The Intruder (1962 film)
Encyclopedia
The Intruder is a 1962 American film
directed by Roger Corman
, after a novel by Charles Beaumont
, starring William Shatner
. Also called Shame in US release, and The Stranger in the UK release. The story depicts the machinations of a racist named Adam Cramer (portrayed by Shatner), who arrives in the fictitious small southern town of Caxton in order to incite townspeople to racial violence against the town's black minority and court-ordered school integration
.
The film was shot in black and white on location in southeast Missouri
. Some of the production took place in East Prairie
and Charleston
(two towns in Mississippi County, Missouri
). Before it was finished, local people objected to the film's portrayal of racism
and segregation
. Parts of the film were later filmed in Sikeston, Missouri
. Although it only had a budget of $80,000, until recently it was the only Corman film to ever lose money. $6,000 paid by the recent documentary "Charles Beaumont: The Twilight Zone’s Magic Man" finally put it in the black.
The film is also known under its reissue titles as I Hate Your Guts! and Shame.
Following an inflammatory speech by Cramer in front of the town hall, the first act of open violence is when the Ku Klux Klan
, headed by Cramer, burns a cross
in the black district, followed by the harassment and near-lynching of a black driver and his family. It is then that a rational, internally secure character named Tom McDaniel, played by veteran actor Frank Maxwell realizes he is willing to stand up against both Cramer and the townspeople's hatred toward their black neighbors -- this costs him a severe beating by his white neighbors, resulting in concussion and the loss of one eye. Realizing his grip on the mob may be fading, Cramer shrewdly manipulates McDaniel's teenage daughter (whom he had also seduced earlier in the movie) into making a false claim of interracial rape, which causes a mob to gather around the Caxton high school.
A parallel plot line has developed meanwhile, around Cramer's next-door neighbors at the motel, salesman Sam Griffin and his emotionally unstable wife, Vi, whom Cramer seduces while Griffin is away on business. Upon returning, Sam discovers his wife has left and confronts Cramer. Accurately assessing Cramer's nature during the ensuing confrontation, he goes on to break up the high school mob using his personal skills and natural presence, as well as a true confession by McDaniel's daughter. Rather than approach Cramer's sociopathy
violently, or take revenge for Cramer's seduction of Griffin's wife, Griffin, without animosity, offers Cramer bus fare out of town.
and 1960s
to the subject of race. The final act centering on Sam Griffin focuses on political manipulation of racism rather than simply providing payback for Cramer's evil acts, concluding with neither a happy ending
nor an equally artificial reverse. The same evenhandedness informs Beaumont's
construction of character; the only two rational and mature protagonists are Tom McDaniel and Griffin, respectively a moderate racist and a boisterous, overbearing man partly at fault for his wife's clinical depression
.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, after a novel by Charles Beaumont
Charles Beaumont
Charles Beaumont was a prolific American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Miniature", and "Printer's Devil", but also penned the...
, starring William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
. Also called Shame in US release, and The Stranger in the UK release. The story depicts the machinations of a racist named Adam Cramer (portrayed by Shatner), who arrives in the fictitious small southern town of Caxton in order to incite townspeople to racial violence against the town's black minority and court-ordered school integration
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
.
The film was shot in black and white on location in southeast Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Some of the production took place in East Prairie
East Prairie, Missouri
East Prairie is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,227 at the 2000 census. In 1881, the area was originally known as Bell's Grade and Hibbard and developed as a result of the railroad...
and Charleston
Charleston, Missouri
Charleston is a city in Mississippi County, Missouri, United States. The population was 4,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Mississippi County and it is a home to a local correctional facility.-History:...
(two towns in Mississippi County, Missouri
Mississippi County, Missouri
Mississippi County is a county located in the Bootheel of Southeast Missouri in the United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county's population was 13,427. A 2008 estimate, however, showed the population to be 13,504. The largest city and county seat is Charleston...
). Before it was finished, local people objected to the film's portrayal of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
. Parts of the film were later filmed in Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston, Missouri
Sikeston is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is geographically situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the...
. Although it only had a budget of $80,000, until recently it was the only Corman film to ever lose money. $6,000 paid by the recent documentary "Charles Beaumont: The Twilight Zone’s Magic Man" finally put it in the black.
The film is also known under its reissue titles as I Hate Your Guts! and Shame.
Plot
The introduction to Cramer is a simple shot of him stepping off a bus, carrying only a light suitcase, with innate confidence, a confidence which remains with him. On an interpersonal level, starting with the first character Cramer meets, the audience sees he is a charmer, but it is soon revealed that the character uses this charm quite professionally, in furtherance of a hard, cunning political effort to incite Caxton's existing racial tension into violence. At the same time, Cramer seeks personal pleasure with every interaction. Cramer's racist, incendiary politics are thereby proven inseparable from his pleasure. By manipulating many of Caxton's citizens on a personal level, Cramer implements a strategic plan to incite violent action, which culminates in a way even more violent than he predicted.Following an inflammatory speech by Cramer in front of the town hall, the first act of open violence is when the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, headed by Cramer, burns a cross
Cross burning
Cross burning or cross lighting is a practice widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan, although the historical practice long predates the Klan's inception...
in the black district, followed by the harassment and near-lynching of a black driver and his family. It is then that a rational, internally secure character named Tom McDaniel, played by veteran actor Frank Maxwell realizes he is willing to stand up against both Cramer and the townspeople's hatred toward their black neighbors -- this costs him a severe beating by his white neighbors, resulting in concussion and the loss of one eye. Realizing his grip on the mob may be fading, Cramer shrewdly manipulates McDaniel's teenage daughter (whom he had also seduced earlier in the movie) into making a false claim of interracial rape, which causes a mob to gather around the Caxton high school.
A parallel plot line has developed meanwhile, around Cramer's next-door neighbors at the motel, salesman Sam Griffin and his emotionally unstable wife, Vi, whom Cramer seduces while Griffin is away on business. Upon returning, Sam discovers his wife has left and confronts Cramer. Accurately assessing Cramer's nature during the ensuing confrontation, he goes on to break up the high school mob using his personal skills and natural presence, as well as a true confession by McDaniel's daughter. Rather than approach Cramer's sociopathy
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
violently, or take revenge for Cramer's seduction of Griffin's wife, Griffin, without animosity, offers Cramer bus fare out of town.
Assessment
The plot development was unusually mature and complex for its time, contrasting with the often patronizing approaches of other films of the 1950s1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
to the subject of race. The final act centering on Sam Griffin focuses on political manipulation of racism rather than simply providing payback for Cramer's evil acts, concluding with neither a happy ending
Happy ending
A happy ending is an ending of the plot of a work of fiction in which almost everything turns out for the best for the protagonists, their sidekicks, and almost everyone except the villains....
nor an equally artificial reverse. The same evenhandedness informs Beaumont's
Charles Beaumont
Charles Beaumont was a prolific American author of speculative fiction, including short stories in the horror and science fiction subgenres. He is remembered as a writer of classic Twilight Zone episodes, such as "The Howling Man", "Miniature", and "Printer's Devil", but also penned the...
construction of character; the only two rational and mature protagonists are Tom McDaniel and Griffin, respectively a moderate racist and a boisterous, overbearing man partly at fault for his wife's clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
.