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The Slender Thread

Play trailer Poster for The Slender Thread 1965 1h 38m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
As a volunteer at a crisis center, Alan Newell (Sidney Poitier) is working the late shift when he hears from a desperate woman named Inga Dyson (Anne Bancroft) who has attempted to overdose on sleeping pills. As Alan tries to keep Inga on the line, Detective Judd Ridley (Edward Asner) and Dr. Joe Coburn (Telly Savalas), a psychiatrist, both become involved in the increasingly tense situation. While they try to determine Inge's location in order to save her, time is quickly running out.
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The Slender Thread

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 12/20/2007
Supercharged with emotion and dramatic overtones. Go to Full Review A.H. Weiler New York Times 05/10/2005
3/5
The performances of the principals and the film's naturalistic dialogue are more memorable than the story itself. Go to Full Review Pauline Kael McCall's 09/20/2023
This clean, economical, well-organized production is fraudulent naturalism -- details that are carefully arranged, so that we will accept them as normal, as true, though they are drawn not from observation but from the exigencies of plot need. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 07/23/2021
7/10
I find the result quite moving because of the superb performances that Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft illustrate on the other end of the phone. When they talk, I feel like I hear something very relevant. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Tony Mastroianni Cleveland Press 04/05/2019
The Slender Thread is a carefully constructed study in suspense, its climaxes well sustained. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 06/02/2008
C
Suffers from a slight soap opera story that fails to hold together for 98 minutes. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D 07/26/2023 Properly intense and beautifully acted. See more 02/24/2014 thois is director sydney pollack's film debut See more 08/27/2013 Catch a screening of Slender Thread at Cinemapolis in downtown Ithaca on Thursday, September 12, 2013. After the film, members of the Crisisline staff will talk about work on a modern hot line. See more 02/23/2011 'Bancroft conveys much of her inner turmoil through the sound of her voice.' TV Guide's Movie Guide http://movies.tvguide.com/slender-thread/review/118051 See more 12/27/2010 In most critically acclaimed movies I hate, I at least see some of why they are acclaimed. This one, I cannot. It's silly all the way through and just stupid. It was up for two Oscars for use of black and white. Whatever. Poitier is a college student working a suicide hotline when a woman calls. She's already taken pills and he and others try and trace the call to get her help. At really no point does she ever sound like a suicidal. She seems pretty happy with a flirty voice and even tells some jokes. Poitier goes back and forth between this caring and patient guy and an angry stranger. It's just not a believable performance. The script is so obviously made to be dramatic, but it's so far from realistic that I just hated it. Even the ending is stupid. They find her in her room just minutes from death. A voice on the other end says they found her and she's still breathing. The people around Poitier celebrate, even lighting a cigar. Really? She's that close to death but merely finding her will bring her back to life? Medically stupid. And I guess we have to assume they save her even though there is no evidence to indicate such. Well I didn't. I think she dies and that's the only realistic part of this overrated movie. See more 03/09/2010 It is amazing what Anne Bancroft can act so passionately with just her voice, it?s a sign of a really great actress. Sidney Poitier does a fine job, but this would have made a better short film, the subject matter gets mighty tiring after awhile. It's a little too melodramatic for my taste. The cinematography is quite good, and the score is really well done. See more Read all reviews
The Slender Thread

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Cast & Crew

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Sydney Pollack

Director

Sidney Poitier

Alan Newell

Anne Bancroft

Inga Dyson

Telly Savalas

Dr. Joe Coburn

Steven Hill

Mark Dyson

Indus Arthur

Marian

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The Slender Thread

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Movie Info

Synopsis As a volunteer at a crisis center, Alan Newell (Sidney Poitier) is working the late shift when he hears from a desperate woman named Inga Dyson (Anne Bancroft) who has attempted to overdose on sleeping pills. As Alan tries to keep Inga on the line, Detective Judd Ridley (Edward Asner) and Dr. Joe Coburn (Telly Savalas), a psychiatrist, both become involved in the increasingly tense situation. While they try to determine Inge's location in order to save her, time is quickly running out.
Director
Sydney Pollack
Producer
Stephen Alexander
Screenwriter
Stirling Silliphant
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Athene Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 23, 1965, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 8, 2017
Runtime
1h 38m
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