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Last Embrace
Last Embrace
Last Embrace
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Last Embrace
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJonathan Demme
Screenplay byDavid Shaber
Based onThe 13th Man (novel)
by Murray Teigh Bloom
Produced byMichael Taylor
Dan Wigutow
StarringRoy Scheider
Janet Margolin
John Glover
Sam Levene
Charles Napier
Christopher Walken
CinematographyTak Fujimoto
Edited byBarry Malkin
Music byMiklós Rózsa
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • May 4, 1979 (1979-05-04)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4 million[1]
Box office$1,537,125[2]

Last Embrace is a 1979 American neo-noir[3] thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme.[4] Very loosely based on the novel The 13th Man by Murray Teigh Bloom, it stars Roy Scheider and Janet Margolin.

Plot

[edit]

In a Mexican cantina across the border from El Paso, Texas, government agent Harry Hannan is romancing his wife, Dorothy, when he observes an informant he is supposed to meet in a few days. Realizing he is about to be attacked, he shoves his wife to the ground and starts shooting at the informant's companions who return fire and flee the restaurant. Dorothy is killed in the attack, and he suffers a nervous breakdown. Harry spends five months in a Connecticut sanitarium before being released.

On his way back to New York City, Harry stumbles and nearly falls into the path of an express train. He goes to the makeup counter at Macy's Herald Square to retrieve his next assignment, but the assignment slip inside the lipstick case is blank. He accosts his contact who assures him that the agency probably does not have any work for him.

When Harry returns to his apartment, he finds it is occupied by a doctoral student named Ellie Fabian. She explains that she had a sublet arranged while she was in the last semester of her studies at Princeton University. Ellie claims that the housing office said the Hannans would be gone indefinitely. She gives Harry a note that was slipped under the door, but it contains only a few Hebrew characters that he cannot read.

Paranoid that he is being targeted by his own agency, Harry visits his supervisor Eckart, who assures Harry that the agency has higher priorities. Eckart insists that Harry is not ready to return to the field, but that he is perfectly safe.

Harry takes the Hebrew note to a local rabbi who can only partially decode it, and explains that it means "Avenger of Blood.". The rabbi then calls Sam Urdell, and informs him that Harry has visited him. Harry notices that he is being surveilled, loses the tail and goes to the American Museum of Natural History, where Ellie is working.

He gives her some money and urges her to stay in a hotel, because he fears she will be accidentally targeted. He then visits his wife's grave, where he confronts her brother, Dave Quittle. Afterwards, Quittle visits Eckart, who orders Harry's murder.

Ellie stays in the apartment despite Harry's request. Ellie suggests that they take the note to her friend at Princeton who specializes in Hebrew studies. When Harry wakes from a nightmare, he tells Ellie about the death of Dorothy. He takes a prescription pill, but spits it out, realizing that it is cyanide. The next morning, they leave for Princeton. On the train, Ellie tells Harry about her grandmother, when Harry notices Quittle, and an old man, watching them.

At Princeton, Richard Peabody decodes the note for Harry. Peabody has accumulated several notes, all attached to very peculiar murders. Harry is the first one to have received the note and lived. He also relays a message that someone wants to meet Harry in the bell tower courtyard the following day.

In the courtyard, Harry is lured into a trap by Quittle. Harry manages to kill Quittle during a shootout in the bell tower, and then encounters Sam Urdell, the old man on the train. Sam explains that he is part of a committee investigating the blood murders. They investigate the various clues, and they piece together that Harry's grandfather owned a brothel on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

In a hotel at Niagara Falls, Ellie is dressed as a prostitute and lures Bernie Meckler into a bathtub with her. As she has sex with Meckler, she drowns him. As Harry and Sam put together their information, they are led back to Princeton. Harry realizes that Ellie is the one murdering men, on behalf of victims of white slavery like her grandmother. They drive up to Niagara Falls, where they have an emotional confrontation. She tries to kill him, but confesses that she loves him. He is conflicted, but he tells her that he will turn her in. Ellie knees him in the groin and runs away; he chases her through the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. She escapes onto a tour bus and he steals another tour bus and follows her to the Journey Behind the Falls, where he chases her through the tunnels until they have a final confrontation at the edge of the falls. They break through the railing and Harry grabs Ellie, but she struggles and takes a deadly plummet.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Demme recalled "There were some people who had liked Citizens Band, some producer who knew it, so they sent Last Embrace to me and I loved the idea of doing a film that had the potential of being an Alfred Hitchcock-style thriller. By that I mean that kind of Hitchcockian sense of suspense and complexity of character, as well as narrative."[5]

Demme was also attracted by the chance "to reveal something extraordinary about history" - namely organised corruption such as prostitution run by people within the Jewish church. Demme felt it that if Roy Scheider played the lead "it would be great. I had liked him a lot in some of his previous movies and thought that he could be the Bogart of the 1980s."[5]

