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Moonrise

Play trailer Poster for Moonrise Released Oct 1, 1948 1h 30m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
In the tiny community of Woodsville, young Danny Hawkins (Dane Clark) is constantly tormented by his fellow townspeople because his father was put to death for killing another man. When he hopes to put his dark family history behind him and begin a relationship with warmhearted teacher Gilly Johnson (Gail Russell), local bullies try to put a stop to the romance by jumping Danny. After accidentally killing one of his attackers, Danny must struggle to escape the same fate as his father.
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Moonrise

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker [Borzage's] doom-laden romanticism pervades the movie's visual style as well as its drama. Apr 5, 2021 Full Review Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News This is an overlooked gem from one of Hollywood's under-the-radar mavericks, and a tasty slice of small-town noir. Jun 14, 2018 Full Review Wesley Morris Boston Globe Rated: 4/4 Jun 15, 2012 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand This is a place out of time and space, created entirely on studio sets and photographed with the floating cameras and poetic imagery of a silent movie, lush and claustrophobic and beautifully unreal... Nov 22, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Moonrise earned a solitary Oscar nomination for Best Sound, but if any individual component should be recognized, it's the exceptional cinematography by John L. Russell. Rated: 3/4 Aug 29, 2021 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Neither as lightweight as Borzage's prized melodramas nor as bizarre as some of his other obscure titles (Strange Cargo, for instance), Moonrise is morose, melodramatic gem from the most prolific era of film noir. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 25, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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j F Dreamy, captivating sets, and a glimpse of small town American life in the 1940s. But a slow movie. Also, I don't see what Russel sees in the lead, Clark. She falls in love with a sad, angry guy, who has no magnetism, and there is no zip of love until the last 20min. It was strange Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/03/23 Full Review william k Superior Noir melodrama is beautifully made and photographed and takes its dark, seemingly hopeless tale to a tense finale. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I wouldn't go so far as to label the film the "complete subversion of film noir," as Moonrise wields a murder-driven spiral for most of its running time, and boasts some expressionist, moody photography and set pieces -- Danny's mental breakdown on a ferris wheel is an expertly crafted doozy of a moment -- for the duration. While there most certainly are aspects that render Moonrise atypical in the film noir canon, it nonetheless belongs. Noir is, after all, a style, and a genre. Therefore, the whats, whys and hows of its entries can be frustratingly slippery when attempting to classify. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review bo s The story idea isn't bad but this movie rendition is as sappy as they come and worse. The acting is plain bad and the dialogue is dreadful. Half of Dane Clark's lines consist of him saying Gail Russell's character's name "Gilly" over and over. Yuck! Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Not a bad black and white Oldie. But got bored towards the end Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member The first ten minutes of Frank Borzage's film noir are fascinating and, although the film doesn't keep up the pace, it is full of interesting ideas and camera shots. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Moonrise

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the tiny community of Woodsville, young Danny Hawkins (Dane Clark) is constantly tormented by his fellow townspeople because his father was put to death for killing another man. When he hopes to put his dark family history behind him and begin a relationship with warmhearted teacher Gilly Johnson (Gail Russell), local bullies try to put a stop to the romance by jumping Danny. After accidentally killing one of his attackers, Danny must struggle to escape the same fate as his father.
Director
Frank Borzage
Screenwriter
Charles Haas
Distributor
Republic Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 1, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2019
Runtime
1h 30m
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