Natural Enemies

Last updated
Natural Enemies
Directed by Jeff Kanew
Written by Jeff Kanew (based on the novel by Julius Horwitz)
Produced byJohn E. Quill
Starring Hal Holbrook
Louise Fletcher
Viveca Lindfors
José Ferrer
Narrated by Hal Holbrook
CinematographyRichard E. Brooks
Edited by Jeff Kanew
Music by Don Ellis
Production
company
Utopia
Distributed byCinema 5 Distributing
Release date
  • November 1, 1979 (1979-11-01)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$700,000 [1]

Natural Enemies is a 1979 American drama film directed by Jeff Kanew based on the 1975 novel Natural Enemies written by Julius Horwitz. The film stars Hal Holbrook and Louise Fletcher as a married couple whose relationship is strained and threatened by the husband's interest in getting rid of his wife, including resorting to murder. [2] The man, Paul (Hal Holbrook) ultimately hires five hookers to fulfill a final fantasy before killing himself and his family.

Contents

Summary

Paul Steward is a 48 year old magazine editor who in his words wishes he could rewrite his life. As the film opens he is standing by his bed in his isolated Connecticut farmhouse after a sleepless night as his alarm clock ticks saying that this is the day he will take a rifle and kill his wife, three children and then himself. In his narration, Steward professes that all men for various reasons have thought about killing their families. He mentions that he and his wife Miriam have not slept together in eight months. Miriam has attempted suicide and has a history of instability having had shock treatments. As she drives him to the train station, Steward laments that there is no longer tenderness between them and that they are only married because of the children. Steward meets a former astronaut at work who wants to write an article for him. As he interviews the man, Steward is intrigued by his description of loneliness on the moon and feels the connection to his own inner torment. Steward talks to a friend at the office about men who kill their families and what it means. His friend is a Holocaust survivor who is frustrated that so many have forgotten the horrors of Nazi Germany. Steward hires five hookers to service him in a final act of indulgence on his last day. He shares memories with them of his and Miriam's life together, and of their failing relationship. In the film's shocking conclusion a radio voiceover reveals that Paul indeed followed through with his murder-suicide scenario.

Cast

Reception

Film historian Leonard Maltin gave the picture 1.5 out of a possible 4 stars; he denounced the movie as "Cold and uninvolving, not to mention strange..." [3] Screenwriting instructor Irwin Blacker seemed to agree, calling the film "...a total failure, despite good performances and direction, since the Holbrook character fails to make any moral decision; rather than confronting and resolving the issues behind his discontent, he evades them."

Related Research Articles

<i>Footlight Parade</i> 1933 film by Lloyd Bacon

Footlight Parade is a 1933 American musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon, with songs written by Harry Warren (music), Al Dubin (lyrics), Sammy Fain (music) and Irving Kahal (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starred James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell, with featured appearances by Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert, and Ruth Donnelly.

<i>Kiss of Death</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Henry Hathaway

Kiss of Death is a 1947 American film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer from a story by Eleazar Lipsky. The story revolves around an ex-con played by Victor Mature and his former partner-in-crime, Tommy Udo. The movie also starred Brian Donlevy and introduced Coleen Gray in her first billed role. The film has received critical praise since its release, with two Academy Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Holbrook</span> American actor (1925–2021)

Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called Mark Twain Tonight! while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He continued to perform his signature role for over 60 years, only retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Ferrer</span> American film actor and filmmaker (1917–2008)

Melchor Gastón Ferrer was an American actor and filmmaker. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with Scaramouche, Lili, and Knights of the Round Table. He starred opposite his wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace and produced her film Wait Until Dark. He also acted extensively in European films and appeared in several cult hits, including The Antichrist (1974), The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975), The Black Corsair (1976) and Nightmare City (1980).

<i>Herbie Goes Bananas</i> 1980 film directed by Vincent McEveety

Herbie Goes Bananas is a 1980 American adventure comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety and written by Don Tait. The film is the fourth installment in the Herbie film series and the sequel to Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977).

Jeffrey Roger Kanew is an American film director, screenwriter, film producer and film editor who early in his career made trailers for many films of the 1970s and is probably best known for directing the film Revenge of the Nerds (1984) and for editing Ordinary People.

The Human Bullet is a 1968 Japanese satiric anti-war film about a soldier who becomes assigned to a suicide mission against the American forces during the late stage of World War II. It was written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto.

<i>The Girl from Petrovka</i> 1974 film by Robert Ellis Miller

The Girl from Petrovka is a 1974 American comedy-drama film starring Goldie Hawn and Hal Holbrook, based on the novel by George Feifer. It is about an American journalist, Joe (Holbrook) who goes to the Soviet Union and meets Oktyabrina (Hawn), an undocumented ballet dancer, which attracts the attention of the authorities.