Demme said "It was a flawed script, and we tried very hard to fix it. More than anything the experience helped me realize: don't go into a movie unless you believe in the script, because if you don't believe it, how can anyone else believe it?"[5]

Reception

[edit]

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Vincent Canby in The New York Times wrote of Scheider: "No other leading actor can create so much tension out of such modest material."[6] As of March 2025, Last Embrace holds a rating of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews with the consensus: "Last Embrace benefits from a strong cast led by the ever-likable Roy Scheider, but its increasingly implausible story makes it difficult to hold on."[7]

Demme called the movie "deeply, deeply flawed in many ways, although I also think it has some values. But I did it because I love that kind of picture, and I hate the idea of doing films that are similar."[5]

References

[edit]
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Last Embrace

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Last Embrace is a 1979 American thriller film directed by and loosely based on the 1977 The 13th Man by Murray Teigh Bloom. The story follows Harry Hannan, a covert government agent played by , who returns to after suffering a mental breakdown due to his wife's death during a botched mission, only to become entangled in a mysterious conspiracy involving ancient Hebrew death threats. Produced on a budget of approximately $3.6 million, the film was shot primarily in New York City locations such as and Grand Central Station, with additional filming at and the MGM studio lot in . The novel The 13th Man, published by Macmillan on September 1, 1977, centers on ex-CIA agent Harry Hanan, a terminally ill Jewish man who receives a "goel hadam" (avenger of blood) note in ancient Hebrew, prompting him to investigate a series of murders linked to descendants of historical Jewish white slavers. While the film adaptation retains core elements like the protagonist's background and the intrigue of Hebrew-coded threats, Demme's by David Shaber significantly alters the plot, shifting focus to aspects reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's style, including themes of , identity, and redemption. Starring alongside Scheider are as Ellie Fabian, a student who becomes Hannan's ally, and supporting actors John Glover, , and . Released on May 4, 1979, by United Artists, Last Embrace received mixed critical reception for its atmospheric tension and Scheider's intense performance, though some reviewers noted inconsistencies in pacing and plot coherence; it holds a 58% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews. The film features a notable score by Miklós Rózsa, enhancing its suspenseful tone, and was produced by Michael Taylor and Dan Wigutow, with rights to the source novel acquired for $90,000. Demme, in an early directorial effort before his Academy Award-winning The Silence of the Lambs, incorporated New York City's urban landscape to amplify the story's sense of isolation and pursuit.

Film overview

Plot summary

Harry Hannan, a covert agent, is reeling from the traumatic death of his wife Dorothy during a covert mission in , where she was caught in a deadly . The incident triggers a severe nervous breakdown, leading to months of treatment in a sanitarium, during which Harry grapples with intense paranoia, vivid hallucinations, and a fractured sense of reality. Upon his release, he returns to his apartment only to discover it has been sublet without his knowledge, forcing his eviction and deepening his isolation. Soon after, Harry receives a cryptic inscribed in ancient Hebrew, signed by an "Avenger of Blood," which intensifies his psychological descent and convinces him that a killer is targeting him personally. Desperate for answers, he encounters Ellie Fabian, a brilliant young graduate student and anthropologist specializing in ancient languages, who agrees to help decode the note and subsequent clues. As they collaborate, a tentative romance develops amid the danger, while Harry navigates encounters with suspicious figures, including a shady , and an enigmatic connected to New York's Jewish community. Their investigation reveals a pattern of murders tied to a dark historical legacy of and corruption within the city's elite Jewish circles during the , where descendants of enslavers are now being systematically targeted for revenge. Harry's pursuit of the truth leads to a frantic chase through iconic New York landmarks, from bustling streets to hidden synagogues, heightening his as hallucinations blur with real threats and he questions his own sanity. The mystery culminates at , where Harry confronts the true mastermind behind the killings in a tense showdown. It is revealed that Ellie, driven by her ancestral ties to the victims of the historical atrocities, has been orchestrating the revenge spree, with Harry unknowingly a descendant of one of the perpetrators. In the film's gripping resolution, Ellie attempts to claim Harry as her final victim, but their struggle ends with her plummeting over the falls after Harry releases her hand, bringing a close to the cycle of vengeance.

