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Abduction (1975 film)

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Abduction
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Zito
Written byKent E. Carroll
Based onBlack Abductor (novel)
by Harrison James
Produced byKent E. Carroll
StarringGregory Rozakis
David Pendleton
Judith-Marie Bergan
Dorothy Malone
Leif Erickson
CinematographyJoão Fernandes
Edited byJames Macreading
Music byRonald Frangipane
Al Steckler
Production
company
Blackpool Partnership
Distributed byVenture Distributors
Release date
  • October 24, 1975 (1975-10-24)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Abduction is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Joseph Zito, produced and written by Kent E. Carroll and based on the novel Black Abductor by Harrison James, which has similarities to the Patty Hearst case[1] which it predates.[2] It stars Gregory Rozakis, David Pendleton and Judith-Marie Bergan and was first released in the U.S. on October 24, 1975.[3]

Premise

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The daughter of a rich property developer is kidnapped and held hostage for ransom by a group of radicals. After being brutalised and brainwashed she eventually becomes converted to their cause.[4][1][5]

Violence

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The movie is violent throughout though the details are largely kept out of shot. The kidnappers beat up Michael, Patricia's boyfriend, when they seize her. Frank tries and fails to rape her on camera and then Dory takes over. The scenes are sent to Patricia's father along with her reading out the kidnappers' demands. Alongside a second set of demands, Patricia is forced to make love with Carol on camera. The police violently interrogate Jake, a friend of Frank, to find out the identities and location of the gang members. In the final scenes, Patricia shoots the police who have broken in to rescue her, showing that she is now part of the group.

Cast

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Prescott family and friend

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Kidnappers

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  • Gregory Rozakis - Frank
  • David Pendleton - Dory
  • Catherine Lacy - Carol
  • Presley Caton - Angie

Also credited

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  • Lawrence Tierney - FBI Agent
  • Andrew Bloch - Jake, who informed on the kidnappers under police interrogation

Release

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The film opened exclusively in New York for two weeks before expanding to Los Angeles and San Francisco.[2]

Reception

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The New York Times described this as "bargain-basement movie-making of the least interesting sort, an ineptly produced ripoff of the Patricia Hearst story ... based on a novel that was actually written before the kidnapping".[1] Steve Carlson, on the letterboxd website, commented that this is "a plainly scummy little hostage feature that would barely rate a footnote in exploitation-film history if not for that it kicked off the career of Joseph Zito."[3]

Hearst Newspapers refused to run advertisements for the film.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Movie Review - - The Screen: 'Abduction' - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Hearst Papers Nix 'Abduction'". Variety. 12 November 1975. p. 3. Retrieved 16 June 2022 – via Archive.org.
  3. ^ a b "Abduction (1975)". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger (11 December 1975). "The Abduction Movie Review & Film Summary". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Abduction". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
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