Dirk Bogarde had a long and varied career as an actor. In the later years of his life, he reflected on his screen roles and said HUNTED was his personal favorite of all the motion pictures he made. It's easy to see why it was such a special experience for him.
All of Bogarde's most important scenes in the movie occur with young Jon Whiteley, who was six years old at the time. Whiteley was a novice in the moviemaking business, but he was clearly a natural and would be awarded a Juvenile Oscar in 1954.
On screen the relationship between their characters evolves considerably. At first, Bogarde is a bit rough with Whiteley (not unlike the boy's abusive adoptive father). But gradually Bogarde softens. Bogarde plays a violent killer who is on the lam from the police. He crosses paths with a lost boy (Whiteley) in the street and is moved to help him. They wind up running away together.
Nobody they meet seems to suspect them of being runaways. But things get dicey when Bogarde's picture as a wanted man makes the front page of the newspaper. They don't stay in one place very long, since Bogarde is paranoid about the police catching up.
They are two lost souls traveling the countryside together. Though they are of different ages, they develop an unusual support system for each other. Society in late 1951 when this movie was filmed, was obviously very different from society today. It would be a tough sell to make this picture now...people might assume Bogarde's character is holding on to the boy for sexual reasons. It probably wouldn't seem so innocent.
One of the main themes in HUNTED is postwar poverty. Director Charles Crichton seems to have been influenced by Italian neorealism. The story conveys a sense of gritty realism and there's very little sentimentality, except in a few key scenes. Whiteley's character doesn't smile until halfway into the movie. Then he gets sick, so his sunny disposition doesn't last.
The scenes at the end are particularly effective- the part where Bogarde decides to stop living as a fugitive, and he carries the sick boy off for help. The long tracking shot where he brings Whiteley up from a boat they've been hiding on is certainly memorable. A crowd of spectators looks on and the police show up along the docks. We know Bogarde will hand the boy over to them. We also know Bogarde will be arrested and go back to stand trial.
A few plot points are left unresolved- will the boy go back to live with his adoptive parents where he had been abused, or will he be placed in a new home? Also what will happen to Bogarde, since his problems with the law are enormous. Will he be sentenced to die? It's an interesting movie that leaves us with a lot to consider.
Mostly, it causes us to think about how two people might be able to help each other during a mutually difficult period in their lives, when everything is tumultuous and needs sorting out. They form a strong bond they will always remember.
When I sent an email to Jon Whiteley a few years ago and asked him about his movie career, I got the feeling he still thought highly of Dirk Bogarde. For a time, they had shared part of the same cinematic journey together. If you watch HUNTED and find it an interesting film, seek out THE LITTLE KIDNAPPERS (1953) which earned Whiteley his Oscar...and also take a look at THE SPANISH GARDENER (1956) since it once again reunited him with Mr. Bogarde on screen.
All of Bogarde's most important scenes in the movie occur with young Jon Whiteley, who was six years old at the time. Whiteley was a novice in the moviemaking business, but he was clearly a natural and would be awarded a Juvenile Oscar in 1954.
On screen the relationship between their characters evolves considerably. At first, Bogarde is a bit rough with Whiteley (not unlike the boy's abusive adoptive father). But gradually Bogarde softens. Bogarde plays a violent killer who is on the lam from the police. He crosses paths with a lost boy (Whiteley) in the street and is moved to help him. They wind up running away together.
Nobody they meet seems to suspect them of being runaways. But things get dicey when Bogarde's picture as a wanted man makes the front page of the newspaper. They don't stay in one place very long, since Bogarde is paranoid about the police catching up.
They are two lost souls traveling the countryside together. Though they are of different ages, they develop an unusual support system for each other. Society in late 1951 when this movie was filmed, was obviously very different from society today. It would be a tough sell to make this picture now...people might assume Bogarde's character is holding on to the boy for sexual reasons. It probably wouldn't seem so innocent.
One of the main themes in HUNTED is postwar poverty. Director Charles Crichton seems to have been influenced by Italian neorealism. The story conveys a sense of gritty realism and there's very little sentimentality, except in a few key scenes. Whiteley's character doesn't smile until halfway into the movie. Then he gets sick, so his sunny disposition doesn't last.
The scenes at the end are particularly effective- the part where Bogarde decides to stop living as a fugitive, and he carries the sick boy off for help. The long tracking shot where he brings Whiteley up from a boat they've been hiding on is certainly memorable. A crowd of spectators looks on and the police show up along the docks. We know Bogarde will hand the boy over to them. We also know Bogarde will be arrested and go back to stand trial.
A few plot points are left unresolved- will the boy go back to live with his adoptive parents where he had been abused, or will he be placed in a new home? Also what will happen to Bogarde, since his problems with the law are enormous. Will he be sentenced to die? It's an interesting movie that leaves us with a lot to consider.
Mostly, it causes us to think about how two people might be able to help each other during a mutually difficult period in their lives, when everything is tumultuous and needs sorting out. They form a strong bond they will always remember.
When I sent an email to Jon Whiteley a few years ago and asked him about his movie career, I got the feeling he still thought highly of Dirk Bogarde. For a time, they had shared part of the same cinematic journey together. If you watch HUNTED and find it an interesting film, seek out THE LITTLE KIDNAPPERS (1953) which earned Whiteley his Oscar...and also take a look at THE SPANISH GARDENER (1956) since it once again reunited him with Mr. Bogarde on screen.