Play Misty for Me

1971 "The scream you hear may be your own!"
6.9| 1h42m| R| en| More Info
Released: 20 October 1971 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A brief fling between a male disc jockey and an obsessed female fan takes a frightening, and perhaps even deadly turn when another woman enters the picture.

Genre

Drama, Thriller

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Director

Clint Eastwood

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

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Play Misty for Me Audience Reviews

Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.
XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.
Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
Richie-67-485852 While dated this movie is done right and was ahead of its time for entertainment value. You get it all in this movie and some of it you do not see coming. The character Eastwood plays is a shallow but opportunistic guy, good job, car and lives on the beach and just happens to be a chick magnet. He know its his problem because it cost him his first sweet heart who comes into the movie later on for a second chance. Meanwhile, Eastwood hooks up with your worst nightmare of a sexual encounter but doesn't appear to be. That's the chilling part. Lots of truth to this movie too. What appears to be one thing turns out to be another and in this case with some twists too. Good suspense, thrills and surprises. Have a tasty snack ready to go
jimbo700 As a guy who spent 42 years in radio, there are a few things I could poke at as far as radio accuracy is concerned, and since I haven't read any of the other IMDb reviews or comments I might be repeating stuff already mentioned elsewhere. First, why don't any of the DJ's wear headphones? When you open the microphone it turns off the speakers (to avoid feedback) and you can't hear what's playing, so what's up with that? Also, In almost every scene in the radio station control room, the VU meters on the board never move. Finally (and this is the coup de gras): How could an overnight DJ on a small market radio station ever afford to own or rent an ocean side villa overlooking the Pacific? Factually Dave Garver (Clint Eastwood) should be living in a trailer park or low-rent apartment complex on his salary. Now, the good stuff... This is Clint Eastwood's directorial debut and he excelled. This film's plot is basically "Fatal Attraction" 15 years before Douglas and Close struck gold in 1987. This nearly out-Hitchcocks Hitchcock! The viewer is slowly sucked in as the tension builds until nuclear war breaks out. Shot entirely on location in Carmel California, the cast is flawless with Jessica Walter co-staring as the girl with the fatal attraction for Dave Garber, a DJ at KRML. Donna Mills also stars as Dave's ex-girlfriend who's sole purpose is to complicate things. A great original soundtrack, plus Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", which would go on to hit #1 on the Hot 100 5 months later as a direct result of exposure in this film. This film has gone down in the annals as one of the greatest thrillers ever, and a film that struck fears in the heart of disc jockey's everywhere. "Play Misty For Me.. And not Ray Steven's Version"!
sol- Along similar lines to 'Fatal Attraction', Clint Eastwood plays a late night disc jockey here who finds himself stalked by an obsessive female fan who thought that their one night stand was something more. This was the first feature film that Eastwood ever directed and his enthusiasm with taking the reigns behind the camera for the first time frequently shows. The opening aerial shots are breathtaking, there is a great subtle moment in which the stalker's arm ever so slowly creeps into the foreground of the frame as Eastwood and his actual girlfriend wander off into the distance, and the rapid cross-cut editing as Eastwood takes a frenzied drive near the end is great. Eastwood struggles a bit with pacing the material though, and for a thriller, the film noticeably lacks tension; there is enough time for Eastwood to leisurely make love to his girlfriend in the woods amid fearing what his stalker might do next! The casting of Jessica Walters as the stalker is also a mixed blessing. Considering that she is best known as a comedy actress nowadays, Walters demonstrates an impressive acting range, from casual and fun-loving to utterly obsessive, however, she stays in obsessive mode for most of the film and she often comes off as histrionic with her constant crying fits and rages. It is hard not to wonder what Lee Remick (who the studio originally wanted) would have done with the role. Never to mind, 'Play Misty for Me' has enough scattered effective moments that it never once bores even if it does not always live up to its reputation as a pivotal 'Fatal Attraction' precursor.
Scott LeBrun Clint Eastwood certainly learned his lessons well when it came to making his directorial debut, with this now legendary shocker. It may not be all that original, but when it comes to this kind of stalker melodrama, it definitely set a template for others to follow. The pacing wasn't always as tight as this viewer would have liked, but the script (written by Jo Heims and Dean Riesner, based on Heims' story) is often pretty snappy and the film is well cast, and well acted, from top to bottom.Clint also stars, playing late night jazz D. J. Dave Garver, who learns that he has a devoted admirer in the sexy Evelyn Draper (Jessica Walter). They have a brief fling, but Dave finds that Evelyn will be extremely unwilling to let him go. She will also go over the deep end upon her discovery that Dave is busy making amends with another woman, an ex-girlfriend named Tobie (Donna Mills). The balance of the film shows what happens as Evelyns' actions threaten to completely derail Daves' life.Clint is good in the lead, and Mills is appealing in her part. John Larch is a delight as a sardonic police detective who gets involved when the deranged Evelyn assaults Daves' housekeeper Birdie (Clarice Taylor). All lending their valuable support are Jack Ging, Irene Hervey, and James McEachin. Clint also casts his directing mentor, and five time collaborator, Don Siegel, in the role of Murphy the bartender, and Siegel does a solid and engaging job. But the main reason that "Play Misty for Me" is so memorable is because Walter is so incredible. She is, by turns, amusing, sexy, clingy, pathetic, and ultimately psychotic.Well filmed, and situated in Clints' old stamping ground, the town of Carmel. In addition to the score by Dee Barton, there's plenty of great music along the way, with some sequences set at the Monterey Jazz Festival. There are brief, jarring bursts of violence, and a fairly effective and suspenseful finale.This has to rank as one of the most iconic films in this whole sub genre of thrillers.Seven out of 10.