Given the fact that William Shatner has become synonymous with camp and Roger Corman is the king of low-budget horror movies, a serious suspension of preconceptions is required to appreciate their collaboration on this unusual 1962 drama based on a novel by Charles Beaumont that pushed the hot button issue of racial integration in the American South. Shatner plays Adam Cramer, a devious rabble-rouser who arrives in a small southern town that is facing a court-ordered desegregation of its public schools. Through volatile preaching and the successful stirring of barely concealed racist attitudes, Cramer not only drives the white townspeople against their black neighbors but nearly orchestrates the lynching of a black youth falsely accused of raping a white girl. Ultimately, Cramer overplays his hand through romantic dalliances with local married women, which speeds his downfall. While The Intruder benefits from being shot on location (Corman and company were actually forced out of two Missouri towns when the film's subject became apparent), Corman was never the most capable director and the film has the look and feel of a standard B-movie, albeit an uncommonly progressive one. DVD extras include a “making-of” featurette. The Intruder is a strange curio that, despite its shortcomings, remains a strong optional purchase. (P. Hall)
The Intruder: Special Edition
Buena Vista, 83 min., PG-13, DVD: $19.99 December 10, 2007
The Intruder: Special Edition
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