The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Name: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
Genre: Drama
Released: 1968-07-31
Duration: 2 h 3 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Alan Arkin, Sondra Locke, Chuck McCann

1968
G
2h 3m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

4.8K

YOUR RATING

Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

Trailer for this film based on the novel

Play trailer2:59

1 Video

27 Photos

Drama

When deaf-mute Singer moves to a new town to be near his hospitalized friend, he makes an indelible impression on the lives of those around him.When deaf-mute Singer moves to a new town to be near his hospitalized friend, he makes an indelible impression on the lives of those around him.When deaf-mute Singer moves to a new town to be near his hospitalized friend, he makes an indelible impression on the lives of those around him.

Director
- Robert Ellis Miller
Writers
- Carson McCullers
- Thomas C. Ryan
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

4.8K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Robert Ellis Miller
Writers
- Carson McCullers
- Thomas C. Ryan
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 3 wins & 11 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:59

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

Photos27

+ 20

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Unable to find white suits large enough to fit Chuck McCann, costumers had him wear old suits previously worn by studio character actor Sydney Greenstreet.

Goofs
At the beginning, Spiros (Chuck McCann) breaks the window of a bakery and paws at a faux wedding cake, wiping away the frosting on the upper tier and exposing the dark façade beneath. After the police take Spiros away, his friend John Singer (Alan Arkin) inspects the damage his friend did, and the cake appears miraculously restored-all frosting is intact.

Quotes
Mick: [At the gravesite] Why did he do it? I keep asking myself that over and over.
Doctor Copeland: Oh, I don't suppose any of us will ever know that. None of us ever knew him... not really. We all brought our troubles to him, never stopping to think he may have troubles of his own.

Crazy credits
The opening credits do not begin until 12 minutes into the film.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Serial Mom/White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf/Cops & Robbersons/Backbeat/32 Short Films About Glen Gould (1994)

Soundtracks
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
(uncredited)
Written by Dave Grusin and Peggy Lee

User reviews65

Review

Featured review

8/10

A sweet, touching story

I took my girlfriend to see this movie in 1968. At the end, I was sobbing. I didn't stop crying until we had driven a mile or so from the movie theatre. She looked at me as if I was out of my mind.

This week I bought the movie, to see how it would affect me 30 years later. Not quite the same emotional impact (well, I knew the ending), but still a very powerful movie.

Recently I heard a director say that the most important things conveyed in movies are not the words that are said, but the words that are not said.

This movie is filled with words not said. The protagonist, John Singer, is an emotional cipher. Alan Arkin had the good sense to underplay him. You can pour all of your own feelings into him.

I could quibble about some elements now, but this is, at essence, a story of the heart. Thirty years after first seeing this movie, it still stands up, and still touches my heart in a way few movies have.