurls his unloaded gun at a police spotlight and tries to make a break for it upon discovering that lawmen have surrounded the Hilliard house.

Cast

*Humphrey Bogart as Glenn Griffin
*Fredric March as Daniel C. Hilliard
*Arthur Kennedy as Deputy Sheriff Jesse Bard
*Martha Scott as Eleanor "Ellie" Hilliard
*Dewey Martin as Hal Griffin
*Gig Young as Chuck Wright
*Mary Murphy as Cindy Hilliard
*Richard Eyer as Ralphie Hilliard
*Robert Middleton as Sam Kobish

Background

Actual events occurring in 1952 inspired a 1953 novel which in turn inspired the 1954 play that the movie was based on. Around 1955 the family (the Hills, formerly of Whitemarsh PA) sued Time, Inc., because Life magazine published that year an article about the play, describing it as based on the actual events, and illustrated by staged photos with actors in the actual home that was the scene of the events, the Hills having moved away, making efforts to discourage publicity. The Hills' complaint was that the article falsely described the actual events while claiming it represented the truth. Right after the event Mr. Hill had told the press the family had not been molested or harmed, and in fact had been treated courteously. The Life magazine article, however, stated that some family members had been assaulted, profanity used, and in other ways, according to a New York appellate court, differed from the account Hill had given. Suing in a New York court, the plaintiffs relied on a New York statute which permitted damages suits for violation of the right of privacy only in instances of use of a person's name or picture for commercial purposes without consent. The statute, however, had been interpreted by the New York courts to make the truth of the publication a defense. The defense for Time, Inc., was that the matter was of general interest and the article had been published in good faith. A jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages, but the state appellate court awarded a new trial at which only compensatory damages could be considered, while sustaining liability. This order was affirmed by the highest state court.

Time, Inc., appealed the case to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that the First Amendment prohibited holding the publisher liable unless the article was known by it to be false, or at least was published with disregard as to its truth or falsity (i.e., recklessly). The jury had not been so instructed, so the judgment could not stand. This ruling was a significant expansion of press protection, for a (qualified) immunity from damages was being extended to publishing matter about people who were newsworthy only by accident, as opposed to, for example, government officials. To this point the relevant cases had only dealt with such so-called "public figures" who were suing publishers. The Hill family was represented in the High Court by Richard M. Nixon, at that time an attorney in private practice. The Supreme Court thus made it extremely difficult even for ordinarily private persons to prevail in a defamation or "false light" invasion of privacy case. From the Supreme Court the case was sent back to the New York courts for disposition under this newly announced constitutional standard, probably involving a new trial, or perhaps summary judgment rendered on the basis of affidavits and depositions. Time, Inc. v. Hill, 385 U.S. 374 (1967). However, there have been no further judicial opinions reported; perhaps the Hills abandoned the suit, or settled for a nominal amount.

Remakes

The movie was later remade in 1990 starring Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers, Kelly Lynch, Lindsay Crouse and David Morse. The remake, directed by Michael Cimino, received poor reviews.

The film was also remade in India as the Hindi film 36 Ghante (1974).

See "Desperate Hours".

References