Taglines: A breathless, explosive story.
The Chase movie storyline. When the troublemaker Charlie “Bubber” Reeves breaks the prison with a dangerous inmate, his partner kills a driver on the road and Bubber takes the blame. The tycoon Val Rogers rules his small hometown, but Sheriff Calder keeps his independence from the powerful man. Jason ‘Jake’ Rogers, who is the son of Val Rogers and Bubber’s friend, has a love affair with Bubber’s wife Anna Reeves and he is concerned with the reaction of his former friend. While the local vigilantes organize a manhunt, Calder believes in Bubber’s innocence and asks Anna to meet Bubber with Jake and convince her husband to surrender to him.
The Chase is a 1966 American Technicolor neo noir drama film in Panavision directed by Arthur Penn and starring Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and Robert Redford, about a series of events set into motion by a prison break. Because one of the two escapees is Charlie “Bubber” Reeves (Redford), wrongly assumed to be responsible for a murder, the escape causes a stir in a nearby town full of drunks where Bubber is a well-known figure. The supporting cast features E. G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Robert Duvall and James Fox.
The film deals with excessive immorality and vice such as themes of racism (including scenes in which black men are harassed by white men), sexual revolution (many of the characters are openly engaged in affairs), small-town corruption (the sheriff is falsely assumed to be in the pocket of the man who helped appoint him), and vigilantism (in the form of townspeople who openly defy the sheriff in their search for Bubber). The movie is perhaps best known for a scene in which the sheriff played by Marlon Brando is brutally beaten by Richard Bradford, one of the three vigilantes; Brando later cited this scene as an example of Method acting.
Paul Williams thought this movie would be his big break but, after working on the film for three months, he was shown on screen for a few moments and had “two lines” in the final film. Faye Dunaway auditioned for the film, but Jane Fonda was cast in the role of Anna Reeves. Following this, Arthur Penn tested Dunaway and cast her for Bonnie and Clyde, his next film.
About the Story
In a small town in Tarl County, Texas, where banker Val Rogers (E. G. Marshall) wields a great deal of influence, word comes that native son Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) and another man have escaped from prison.
Sheriff Calder (Marlon Brando), who continues to believe in Bubber’s innocence, expects him to return to his hometown, where Bubber’s lonely wife Anna (Jane Fonda) is now involved in a romantic affair with Bubber’s best friend, Val Rogers’ son Jake (James Fox).
Bubber is left on his own after the second fugitive kills a stranger for his car and clothes. The townspeople, conflicted about his guilt or innocence, socialize and drink heavily while awaiting Bubber’s return. They include the hostile Emily Stewart (Janice Rule), who openly expresses her lust for Damon Fuller (Richard Bradford) in front of her husband, Edwin (Robert Duvall).
As the drinking and quarreling intensify, a group of vigilantes demand action from Calder. When he defies them, they beat Calder brutally before the sheriff’s loyal wife Ruby (Angie Dickinson) is able to get to his side.
Bubber sneaks into town, hiding in an auto junkyard. Anna and Jake willingly set out to help him, and the townspeople follow, turning the event into a drunken revelry and setting the junkyard on fire, causing an explosion which mortally wounds Jake. A bloodied and beaten Calder manages to get to Bubber first but, while he is leading him up the steps into the jail, one of the vigilantes, Archie (Steve Ihnat), shoots Bubber multiple times with a gun hidden in his coat pocket.
The Chase (1966)
Directed by: Arthur Penn
Starring: Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Janice Rule, E. G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Richard Bradford, Robert Duvall, Diana Hyland
Screenplay by: Lillian Hellman
Production Design by: Richard Day
Cinematography by: Joseph LaShelle
Film Editing by: Gene Milford
Costume Design by: Donfeld
Set Decoration by: Frank Tuttle
Art Direction by: Robert Luthardt
Music by: John Barry
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: February 19, 1966
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