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CAPE FEAR (1991)

Ten years ago Martin Scorsese reluctantly took on the task of revamping J. Lee Thompson's 1962 film CAPE FEAR. Scorsese's CAPE FEAR received mixed reviews but the audiences poured into the theaters, making it the biggest grossing Martin Scorsese film ever. Now on DVD, taking another look at the remake reveals that the film still holds up to those same standards back in 1991. It's a mixed bucket of entertainment, drama, horror and gore that wisely fulfills moviegoers' appetites more satisfyingly than those of critics'. This is a film for the public. It has all the concepts of a fun, suspenseful thriller that leaves you intrigued and on the edge of your seat throughout. Critics may argue credibility on occasion but that's not always the point to this stylish Scorsese flick. Scorsese knows that. Audiences know that. And some critics, i.e. yours truly, know that.

This time around Nick Nolte plays lawyer Sam Bowden, who becomes the target of an ex-client's revenge. Max Cady believes the councilor did not honestly represent him 14 years back when he was up for rape and aggravated assault. At the time, Bowden, not willing to let his client go lightly, buried some information crucial to the case resulting in Cady's strict sentencing. And now Cady is out and ready to teach Bowden and his wife (Jessica Lange) and daughter (Juliette Lewis) a lesson on loss.

As with the original, the music here - Bernard Herrmann's brilliant score is re-orchestrated by the very capable Elmer Bernstein is a key factor in the suspense of the film. Not since JAWS or, again, PSYCHO does a film so heavily rely upon its background thematic score to engross and suspend the audience in fear. John Carpenter caught onto that in '78 with his brilliant score to HALLOWEEN and continues to do so - as have many filmmakers with their horror films. But Hitchcock did it first and best. And with Herrmann, Scorsese and Bernstein recognized that and took very few liberties in changing the music, rather only updating it for the times.

Screenwriter Wesley Strick, too, took on the task of updating a 30-year-old script and was mostly successfully at doing so. The lingo is modernized, yet the focus of each scene and where Scorsese needed to go with it still reflects the pattern the original took - a wise move since if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Scorsese realized what worked in the first film and what he could improve upon for his film. With the original, the times were more modest. Director Thompson could not get too graphic in many ways and could not let his Cady (Robert Mitchum who here has a role as a detective) get too suggestive with Bowden's daughter. Scorsese on the other hand goes all out with that premise, even allowing Cady to kiss the young teen in a very imperious manner. And in a way that made the film more terrifying. True, sometimes less is more but in this case more is more.

The original works on its own and for its time but what Scorsese did worked for '91 and still works today as a very different concept of the film but with all the premise and pronouncement of the original. Each is a viable film on its own.

The DVD for CAPE FEAR ('91) is also loaded with many extra goodies including a making-of documentary discussing the complete process of deciding to make this version once Steven Spielberg even had his hands on it. Also included are interviews with De Niro, Nolte, Lange, Lewis and Scorsese; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes; a theatrical trailer; production notes and DVD-ROM features.