Watch The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968) A Carson McCullers drama (she wrote the original book) with the usual array of gritty Southern types who are cast quite well. The director is the utterly unknown Robert Ellis Miller, and there are many times that I feel that the potential here, which is pretty deep, goes unexplored. The photography by James Wong Howe toward the end of his career is professional through and through, if somewhat routine for New Hollywood. Look for standout performances by Alan Arkin (as a lonely deaf-mute with a big heart) and Sondra Locke, later famous for many roles in Clint Eastwood films (with whom she was involved). An honesty of acting, and underacting, by these two (even by Locke, whose role is extroverted) hold the whole thing together, as undercurrents become the real meaning. This is more of a drama than a soap opera. I say this because there is a McCullers kind of interest in "characters" and "losers," people who are troubled and eccentric. But there is also an interpersonal drive to the subplots (as with Locke's character's family, a kind of caricatured struggling poor southern family with a father in a wheelchair) that has the potential to become interesting as soap. These two aspects are a bit at odds (they never jive), but a third aspect enters the plot and grows and grows, and it is the real reason to watch the movie and admire it: the intersection of black and white southern life. In a way that had become possible finally by the late 60s, Hollywood could deal with African-American life in an honest, believable way. The black doctor and his dilemma of appearing "uppity" if he treats a white man (a drunk) is only the beginning. Arkin's deaf-mute character is compelling. He's troubled, too, but has perception and persistence. He sees love more than feels it, it seems, but he has deep caring (which is a different kind of love). And that wins the movie. Look for great side performances by the doctor's daughter played by Cicely Tyson (who had many great roles after this, such as in "Sounder" and who was married to Miles Davis) and by the doctor, played by Percy Rodriguez. A moving drama that is a small, but important, cog in the breakdown of prejudice in the 1960s.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a good movie based on a great novel. As has been pointed out by literary purists, the movie is a smidge more sentimental than its source, though this is not what keeps it from masterpiece status. Its biggest problem is the disjointed nature of the screenplay: I honestly think Jake Blount's story should have been cut altogether (they barely do anything with him; Stacey Keach is just wasted) and that Mick's relationship with Harry should have been fleshed out more, making its ultimate dissolution more poignant. As it is, the movie jerks from episode to episode without much in the way of smooth transition.However, this film is not a failure by any stretch: James Wong Howe's lovely cinematography and great performances from everyone involved save it from the heap of forgettable cinematic adaptations of great literature. The acting especially so: Sondra Locke is the most convincing teenager played by a 20-something actor; she perfectly captures the angst, uncertainty, and awkwardness of being sixteen. Cicely Tyson has little screen-time, but she's harrowing as a woman estranged from a demanding father. Percy Rodrigues is an ideal Dr. Copeland, a tense ball of dignity and indignation. And then there's Alan Arkin as the lonely yet kind-hearted John Singer-- in a film filled with great performances, his is the best of the lot. Not just because he's a convincing deaf-mute, but because of how keenly he portrays this character's alienation. It's one of the great "lonely man" performances in all of movies.No, it isn't the book. No, it isn't a perfect movie on its own terms. But The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is certainly worth two hours.

I was watching TCM to see who the actor of the day was since it is summer series. They were focusing on Alan Arkin. But it intrigued me that Cicely Tison and Sondra and Rodrigues were in the film! So, I decided to watch. Oh I had no idea what I was in for! I especially in my aging as a single person and a minority so understand the sensation of profound loneliness. It can twist your mind. You want to be with people and you want people to get along and see how they have a gift of relationships. I appreciate how the movie showed we all can be vulnerable...no matter the situation. Even when aggravated, frustrated or mad at each other we must see the value in our relationships. We need to value each other. Now more then ever in our technical age. My heart broke that he died feeling lonely. No connection. I hope I never make anyone feel unworthy!!! I will never forget this movie. Never!

Let's talk first about the last, a non-Hollywood ending, but effective as was the entire beautiful, sentimental movie.The several stories in this excellent adaptation of the McCuller novel tie well together making the film as a whole one of the finest sentimental journeys ever put on screen.The atmosphere is letter-perfect. It is storytelling at its very best, and, oh, the acting is superb. No wonder Sandra Locke was nominated for an Academy Award. I don't know who won it that year, but I do know it should have been Miss Locke.Alan Arkin, as usual, is top notch in what must have been a difficult role. He is thoroughly convincing. Matter of fact, all of the performers were remarkably convincing.Chuck McCann who, I think was a comedian, certainly should be mentioned as well as, well, as everyone else.I had the pleasure of working with Stacy Keach when he was in the North Carolina Outer Banks doing a story with his brother, James, about the Wright Brothers. Both were great to talk with, and he was excellent in this film.This movie will grab you at the beginning, and it won't let go. It is a must-see. Keep the tissues handy.