With: Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E. G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Robert Duvall, James Fox, Clifton James
Written by: Lillian Hellman, based on a play and novel by Horton Foote
The Chase was made by director Arthur Penn prior to Bonnie & Clyde, and the result was considerably less explosive. It was written by notable playwright Lillian Hellman, and the cast includes many recognizable faces: Marlon Brando, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Robert Duvall, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Miriam Hopkins (from Ernst Lubitsch films), Janice Rule, the character actor Clifton James (the redneck sheriff from the James Bond movies), etc. It's set in a small town in Texas. Redford plays a guy named "Bubber" who escapes from prison and is accused of murder. There are lots of people drinking and partying and sleeping with each other's partners. Brando plays the somber sheriff who wanders around and always seems to show up when he's needed. ("Lots of people running around here tonight who'd be better off at home reading a book — if they could read," he mutters at one point.) Everybody's looking for "Bubber." I've never heard the word "Bubber" so many times, and I hope I never do again. Many of the people who worked on this were dissatisfied with the results, and the film did tepid business at the box office. Alliance Entertainment's Blu-ray release comes only with optional English subtitles. The color, widescreen video transfer is solid enough.
