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      The Mark

      Released Oct 2, 1961 2h 7m Drama List
      Reviews 80% 50+ Ratings Audience Score In this dark drama, Jim Fuller (Stuart Whitman) is an ex-convict who was jailed on charges of child molestation. Aided by empathetic prison psychiatrist Dr. Edmund McNally (Rod Steiger), Fuller finds a job after his release and begins to rebuild his life. Though things begin to improve for him, and he starts a relationship with pretty secretary Ruth Leighton (Maria Schell), he finds that he can't shake his reputation when he becomes the suspect in another crime. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member The Mark is a film I was interested in seeing because the lead actor died this year (2020), this was the only film where he was Oscar-nominated and the subject matter. How Guy Green tackled such heavy subject matter about child sexual assault without destroying the cast's career in addition to his own is phenomenal. The film portrays a man named Fuller (Whitman) who has just been released from an institution, where he was convicted for an intent to sexually assault a child, trying to work in accountancy firm and have a romantic adult relationship while also trying to move on from his criminal past. He discusses his new life with a Dr. McNally, played wonderfully by Rod Steiger, who tries to analyse his adjustments outside of prison. The film is at it's best when Fuller and McNally analyse Fuller's perception of the world and the public's perception to a character with his type of criminal past. Whitman's closed and nervous demeanour is played very well against Steiger's more open and truthful character. The film is at its worst when it flashes back to scenes at the institution where there is cliched over-the-too laughing and scenes the scenes between Maria Schell's character and Whitman's character. The closing scene, I feel, was very Hollywood-y, where there had to be a happy ending. I think the film's unique storyline separates it from many other films and therefore makes to more memorable and thought-provoking. How should the public view people who have been involved in cases that relate to child sexual assault? Have they changed? Can they be rehabilitated and forgiven? This film, I believe, successfully answers those questions about whether the past determines your future. I believe it would be very difficult to make this film today due to the need for people charged with this type of crime to be on the Sex Offender's Register, the increased popularity of the internet and no studio wanting to touch such subject matter, where the protagonist was charged with the intent to sexually assault a child, with a ten-foot stick. Whitman lost the Best Actor Oscar to Maria Schell's brother, Maximilian, in Judgement at Nuremberg. Out of the three performance I have seen from that category, I believe Schell's performance was the most deserving followed by Whitman and then Spencer Tracy, who was also nominated for Judgement at Nuremberg. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review steve d The acting is great but this is not a story that needed to be told. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review ashley h The Mark is a decent film. It is about a man who served prison time for intent to molest a child tries to build a new life with the help of a sympathetic psychiatrist. Stuart Whitman and Rod Steiger give good performances. The screenplay is good but a little slow in places. Guy Green did an alright job directing this movie. I liked this motion picture because of the drama. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Good work by Whitman in a difficult role. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member well crafted crime drama Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member This is quite the tale with a level of sophistication that was only starting to emerge during the sixties. The topics are taboo and the acting required to pull something like this off are significant. I think Stuart Whitman does it well. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      The Mark

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      Critics Reviews

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      Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Best-known for Stuart Whitman Oscar-nominated turn, this b/w film concerns a man who, after serving time in prison for molesting a girl, starts a new life with the aid of a kind psychiatrist (Rod Steiger) and a sensitive woman (Maria Schell). Rated: 3/4 Nov 5, 2004 Full Review Scott Weinberg Apollo Guide The Mark is a well-made and well-acted film that suffers from a bloated length, dreary pacing and essentially unpleasant subject matter. Rated: 64/100 Feb 25, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In this dark drama, Jim Fuller (Stuart Whitman) is an ex-convict who was jailed on charges of child molestation. Aided by empathetic prison psychiatrist Dr. Edmund McNally (Rod Steiger), Fuller finds a job after his release and begins to rebuild his life. Though things begin to improve for him, and he starts a relationship with pretty secretary Ruth Leighton (Maria Schell), he finds that he can't shake his reputation when he becomes the suspect in another crime.
      Director
      Guy Green
      Screenwriter
      Sidney Buchman, Stanley Mann
      Distributor
      Continental Distributing Inc.
      Production Co
      Raymond Stross Productions, Twentieth Century Fox
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 2, 1961, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 5, 2020
      Runtime
      2h 7m
      Sound Mix
      Stereo