{"id":36105,"date":"2016-02-10T11:36:38","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T18:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36105"},"modified":"2020-12-14T23:51:29","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T06:51:29","slug":"hitch-hiker-the-1953","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36105","title":{"rendered":"Hitch-Hiker, The (1953)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;You guys are going to die, that&#8217;s all &#8212; it&#8217;s just a question of when.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-36106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster-768x1154.jpg 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/HitchHiker-Poster.jpg 1065w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nTwo pals (Edmond O&#8217;Brien and Frank Lovejoy) on a fishing vacation in Mexico make the mistake of picking up a homicidal hitch-hiker (William Talman).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Edmond O&#8217;Brien Films<\/li>\n<li>Hostages<\/li>\n<li>Ida Lupino Films<\/li>\n<li>Road Trip<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nHelmed by one of the few female directors of her era (Ida Lupino), this no-holds-barred thriller begins on a tense note and maintains a high level of suspense throughout its 71-minute running time. After watching cleverly shot and edited opening sequences of a faceless hitch-hiker murdering two sets of victims (Talman gives an eerily effective performance as &#8220;Emmett Myers&#8221;, based on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billy_Cook_(criminal)\">real-life Billy Cook<\/a>), we&#8217;re introduced to O&#8217;Brien and Lovejoy, who casually pick up Talman without a second thought. Talman is hidden in shadows in the back seat until we&#8217;re finally given a glimpse of his face &#8212; which would be somewhat menacing under any circumstances, but is especially so given his paralyzed right eye. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-1024x622.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"389\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57942\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-1024x622.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-1536x933.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage-445x270.png 445w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Hostage.png 1675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Because Talman is indubitably a cold-blooded psychopath with no scruples whatsoever, we&#8217;re kept in as much terror and suspense as the two luckless fishing buddies. O&#8217;Brien and Lovejoy&#8217;s performances are spot-on as well: we can see the wheels turning in their heads as they debate on a moment-to-moment basis what risks they can take (or not) in their perilous situation, as their masculinity and sense of agency are repeatedly debased. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-1024x637.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"398\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57943\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-1024x637.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-1536x955.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location-434x270.png 434w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Location.png 1645w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The screenplay &#8212; co-written by Lupino and her producer-husband Collier Young, and based on a story by blacklisted author Daniel Mainwaring, who wrote <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16993\"><em>Out of the Past<\/em> (1948)<\/a> &#8212; is peppered with multiple tension-filled moments for possible violence, as well as various refreshing encounters with respectfully-presented Mexican citizens. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57944\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-1536x935.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2-443x270.png 443w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Spanish2.png 1647w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nick Musuraca&#8217;s atmospheric cinematography is a definite highlight as well. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Strong performances by all leads<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-1024x634.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"396\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-1024x634.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-768x476.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-1536x951.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1-436x270.png 436w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Talman-1.png 1655w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-1024x629.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"393\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57946\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-1024x629.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-1536x943.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien-440x270.png 440w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-OBrien.png 1659w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-1024x630.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"394\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57948\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-1024x630.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-1536x944.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3-439x270.png 439w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Lovejoy3.png 1651w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Nick Musuraca&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-1024x613.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"383\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-1024x613.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-768x460.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-1536x919.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3-451x270.png 451w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography3.png 1693w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-1024x635.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"397\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57949\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-1024x635.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-768x476.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-1536x953.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1-435x270.png 435w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Hitch-Hiker-Cinematography2-1.png 1649w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A consistently tense, finely directed script:<br \/>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;My folks were tough. When I was born, they took one look at this puss of mine and told me to get lost.&#8221; <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a nifty little thriller. Be sure to catch this one!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0045877\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1953\/04\/30\/archives\/at-the-holiday.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=7616&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4304hike.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/78138\/the-hitch-hiker#articles-reviews?articleId=78324\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/london\/film\/the-hitch-hiker\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;You guys are going to die, that&#8217;s all &#8212; it&#8217;s just a question of when.&#8221; Synopsis: Two pals (Edmond O&#8217;Brien and Frank Lovejoy) on a fishing vacation in Mexico make the mistake of picking up a homicidal hitch-hiker (William Talman). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Edmond O&#8217;Brien Films Hostages Ida Lupino Films Road Trip Serial Killers Review: Helmed by one of the few female directors of her era (Ida Lupino), this no-holds-barred thriller begins on a tense note and maintains&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36105\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36105"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57953,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36105\/revisions\/57953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}