Moonrise (1948)

74% of users liked it
(169 ratings)

All of his life, Danny Hawkins (Dane Clark) has been taunted and mistreated by most of the people around him, enduring innumerable beatings and other humiliations as a boy because his father was a murderer who died on the gallows. He finds it not much better as an adult, living with his aunt in the… More All of his life, Danny Hawkins (Dane Clark) has been taunted and mistreated by most of the people around him, enduring innumerable beatings and other humiliations as a boy because his father was a murderer who died on the gallows. He finds it not much better as an adult, living with his aunt in the small Virginia town of Woodville -- especially when he is contending for the attentions of young schoolteacher Gilly Johnson (Gail Russell) with his boyhood tormentor Jerry Sykes (Lloyd Bridges), whose bullying and arrogance are made worse (and more galling) by the fact that he's the son of the town banker (and its richest man). Sykes picks a fight with Danny and loses for the first time, but he dies in the process. Knowing how the town thinks of him because of his father, Danny tries to hide the body. But for all of his bitterness over how he's been treated, he can't truly escape the feelings of guilt over what he's done -- nor can he escape his fear of what people will probably think. For a time, his new romance with Gilly distracts him, but he's unable to put it out of his mind for long, especially when he's forced to join his good friend Mose (Rex Ingram) on a raccoon hunt that takes them right to the pond where the body is hidden. Soon the sheriff (Allyn Joslyn) is investigating, and he can't help but confer with the one man in town whose judgment he respects nearly as much as his own -- Danny. And when Danny's deaf-mute friend, Billy (Harry Morgan), unknowingly uncovers a key piece of evidence, Danny is pushed almost to the breaking point. He's driven by his own instincts to run away, and invite almost certain capture or death, but Gilly and the sheriff see this as a chance for Danny not only to free himself of the torment over what he's done but from the past that has haunted him and blighted his life -- if only they can reach him and make him understand. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Frank Borzage
Written By: Charles F. Haas, Theodore Strauss, Charles S. Haas
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1948 Wide

Critic Reviews

Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Parte noir, parte melodrama, o filme funciona como estudo de personagens e conto de moralidade, mas se enfraquece sempre que se entrega ao água-com-açúcar entre o conturbado protagonista e a mocinha.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A compromised film noir, due to themes of redemption and a happy ending, the newly restored Moonrise merits attention for it visual and sound elements, particularly stylized b/w cinematography of John Russell, who in 1960 shot Hitchcock's Psycho.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The film's beauty lies in Borzage's overpowering visual mise-en-scene.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Superb, moody Frank Bozage drama.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Would have been more aptly titled Mood Rise this noirish drama is all brooding dark places and melancholy thoughts. A first rate cast convey the proper emotions, Gail Russell's liquid haunted eyes are particularly used to good effect but Dane Clark's main character's… More
Would have been more aptly titled Mood Rise this noirish drama is all brooding dark places and melancholy thoughts. A first rate cast convey the proper emotions, Gail Russell's liquid haunted eyes are particularly used to good effect but Dane Clark's main character's tortured actions make him frequently hard to root for. The cinematography is wonderfully evocative perhaps one of the best shot noir films out there. The opening scene is great in setting the tone for the rest of the film.

Cast

            Dane Clark as Danny Hawkins

            Gail Russell as Gilly Johnson

            Ethel Barrymore as Grandma

            Allyn Joslyn as Clem Otis

            Rex Ingram as Mose

            Henry Morgan as Billy Scripture

            David Street as Ken Williams

            Selena Royle as Aunt Jessie

            Harry Carey Jr. as Jimmy Biff

            Irving Bacon as Judd Jenkins

            Houseley Stevenson Sr. as Uncle Joe Jingle

            Harry V. Cheshire as J.B. Sykes

            Lila Leeds as Julie

            Lloyd Bridges as Jerry Sykes

            Clem Bevans as Jake

            Oliver Blake as Ed Conlon

            Bill Borzage as Barker

            Michael Branden as Barker

            Phil Brown as Elmer

            Tom Fadden as Homer Blackstone

            John Harmon as Baseball Attendant

            Jim Hawkins
            
            Buzz Henry
            
            Tommy Ivo as Jerry Age 7

            Harry Lauter as Boy

            Doreen McCann as Girl

            Joel McGinnis as Boy

            Monte Montague as Hunter

            Virginia Mullen as Miss Simpkins

            Steven Peck as Danny Age 7

            Archie Twitchell
            
            Helen Wallace as Martha Otis

            Charles Lane as Man in Black

            Johnny Calkins as Danny Age 13

            Tim Hawkins as Alfie

            Casey MacGregor as Barker

            Jimmy Crane as Boy

            Renee Donatt as Ticket Seller

            Bob Hoffman as Boy

            James L. Kelly
            
            George Backus
            
            Harry Morgan
            
See full cast