Robert Ellis Miller - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

Based on the novel by Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter stars Alan Arkin as John Singer, a deaf-mute whose small world brings him in contact with a young girl, Mick, who cherishes a seemingly hopeless dream of becoming a concert pianist. At first hostile, Mick soon becomes friends with Singer, hoping to enlarge his small world. Three other central characters come to Singer for help also, each of them seeing in him a powerful force. Yet some are so obsessed with their own troubles that they fail to see that Singer has some very serious ones of his own.







There is no doubt about it, but when Hollywood decides to make a cinematic masterpiece, and at the same time draws upon indigenous American social and cultural mores, as exemplified by a writer of the talent of Carson McCullers, the result can be both breath-taking and almost overwhelming. It is partly their very `Americaness' that makes films like THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER so unique and special to someone like myself who is not American. And this film in particular shows a side of the American psyche which is all too often neglected and unacknowledged in movies. The novel on which it is based is, sadly perhaps, too complex and long to adapt to the screen without sacrificing some aspect of the many subplots it contains, and although I regret the loss of the radical political dimension, the subtle and heart-wrenching way loneliness, racism, impoverishment, snobbery, and disadvantage are conveyed are so powerfully treated that the end result is a film of almost unbearable sadness and melancholy... and yet... And yet there is an element of tremendous hope also at work; of the human spirit overcoming huge odds and learning life's lessons as the various characters go along and work out their individual destinies. Superb ensemble acting from all concerned, and technical credits of the highest order make this one of the most deeply satisfying films I have ever seen in my life. (Dave Godin, IMDB)









El corazón es un cazador solitario
Bonito film sobre la soledad inspirado en la emblemática novela de Carson McCullers. Durante todo el film se respira un aire de nostalgia que dota de una dolorosa tristeza a sus imagenes y a sus personajes, desde Alan Arkin como el hombre que trata de hacer lo posible para sentirse incluido en el mundo a pesar de su sordomudez, pasando por Sondra Locke como la adorable jovencinta que debe hacerse mayor a marchas forzadas, hasta el médico que debe dejar a un lado sus prejuicios raciales cuando comprende que no se puede juzgar a todo el mundo por el mismo rasero. Los actores están todos inconmensurables, creo que ésta es la interpretación de la carrera de Alan Arkin, y Sondra Locke está absolutamente maravillosa hasta tal punto que es casi imposible reconocerla dada la mediocridad de lo que ha sido su carrera que nunca llegó a despegar. Magnifica, una pequeña obra maestra. (dreamers.com)





Le Coeur est un chasseur solitaire
Ayant trouvé du travail dans une petite ville du Sud des Etats-Unis, John Singer, un sourd-muet, loge chez les Kelly, et tente de devenir l'ami de Mick, leur fille de quatorze ans. Mais la jeune fille, d'un caractère très solitaire, le repousse.






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