The Defiant Ones (1958) | |
| Director(s) | Stanley Kramer |
| Producer(s) | Stanley Kramer |
| Top Genres | Crime, Drama, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Outlaws |
Featured Cast:
The Defiant Ones Overview:
The Defiant Ones (1958) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Stanley Kramer and produced by Stanley Kramer.
SYNOPSIS
Two escaped convicts - one black (Poitier), one white (Curtis), and both shackled in the same pair of handcuffs - battle the elements and each other as they travel Southern backroads eluding the ever-approaching posse. Though the device of binding two racial antagonists together for survival may be rather obvious, the performances make the result compelling.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.
Academy Awards 1958 --- Ceremony Number 31 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actor | Tony Curtis | Nominated |
| Best Actor | Sidney Poitier | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Theodore Bikel | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Cara Williams | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Sam Leavitt | Won |
| Best Director | Stanley Kramer | Nominated |
| Best Film Editing | Frederic Knudtson | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Stanley Kramer, Producer | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Nedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith | Won |
BlogHub Articles:
The Defiant Ones (1958): Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier
By 4 Star Film Fan on Feb 5, 2022 From 4 Star FilmsI can’t have made this up myself, but The Defiant Ones is a testament to the pithy axiom that proximity breeds empathy. Stanley Kramer has very clear intent when he builds the premise of his story out of a white and black prisoner, in the era of Jim Crow, who are chained together for the major... Read full article
The Defiant Ones (1958)
By Beatrice on Oct 11, 2016 From Flickers in TimeThe Defiant Ones Directed by Stanley Kramer Written by Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith 1958/USA Curtleigh Productions/Stanley Kramer Productions Repeat viewing/My DVD collection #345 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Sheriff Max Muller: The warden’s got a sense of humor. Chain... Read full article
The Defiant Ones (1958)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 24, 2014 From 4 Star FilmsStarring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier with director Stanley Kramer, the film opens in the pouring rain with a truck full of convicts. It goes off road and no one is hurt except two men escape.? A Sheriff an state policemen begin tracking them on foot. However, this pair is unique since one is the ... Read full article
The Defiant Ones (1958)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 24, 2014 From 4 Star FilmsStarring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier with director Stanley Kramer, the film opens in the pouring rain with a truck full of convicts. It goes off road and no one is hurt except two men escape.? A Sheriff an state policemen begin tracking them on foot. However, this pair is unique since one is the ... Read full article
The Defiant Ones
By Alyson on Feb 3, 2011 From The Best Picture ProjectIn 1958, the Civil Rights movement was gaining strength and The Defiant Ones became more fuel for the fire. ?Directed by the great Stanley Kramer, the film tells the story of two escaped prisoners chained together and trying to outrun the authorities in the south, one man is black, the other white. ... Read full article
See all The Defiant Ones articles
Quotes from
[John punches him]
Noah Cullen: [after covering Joker's face with mud so it doesn't show in the moonlight] There, now just the meanness shines through.
John 'Joker' Jackson: Ya'll can't lynch me! I'm a white man!
read more quotes from The Defiant Ones...
Facts about
Stanley Kramer originally had Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando in mind for the two protagonists. Both were interested but only Poitier was available. Brando was caught up in filming Mutiny on the Bounty, a film with a highly troubled and seemingly endless shoot. As the start date for The Defiant Ones loomed, Kramer had no option but to start looking at other actors.
Elvis Presley wanted the role of Joker Jackson, hoping to co-star with Sammy Davis Jr. (who had been first choice for the role of Noah Cullen) but was persuaded by his manager not to do the film.
read more facts about The Defiant Ones...