<i>Baxter</i> (film) 1989 French film

Baxter is a 1989 French horror film directed by Jérôme Boivin. The film is based on the novel Hell Hound (1977) by Ken Greenhall. The title character is a murderous white Bull Terrier who tells the story of his search for a proper master in voice-over narration.

<i>Cyrano de Bergerac</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Michael Gordon

Cyrano de Bergerac is a 1950 American adventure comedy film based on the 1897 French Alexandrin verse drama Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. It uses poet Brian Hooker's 1923 English blank verse translation as the basis for its screenplay. The film was the first motion picture version in English of Rostand's play, though there were several earlier adaptations in different languages.

<i>The Golem: How He Came into the World</i> 1920 film

The Golem: How He Came into the World is a 1920 German silent horror film and a leading example of early German Expressionism. Director Paul Wegener, who co-directed the film with Carl Boese and co-wrote the script with Henrik Galeen based on Gustav Meyrink's 1915 novel, stars as the titular creature, a being in Jewish folklore created from clay. Photographer Karl Freund went on to work on the 1930s classic Universal horror films years later in Hollywood.

<i>The Stepford Husbands</i> 1996 American made-for-television film

The Stepford Husbands is a 1996 American made-for-television thriller-drama film inspired by the Ira Levin novel The Stepford Wives. It was directed by Fred Walton with a screenplay by brothers Ken Wheat and Jim Wheat and starring Donna Mills, Michael Ontkean, Cindy Williams, Sarah Douglas and Louise Fletcher. It is the third in a series of sequels inspired by the 1972 novel and the original 1975 film The Stepford Wives.

<i>Eddie Macons Run</i> 1983 film by Jeff Kanew

Eddie Macon's Run is a 1983 American action thriller drama film written and directed by Jeff Kanew, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by James McLendon. It stars Kirk Douglas and John Schneider, and also includes John Goodman in his feature film debut.

<i>Ill Be Home for Christmas</i> (1988 film) 1988 television film by Marvin J. Chomsky

I'll Be Home for Christmas is a 1988 American made-for-television Christmas drama film directed and produced by Marvin J. Chomsky. The film, which stars Hal Holbrook and Eva Marie Saint, deals with the lives and relationships of a Massachusetts family during the final Christmas of World War II.

<i>Edge of Sanity</i> (film) 1989 British-American film directed by Gérard Kikoïne

Edge of Sanity is a 1989 slasher film directed by Gérard Kikoïne and starring Anthony Perkins. It mixes elements of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with those of tales of Jack the Ripper.

<i>Miraculous Journey</i> 1948 film by Sam Newfield

Miraculous Journey is a 1948 film about seven airplane passengers who find themselves stranded in an African jungle after their plane crashes. It was directed by Sam Newfield, under the pseudonym of Peter Stewart. The film stars Rory Calhoun and Virginia Grey.

<i>G.I. War Brides</i> 1946 American film

G.I. War Brides is a 1946 American comedy film directed by George Blair and written by John K. Butler. The film stars Anna Lee, James Ellison, Harry Davenport, William "Bill" Henry, Stephanie Bachelor, Doris Lloyd and Robert Armstrong. The film was released on August 12, 1946, by Republic Pictures.

<i>Affairs of a Gentleman</i> 1934 American drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin

Affairs of a Gentleman is a 1934 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Cyril Hume, Peter Ruric and Milton Krims, adapted from the play by Edith Ellis and Edward Ellis (actor). The film stars Paul Lukas, Leila Hyams, Patricia Ellis, Phillip Reed, Onslow Stevens and Dorothy Burgess. The film was released on May 1, 1934, by Universal Pictures.

<i>Problem Girls</i> 1953 film by Ewald André Dupont

Problem Girls is a 1953 American mystery film directed by E. A. Dupont and starring Helen Walker, Ross Elliott and Susan Morrow. The film is set in a private school for girls.

<i>Rituals</i> (film) 1977 Canadian film

Rituals is a 1977 Canadian horror-thriller film directed by Peter Carter, and starring Hal Holbrook, Lawrence Dane, and Robin Gammell. It centers on a group of doctors who are stalked and murdered while on a wilderness trip in remote Northern Ontario. The film was also released under the alternate title The Creeper.

References

  1. ↑ https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56932-NATURAL-ENEMIES
  2. ↑ {via Google News) Janet Maslin (November 1, 1979). "Natural Enemies". The New York Times . Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.