The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

"... and from this man who could not speak or hear, the girl heard many things."

1968 2h 3m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 51

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Singer is a deaf-mute whose small world brings him in contact with a young girl, Mick, who cherishes a seemingly hopeless dream of becoming a concert pianist. At first hostile, Mick soon becomes friends with Singer, hoping to enlarge his small world. Three other central characters come to Singer for help also, each of them seeing in him a powerful force.

“... and from this man who could not speak or hear, the girl heard many things.”

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Cast

Sondra Locke
Margaret "Mick" Kelly
Alan Arkin
John Singer
Laurinda Barrett
Mrs. Kelly
Stacy Keach
Blount
Chuck McCann
Spiros Antonapoulos
Biff McGuire
Mr. Kelly
Percy Rodriguez
Doctor Copeland
Cicely Tyson
Portia Copeland

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Ellis Miller
Writers: Thomas C. Ryan
Languages: 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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Robert Ellis Miller, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sondra Locke and Alan Arkin and Laurinda Barrett carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "... and from this man who could not speak or hear, the girl heard many things.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0063050 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Ellis Miller directs. James Wong Howe behind the camera. Dave Grusin scores. John F. Burnett cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Robert Ellis Miller, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Dave Grusin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor John F. Burnett shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sondra Locke and Alan Arkin and Laurinda Barrett carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "... and from this man who could not speak or hear, the girl heard many things.".
8IMDB entry: tt0063050 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 51 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Original score: Dave Grusin
Editing: John F. Burnett
Costume design: Albert Wolsky
Makeup / hair: Al Greenway
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Status: Released
Budget: $1,000,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968)

Also by

Robert Ellis Miller

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2026-03-30
★ 6/10
Loneliness and the need to connect with others in the Deep South This was based on Carson McCullers’ first novel, which she wrote when she was only 23 years-old. It’s a Southern Gothic reminiscent of Brando’s “The Fugitive Kind” mixed with a little of James Mason’s “Lolita.” The story revolves around a deaf-mute man (Alan Arkin) renting a room in a new town and his relationships with several troubled people, including the teenage girl of the house, played by Sondra Locke in her first feature film. While Sondra looks about 17, she actually turned 23 during shooting and is excellent in the role. The relationship of the two protagonists brings to mind future movies, like “Lawn Dogs,” “My First Mister” and “Ghost World, not to mention “Lost in Translation,” which all explore the nature of a profound connection between members of the opposite sex from different generations. Is it a spiritual connection in the sense of father/daughter or is it a romantic connection? Sometimes there’s a thin line between the two and wisdom must be kept in mind, particularly on the part of the maturer person. Yet that’s only one subplot, although I suppose it’s the primary one. Singer (Arkin) also develops relationships with a struggling alcoholic (Stacy Keach) and a black doctor who hates white people (Percy Rodriguez), not to mention oversees a fellow deaf-mute at a nearby hospital. The irony is how this silent handicapped man can have such a positive effect on so many people. And it’s more than just being a great listener. What I don’t like is the one-sided depiction of the black experience in the South, which is eye-rolling. “A Time to Kill” is a later example. In these distorted movies black people are always the oppressed victims and, by golly, never the oppressors. You tell me, what communities in America have bars on the windows because crime is off the charts? What happened to harmless Iryna Zarutska on the train in Charlotte on August 22, 2025? Say what you will about 2004’s “Crash,” but it had the honesty to tell the awful truth right out of the gate. If you can look past that, this is a worthwhile drama from the 1960s. It runs 2h 3m and was shot in early fall of 1967 in Selma, Alabama, with the opening scenes done in Marion, which is a 35-minute drive northwest of there. GRADE: B-

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