Steineded How sad is this?

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

mark.waltz There are few plays or musicals from the Broadway stage that end up becoming a Hollywood film the very same year, but one of those rare examples is the Tony Award winning play "The Desperate Hours" which spawned several imitations on film the very same year, most obviously "The Night Holds Terror". But as well done as the imitator was, it is the original that deserves praise, giving Humphrey Bogart his most sinister sociopathic criminal since "The Petrified Forest" and giving fellow Oscar Winning actor Frederic March an equally good role to sink his teeth into as the patriarch of the family whom escaped convicts Bogart and his gang terrorize. Martha Scott, an underrated actress of stage, screen and TV, best known for character parts (in spite of a leading lady career of such classics as the original film version of "Our Town" and "Cheers For Miss Bishop") plays his terrified, but ultimately brave wife, determined to do everything she can to protect teenaged daughter Murphy and precocious pre-teen son Richard Eyer. She even risks her own life at one point in a powerful scene where her frustration takes over her common sense.Bogart's fellow escapees include his younger brother (Dewey Martin) and the coarse Robert Middleton, a large human monster who seems to take glee in the terror he poses on his victims, and in one of the more horrific scenes, drives an innocent elderly junk man to a presumed death. The terror on the junk man's face is powerful, briefly overcome by the determination to survive, and from that moment on, the audience is in the grips of the desire to see Middleton's character disposed of in the most violent of ways. Martin is a bit more sympathetic and gentle than his brother and Middleton, at one point stopping Middleton from attacking the attractive Murphy. But he's as much in this as the other two escapees, so his fate is sealed as far as the audience's desire is concerned. Bogart is the smartest of the trio, utilizing every precaution to ensure their survival, and suspicious of every little move that the family they are holding hostage (while still allowing them to go through their outside daily routines with the knowledge that housewife Scott will be in peril if anything should arise) to the point of even checking out Eyer's homework project just on the suspicion that he should be trying to alert his teacher to their situation.The always outstanding March delivers another fierce performance, at one point telling his concerned secretary (Helen Kleeb) to mind her own business when she expresses concern over his apparent nervousness. Murphy's boyfriend (Gig Young) becomes concerned over her sudden distance, even on a date, while a local cop (Arthur Kennedy) who was involved in Bogart's initial arrest, nervously fidgets during these desperate hours with the knowledge that Bogart will be coming after him for Kennedy's having struck and scarred Bogart with the butt of his gun when arresting him. The little details all add up to make a truly intense hour and a half of gripping terror that showed society at its worst. The fact that this is an apparently true story makes it all the more suspenseful, brilliantly written for the screen by its own playwright Joseph Hayes and superbly directed by the legendary William Wyler. Pretty much everything about this film is outstanding. I originally saw this as a double bill with the same year's "We're No Angels" (also from Paramount) where Bogart played a more comical prison escapee who hides out in the home of store owners unaware of whom they are playing host to. The common denominator between the two films of the lives of escaped convicts has stood the test of time with me, so it is difficult to think of one film without thinking of the other.

