With all of the talent involved in the making of "The Chase" you would think that you would have had a better picture. Based on Horton Foote's play of the same name and adapted for the screen by no less than Lillian Helman, Director Arthur Penn gives us nothing but an expensive soap opera where everyone is either "loving thy neighbor", a drunk or both.
The story centers around the escape from prison of "Bubber" Reeves (Robert Redford) and the lives he affects as he makes his way back to his home town. His wife Anna (Jane Fonda) has taken up with rich man's son Jake Rogers (James Fox). Rogers father Val (E.G. Marshall) is the town banker and the richest man in town. His two vice presidents the milquetoast Edwin Stewart (Robert Duvall) and flamboyant Damon Fuller (Richard Bradford) court his favor. Stewart's wife Emily (Janice Rule) is having an affair with Fuller, while fuller's wife Mary (Martha Hyer) is a boozy flirt.
On his birthday he and his ditsy wife (Diana Hyland) host a party. The town sheriff, Calder (Marlon Brando) and his wife Ruby (Angie Dickenson are invited. Across town Stewart is hosting a party of his own. Word comes down that Bubber has escaped and is headed towards town and may have committed a murder. Everyone begins to scramble.
Bubber's parents (Miriam Hopkins, Malcolm Atterbury) ask where did we go wrong? Town snoop Briggs (Henry Hull) and his wife (Jocelyn Brando) stroll around town laying a guilty conscience upon the town.
Calder tries to keep order and find Bubber before the trigger happy town rednecks, Fuller, Lem (Clifton James) and Archie (Steve Ihnat) do. Anna and Jake examine their own situation and agree to help Bubber escape if they can. Val Rogers tries to win his son back. Finally Bubber reaches town and....................................
Brando mumbles his way through yet another role. Although he is beholding to Val Rogers, we are never sure why. Dickenson in a colorless role, is wasted as Brando's wife. Fonda and Redford were just hitting the big time and would star together in "Barefoot in the Park" the following year. Redford to me, is just not convincing as a hardened criminal. Duvall as well, was just emerging and would go on to appear with Brando in "The Godfather" (1972).
Miriam Hopkins gives the best performance in the film as Bubber's guilt laden mother. She has a powerful scene with Brando where she begs him not to hurt her son. Others in the cast include Bruce Cabot as Sol, Anna's stepfather and ex "B" cowboy star Monte Hale, Grady Sutton, Eduardo Cianelli and Ralph Moody in smaller roles. Jocelyn Brando was the sister of Marlon.
This film could have been so much better.
The story centers around the escape from prison of "Bubber" Reeves (Robert Redford) and the lives he affects as he makes his way back to his home town. His wife Anna (Jane Fonda) has taken up with rich man's son Jake Rogers (James Fox). Rogers father Val (E.G. Marshall) is the town banker and the richest man in town. His two vice presidents the milquetoast Edwin Stewart (Robert Duvall) and flamboyant Damon Fuller (Richard Bradford) court his favor. Stewart's wife Emily (Janice Rule) is having an affair with Fuller, while fuller's wife Mary (Martha Hyer) is a boozy flirt.
On his birthday he and his ditsy wife (Diana Hyland) host a party. The town sheriff, Calder (Marlon Brando) and his wife Ruby (Angie Dickenson are invited. Across town Stewart is hosting a party of his own. Word comes down that Bubber has escaped and is headed towards town and may have committed a murder. Everyone begins to scramble.
Bubber's parents (Miriam Hopkins, Malcolm Atterbury) ask where did we go wrong? Town snoop Briggs (Henry Hull) and his wife (Jocelyn Brando) stroll around town laying a guilty conscience upon the town.
Calder tries to keep order and find Bubber before the trigger happy town rednecks, Fuller, Lem (Clifton James) and Archie (Steve Ihnat) do. Anna and Jake examine their own situation and agree to help Bubber escape if they can. Val Rogers tries to win his son back. Finally Bubber reaches town and....................................
Brando mumbles his way through yet another role. Although he is beholding to Val Rogers, we are never sure why. Dickenson in a colorless role, is wasted as Brando's wife. Fonda and Redford were just hitting the big time and would star together in "Barefoot in the Park" the following year. Redford to me, is just not convincing as a hardened criminal. Duvall as well, was just emerging and would go on to appear with Brando in "The Godfather" (1972).
Miriam Hopkins gives the best performance in the film as Bubber's guilt laden mother. She has a powerful scene with Brando where she begs him not to hurt her son. Others in the cast include Bruce Cabot as Sol, Anna's stepfather and ex "B" cowboy star Monte Hale, Grady Sutton, Eduardo Cianelli and Ralph Moody in smaller roles. Jocelyn Brando was the sister of Marlon.
This film could have been so much better.