Here I will analyse the relationship between J. Lee Thompson’s 1961 film ‘Cape Fear’ and Martin Scorsese’s 1991 re-make of the same name. In analysing the relationship between these two films, we must first understand the great social differences between American society in 1961 and American society in 1991, mainly with regard to the structure of, and relationships within, the American family. Although both Thompson’s and Scorsese’s interpretations of the story, remove the two Bowden boys, in order to focus the story around the threat that Max Cady poses, specifically to Sam Bowden’s daughter Nancy , in the 1961 version and in a more modern portrayal as Danielle, in the 1991 film. [click to continue…]
