The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Starring: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
Writers: Collier Young, Ida Lupino, Robert L. Joseph, Daniel Mainwaring (uncredited)
Director: Ida Lupino
Synopsis:
Inspired by the true-life murder spree
of Billy Cook, The Hitch-Hiker is the tension-laden saga of two men
on a camping trip who are held captive by a homicidal drifter. He
forces them, at gunpoint, to embark on a grim joyride across the
Mexican desert.
Review:
A couple of cool little tidbits for this film-
- Ida Lupino
was the first lady to ever direct a film noir. Because of this, it
was deemed culturally significant and in 1988 was selected for
preservation in the library of congress.
- Independently produced, which allowed for it to be a bit more extreme
than mainstream standards.
The visual aspect of The Hitch-Hiker is
nothing short of gorgeous. The beginning adds some mystery up into the mix. For the entire opener we see nothing but his feet; walking
away from crime scenes, stepping into cars, rinse and repeat. For a
good bit I thought the film would remain this way. Even when Emmett
Myers steps into the backseat of a vehicle with the two leads, his
face is cast in shadows. Once his motivations become apparent, so
does his appearance. This was probably done for shock value, as the
character is a fairly unfortunate looking man. There's some cool
camera techniques, as well- driving point-of-view, over the
shoulder view from the backseat looking up to the driver and
passenger, hood shots aiming into the vehicle, awesome elevating segments over large hilly roads, and more.
Probably more than 95% of The
Hitch-Hiker is spent with three characters- two fishing buddies, Roy
Collins and Gilbert Bowen, and Emmett Myers, the psychopath on a
killing spree. Roy and Gilbert make the mistake of picking Emmett up
on a desolate highway, and that's when their trip takes a turn for
the worse. The ways in which the maniac taunts the men is completely
brutal. He tries to break them down to nothing, assuring them that
their fate is not a positive one. After he learns that Gilbert is
good with a gun, Emmett forces him to shoot empty cans out Roy's hand
from afar. When they stop to rest in the night, he makes sure they
notice one of his eyes is partially impaired, and that the eyelid
never fully closes. So planning an escape proves to be worthless
since the men can't ever tell if the madman is asleep. Emmett's games go
on and on, building tension and hopelessness for Roy and Gilbert throughout.
The performances from all three men are
on point, but especially from William Talman, as homicidal psychopath, Emmett
Myers. Talman really personifies the idea that Myers is totally void
of sympathy. He smiles when the men are breaking down, and takes
pleasure once he learns police have not a clue of his whereabouts.
Great performance. Roy and Gilbert are played by Edmond O'Brien and
Frank Lovejoy, respectively. Roy is the one more hellbent on planning
an escape, while Gilbert is prepared to do what Emmett says in hopes
of avoiding sudden death. O'Brien is particularly good later in the
film, during a moment of emotional collapse after unsuccessfully trying to get the
attention on a plane flying overhead. At that point, I could imagine
myself reacting the same way. Lovejoy accompanies O'Brien's
performance well, making Gilbert's attempt at consoling Roy quite
believable.
Final Word:
Maybe it won't be as suspenseful for
some by today's standards, but I honestly wasn't quite sure what the
fate of the leads would be. Aside from that, the performances are
great and the setting is grand to look at. The Hitch-Hiker is
71 minutes well spent, as far as I'm concerned. One hell of a road movie.
Blu-ray:
Kino Classics Library of Congress release of The Hitch-Hiker comes presented in 1080p (1.33:1) with a 2 channel audio track. This is my first time ever seeing the movie, but for what it's worth, it looks fantastic in terms of picture quality. Crystal clear for a film from 1953.
Special Features
Mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements preserved by the Library of Congress
Also included are movie trailers for White Zombie, The Stranger, and Night Tide.
This release hits Blu-ray on October 15th, 2013 and can be ordered HERE and HERE.
- Eric (Brobocop)
