The Intruder (AKA “I Hate Your Guts”, “The Stranger”, and “Shame”)
Directed by Roger Corman
Written by Charles Beaumont from his novel
1962/USA
Roger Corman Productions
Repeat viewing/YouTube
[box] Adam Cramer: No matter how much you hate me, blame me, and want to shoot me – it wasn’t all my fault![/box]
Roger Corman and William Shatner went way outside their comfort zones to make this little exploitation flick the best work of either.
The “white” public schools in a small Southern town are about to be integrated under then-current Supreme Court decisions. There is no love lost between blacks and whites in the town but the whites basically accept the action because, after all, it is the law. This creates a gap that “social reformer” Adam Cramer (Shatner) is aching to exploit.
In his shining white suit, Cramer preaches conservative values and race hate and manages to stir up violent opposition on the first day of school. He soon finds out a mob is a dangerous thing and can turn on a dime.
The first time I saw this I was amazed at how powerful it was. It held up very well to a second viewing. Shatner plays one of the most repellent rats in movie history and is excellent at it. If you have a strong aversion to use of the “n” word and racial slurs, even though necessary to the plot, this might not be for you. Otherwise, I recommend it.
Trailer
*************************
Having survived a bout with pneumonia, I will be catching up on the B science fiction films I watched on my tablet in the hospital over the next couple of days before starting again on the regular rotation.
