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Moonrise

Moonrise

Drama · 1948

Stigmatized from infancy by the fate of his criminal father, a man is bruised and bullied until one night, in a fit of rage, he kills his most persistent tormentor. As the police close in around him, he makes a desperate bid for the love of the dead man’s girlfriend, a schoolteacher who sees the wounded soul behind his aggression.

Movie details

Moonrise

“HER ARMS...HER LOVE...HIS ONLY ESCAPE FROM A HERITAGE OF HATE!”

1948 Drama 1h 30m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.3 / 10

Community rating

Stigmatized from infancy by the fate of his criminal father, a man is bruised and bullied until one night, in a fit of rage, he kills his most persistent tormentor. As the police close in around him, he makes a desperate bid for the love of the dead man’s girlfriend, a schoolteacher who sees the wounded soul behind his aggression.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Moonrise?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together.

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Acrimony

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Frank Borzage

Written by

Charles F. Haas

Dane Clark

Dane Clark

Danny Hawkins

Gail Russell

Gail Russell

Gilly Johnson

Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore

Grandma

Allyn Joslyn

Allyn Joslyn

Clem Otis

Rex Ingram

Rex Ingram

Mose

Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan

Billy Scripture

David Street

David Street

Ken Williams

Court is in session

Put Moonrise on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.