oOoBarracuda I believe the year was 2012 when I first started my trek through Humphrey Bogart's work. Due to my compulsion to view every cinematic interest in chronological order, I rarely get to completely finish the filmography journeys I start. I miss more late entries on actor's filmographies than I would like. The Desperate Hours was one of those late roles I sadly missed, so I was more than excited about finally seeing this film. The Desperate Hours was the second to last film Bogie made, in 1955. Directed by William Wyler, the story follows a group of convicts who take over a suburban family's home, holding the Hillard family hostage while they made a plan to escape police. I am also a fan of Fredric March, so his presence in this film made me all the more excited to finally see it. The Desperate Hours also takes place largely in one setting which is my favorite film sub-genre, so it is really perplexing that this film has eluded me for years. Anyway, it was finally time to see Bogie, March, and company in Wyler's The Desperate Hours.Glenn Griffin (Humphrey Bogart) and his brother Hal (Dewey Martin) and fellow inmate Sam Kobish (Robert Middleton) escape from prison and search for a house to take refuge in while they get some money sent to them and make their escape plan. Glenn picks the suburban home of the Hillard's because he "likes a house with a bike in the yard.". Dan Hillard (Frederic March) is an upper-middle-class executive who lives with his wife, Ellie (Martha Scott), their 19- year old daughter Cindy (Mary Murphy) and their young son, Ralphie (Richard Eyer). When Glenn and his band of criminals take over the Hillard home while Dan is away at the office, they initially vow to be gone by the end of the night, until plans don't go their way. When Glenn's girlfriend doesn't show up, they must devise a new plan. While the trio brainstorms, the Hillard's are complete hostages to the agenda of the criminals while their own partnership begins to fall apart. After days of the overtaking of their home, Dan, and his family decide that actions must be taken in order to get their home back. Dan must be careful, however, as any move he makes to bring the police into the situation could have dire results for his family.Frederic March is so fantastic in the role of Dan Hillard. March must tread the line between strong and daring caretaker, as well as the complicit hostage. The stark contrast his personality must display is a difficult cross to bear, yet March's disposition is perfectly suited for the role. William Wyler was the perfect director to film the standoff between Glenn's criminal gang and the suburban family they choose as victims. Wyler, responsible for such classics as Ben-Hur, Mrs. Miniver and The Best Years of Our Lives, proves his ability to perfectly transition between a grand spectacle and understated deeply emotional character driven stories. As mentioned, The Desperate Hours takes place largely in one setting creating the perfect opportunity to delve into the deep sea of emotions of a scared family and an unhinged band of criminals. Wyler is one of the few directors, in my estimation, that could handle such a stark contrast of emotions, and fully develop both angles of the emotion, and achieve the mixture so well. American singer Kim Carnes made famous the song Bette Davis Eyes in the early 80's. The song makes mention, as the title indicates, of famous starlet Bette Davis's gorgeous huge almond shaped eyes. Ever since I began watching Humphrey Bogart films, I have felt incredibly drawn to his eyes while acting and I always sing that song to myself with his name in place of Bette Davis's. Bogart possessed the uncanny ability to convey a breadth of emotion using just his eyes. In every film of his, I wait for the "Humphrey Bogart eyes" moment. There is a brilliant "Humphrey Bogart eyes" moment in The Desperate Hours. Bogart's Glenn is in the kitchen basking in the glory of teaching his brother so much about the criminal way of life, when his brother reacts by revealing that Glenn did teach him all that he knows, "except how to live in a house like this". Glenn is completely crushed by the revelation that his brother feels as though he has missed out, and is first giving the hint that he may want out of their crime ring. The moment is devastating to Glenn, and one can see that in the perfect "Humphrey Bogart eyes" moment. The Desperate Hours is a great film, a wonderful exploration of emotional depth, and a fun understated Humphrey Bogart role.

Hot 888 Mama . . . or a polemic against America's militarized police? THE DESPERATE HOURS end thanks to Dan's revolver being registered when it's found near Hal. They also end because as far back as 1955 (when DESPERATE came out) American cops could ape the East German border guards at the Berlin Wall at the drop of a hat. Within minutes any neighborhood in the U.S. could be cordoned off and turned into a killing box, complete with Kleig lights, snipers, and machine guns. I just heard on the news today about a 95-year-old WWII hero being gunned down in his nursing home this week by a trigger-happy cop. Since HE wasn't safe, NONE of us are. One of the doomed men in THE DESPERATE HOURS is mentally retarded, and mostly wants to play with toys. Another just desires a girl; the third, a cigar. It's not hard to sympathize with this hapless have-not trio. I read that if the names of all the Americans rubbed out by the police who "protect and serve" us were inscribed somewhere, that memorial would have to be nearly SIX times as big as the Vietnam War Wall, and the needed size expands daily. Many of these snuffed names would be those of "surviving" Vietnam War heroes. So it goes.

bsmith5552 "The Desperate Hours" is about a randomly chosen family held hostage by three escaped criminals. The Hilliard family is an upscale "Typical American Family" whose home is suddenly taken over by Glenn Griffin (Humphrey Bogart), his brother Hal (Dewey Martin) and the brutish Sam Kobish (Robert Middleton).The father Dan Hilliard (Fredric March), mother Ellie (Martha Scott), daughter Cindy (Mary Murphy) and son Ralphie (Richard Eyer) are living in fear for their lives at the hands of the convicts. It seems that Glenn Griffin is out for revenge against the cop who arrested him years earlier (Arthur Kennedy).Producer William Wyler creates a suspenseful couple of days within the Hilliard household. The family is allowed to function normally with Dan and Cindy going to work and Ralphie to school while Ellie remains at home the prisoner of the men. Cindy's boyfriend Chuck Wright (Gig Young) suspects that something is wrong. Dan is forced to comply with Griffin's demands in order to protect his family.This film is arguably the best of Bogart's later films. His character of Glenn Griffin is not unlike his portrayal of "Duke" Mantee in "The Petrified Forest" (1936) where he holds a group of people hostage in a remote diner. I believe that Spencer Tracy was originally supposed to play the March role but withdrew due to illness.Although both March and Bogart were a little too old for their respective roles the scenes between them are electric as each tries to outsmart the other. The character of the daughter Cindy is supposed to be 19 years old so you might say that Gig Young in his forties at the time, was also too old to be her boyfriend. Minor faults as the actors convincingly carry off their respective parts.Others in the cast include Alan Reed, Ray Teal, Ray Collins and Whit Bissell as various cops and Beverly Garland, Joe Flynn and Burt Mustin in smaller roles.An excellent thriller.