The Five Forty-Eight

1979 0h 58m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1

DramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An advertising man, emotionally estranged from his wife and those around him, has seduced and then fired and discarded his secretary. She pursues him and forces him to confront the squalor of his life.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Laurence Luckinbill
John Blake
Mary Beth Hurt
Jane Dent
Laurinda Barrett
Louise Blake
Philip Scher
Charlie Blake
Dale Hodges
Receptionist
Kathy Keeney
Anne Blake
Jon DeVries
Henry Watkins
Nicholas Luckinbill
Tad Watkins

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Ivory
Writers: John Cheever
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 58-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James Ivory, shot by Andrzej Bartkowiak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Laurence Luckinbill and Mary Beth Hurt and Laurinda Barrett carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0180696 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Ivory directs. Andrzej Bartkowiak behind the camera. Jonathan Tunick scores. David E. McKenna cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 58-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
247 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by James Ivory, shot by Andrzej Bartkowiak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jonathan Tunick. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor David E. McKenna shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Laurence Luckinbill and Mary Beth Hurt and Laurinda Barrett carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0180696 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.