Feel the Burn
"I got somethin' planned for your wife and kid that they ain't nevah gonna forget. They ain't nevah gonna forget it... and neither will you, Counselor! Nevah!"
- Max Cady ("Cape Fear", 1962)
Polly Bergen, the versatile actress who won an Emmy Award in 1958 for "The Helen Morgan Story", passed away on September 20. Film enthusiasts would remember her as the tormented wife in "Cape Fear", J. Lee Thompson's adaptation of John D. MacDonald's "The Executioners" (1957). If the name of the author didn't ring a bell, then there have been too many writers of crime and suspense novels to recall. But the likes of Stephen King knew MacDonald. They even praised him.
MacDonald was a prolific writer who was pigeonholed in thrillers. There was a good reason, as he was the only one who described the cruelties that humans were capable of. His novels were set in Florida. The Sunshine State attracts those who have enough of winter. MacDonald was one of its adopted residents. (He was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania.) He could have wrote about the weather and the sea, but he chose the low life. "The Executioners" revealed the perverse side of Florida, which was a first back then.
"I've always recognized that Florida is a slightly tacky state," he said.
"You love it in spite of itself."
Revenge is a dish best served cold
Max Cady was sentenced to prison for fourteen years. He was charged with rape, and Sam Bowden, a lawyer, caught him in the act. His testimony sealed his fate. The length of time could have made Max atoned for his deed, but he nursed a grudge against Sam instead. It developed into hatred, such that when Max was released from jail, the first thing he did was to find Sam's whereabouts. The attorney was doing well and had a family. His success made him envious, reminding him of how his wife left him with their child after she found out that he was a criminal. Max started terrorizing Sam and his family. The lawyer seek the police's assistance, but they offered him little help. In the end, he must protect his wife and three children.
Max's cruelty was violent and sexual. This would make up for the other aspects of the book, where some readers might not like MacDonald's chauvinistic tone. Others might expect more from these characters. But this was a walk on the dark side.
What was intriguing about the film version was the climax took place in Cape Fear River. This wetland, where the slow-moving channel would lead to the Atlantic Ocean, wasn't featured in the book at all. Those who have read it and seen the film would figure out the reason right away. But MacDonald don't want to go beyond the border. (Cape Fear is located in North Carolina.) This was about that side of Florida you haven't seen. (And as Max put it, you ain't seen nothing yet.)
