The screenplay is often maudlin and much too concerned with small happenings that bear little relation to each other. But she is too self-conscious, too wrought up in her own problems to notice his.Ī sub-plot pits Percy Rodrigues as a black doctor against his own daughter (Cicely Tyson) in a contrived personal and prejudicial question of little dramatic substance. Miss Locke is often effective as she happily discovers Mozart and as her friendship with Singer grows. Sondra Locke is the young daughter who hurriedly learns what it means to be slightly more mature than her classmates, to experience the first foray into sexual love and to be forced out to work when her father cannot. Biff McGuire plays the father who is unable to find work because of a hip injury. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers(1940 novel)įirst he encounters Stacy Keach as a drinking drifter (a good performance by this off-Broadway player), then he gets a room at the Kellys. Singer is desperately alone in his silent world and as he makes his way during his time in the town he touches many people’s lives momentarily and always for the better, but he never succeeds in establishing enough rapport with anyone so that then can help him when he needs solace. The film is a rambling story of how John Singer meets the Kelly family with whom he boards as well as several other respected and not-so-respected members of the community. He has moved there so that he could be near another deaf-mute who is in the hospital.

Directed by Robert Ellis Miller.Ĭoming out of the theatre, someone said: “That movie had more tragedies than Gone With the Wind.” Not quite, but there are certainly a great many examples of human suffering in this film treatment of Carson McCullers’ 1940 book.Īlan Arkin plays a deaf-mute named Singer in a small southern town. Here’s a review that was published when the film premiered in 1968:Ī 1968 review of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (film)įrom the review by Frank Daley in the Ottawa Journal, October 4, 1968: The film stars Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke, based on the novel by Carson McCullers. Still, the film fails to capture the sweep and emotional impact of the book, so I’d recommend reading it before considering the film. The film received numerous other nominations and awards, and was generally favorably reviewed. Strong performances, especially by Alan Arkin as Singer and Sondra Locke as Mick (her film debut) earned them both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations - for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Though it had its merits, the film got mixed reviews.

The 1968 film version of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, based on the 1940 novel by Carson McCullers, aimed for a faithful adaption.

Mccullers the heart is a lonely hunter