The Most Dangerous Game

"They saw the heads of hunted men in Zaroff's trophy room!"

1932 1h 3m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 330🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 14,392

ThrillerAdventureHorrorAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When legendary hunter Bob Rainsford is shipwrecked on the perilous reefs surrounding a mysterious island, he finds himself the guest of the reclusive and eccentric Count Zaroff. While he is very gracious at first, Zaroff eventually forces Rainsford and two other shipwreck survivors, brother and sister Eve and Martin Towbridge, to participate in a sadistic game of cat and mouse in which they are the prey and he is the hunter.

“They saw the heads of hunted men in Zaroff's trophy room!”

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Cast

Joel McCrea
Robert Rainsford
Fay Wray
Eve Trowbridge
Leslie Banks
Count Zaroff
Robert Armstrong
Martin Trowbridge
Noble Johnson
Ivan
Steve Clemente
Tartar
William B. Davidson
Captain
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian
Tartar Servant

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Irving Pichel
Writers: James Ashmore Creelman, Richard Connell
Languages: Russian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 63-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Irving Pichel, shot by Henry W. Gerrard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Archie Marshek shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Irving Pichel directs. Henry W. Gerrard behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. Archie Marshek cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Russian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 63-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
394 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, English.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Irving Pichel, shot by Henry W. Gerrard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Archie Marshek shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Joel McCrea and Fay Wray and Leslie Banks carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "They saw the heads of hunted men in Zaroff's trophy room!".
11IMDB entry: tt0023238 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 18 themes, including "crocodile", "fistfight", "stranded", "black and white".

The technical file

Cinematography: Henry W. Gerrard
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: Archie Marshek
Costume design: Walter Plunkett
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 63 min · 1h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $219,869
Box office: $443,000
Return: 201% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 14,392 votes
MPAA: Approved

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Irving Pichel

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-13
★ 6/10
A completely bonkers hunter played by arch-ham Leslie Banks arranges for passing ships to be wrecked off the coast of his island then he ostensibly rescues/helps them before using them as bait for his big game hunts - with a bow and arrow, or with a high powered rifle - ably aided and abetted by some rather useful, if monosyllabic helpers "Ivan" & "Mongol" and a fearsome-looking pack of starving hounds. Joel MCrea and Fay Wray are two such victims, only they decide that they are not going to fall prey to their scheming host and we have quite a few daft cat and mouse games as they try to escape. McCrae never quite cut it as the hero type, and he doesn't really here, either - and Wray, well she just excels at being the rather feisty damsel in distress. It's not especially sinister - but there are plenty of chases through the jungle, hidden passages etc to keep you amused if not terrified for an hour.

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