Cast and characters

The principal cast of Last Embrace is led by as Harry Hannan, a government agent recovering from a nervous breakdown following the death of his wife during a mission. Janet Margolin portrays Ellie Fabian, a young and graduate student who sublets Hannan's apartment and becomes his ally in navigating the unfolding threats. John Glover plays Richard Peabody, an academic and colleague associated with Fabian, harboring undisclosed motives that add tension to the narrative. Sam Levene appears as Sam Urdell, the crotchety building superintendent who provides local color and incidental support within Hannan's New York environment. Charles Napier is cast as Dave Quittle, Hannan's brother-in-law and fellow government operative who exerts pressure and scrutiny on the protagonist. Christopher Walken takes on the role of Eckart, the enigmatic and condescending head of Hannan's agency, contributing a layer of institutional suspicion. Supporting characters include David Margulies as Rabbi Josh Drexel, a scholarly figure connected to the story's historical and cultural elements, and minor roles such as the doorman who facilitates everyday interactions in the urban setting.

Production

Development

The development of Last Embrace originated with producers Michael Taylor and Dan Wigutow, who acquired the film rights to Murray Teigh Bloom's 1977 novel The 13th Man for $90,000 while serving as executives at . The project marked the inaugural production for their independent company after departing the studio, with retained as distributor from the outset. David Shaber adapted the novel into the screenplay over the course of a year, transforming its espionage-driven narrative into a psychological thriller centered on and urban isolation in . was recruited to direct following the success of his 1977 film Handle with Care, with the intention of crafting a taut "mystery-thriller-romance" that prioritized efficient to resolve potential issues upfront. Demme explicitly rejected any intentional homages to , stating that such references could be "dangerous" and were absent from the film. Casting focused on securing high-profile talent to anchor the suspenseful tone. , riding the wave of fame from Jaws (1975), was producers' top choice for the lead role of Harry Hannan. For the female lead of Ellie Fabian, emerged from auditions involving nearly 100 actresses, bringing a nuanced intensity to the part. The production was allocated a modest budget of approximately $3.6 million by late standards, allowing Demme to emphasize controlled shooting and practical storytelling over extravagant elements.

Filming

Principal photography for Last Embrace commenced in June 1978, primarily in , where the production utilized authentic urban locations to capture the film's tense, paranoia-driven atmosphere. Key sites included , Grand Central Station, the Museum of Natural History, Macy’s department store, the , (for the protagonist Harry's apartment), and interiors, with additional shooting at in for one week. The crew also shot sequences during an eight-hour train journey aboard ’s "Rainbow" line en route to the film's climactic setting. Filming extended to Niagara Falls along the U.S.- border for nine days, incorporating both sides of the location to depict the story's perilous finale; however, the production faced logistical hurdles, including cross-border permit complications that restricted tunnel access to the early morning hours of 3:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., compounded by the challenges of shooting during peak tourist season and managing mist with a specialized spray deflector. Some interiors, including a reproduction of Princeton's for the alternate endings, were completed on the studio lot in . Cinematographer , a frequent collaborator with director , handled the visuals, employing a gritty, location-based approach that emphasized the raw energy of streets and the ominous scale of to underscore the tone. In , editor John F. Link assembled the footage into a taut 102-minute runtime, focusing on rhythmic pacing to heighten during chase sequences and psychological confrontations. The sound design integrated ambient urban noises—such as traffic and crowd murmurs—to immerse viewers in Harry's escalating sense of isolation and threat, though specific credits for the audio team remain unnoted in production records. Minor on-set adjustments included shooting two possible endings at MGM Stage 19, allowing flexibility in the narrative resolution.

Release

Distribution and box office

Last Embrace was theatrically released in the United States on May 4, 1979, by . The film was marketed as a suspenseful thriller in the vein of Alfred Hitchcock's works, with promotional posters featuring in an intense, brooding pose to highlight the psychological tension of his character. The movie achieved a domestic gross of $1,537,125 against a of approximately $3.6 million, marking it as a commercial underperformer. Its limited international distribution focused primarily on and select European markets, including releases in the in September 1979, Portugal and in January 1980, and later that month. Several factors contributed to the film's modest earnings, including its release timing amid competition from major blockbusters such as Alien, which premiered three weeks later and dominated the summer box office. Mixed word-of-mouth, influenced by uneven critical reception, further hampered audience turnout.

Home media

The film received its initial home video release on VHS in 1986 through Key Video, a division handling MGM/UA titles, making it accessible during the burgeoning era of consumer videotape following its modest theatrical performance. A subsequent VHS edition followed in 1993, further extending availability to rental and purchase markets. Last Embrace debuted on laserdisc on October 3, 1997, via Image Entertainment, catering to early adopters of digital optical formats before the DVD transition. The first DVD edition arrived in 2014 from KL Studio Classics (an imprint of Kino Lorber), presented in widescreen with English subtitles but without director commentary or extensive supplements. Kino Lorber issued the film's debut Blu-ray in 2014, featuring a high-definition transfer from a 35mm source, DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono soundtrack, and an audio commentary track by film scholar Daniel Kremer discussing its production context within Jonathan Demme's oeuvre. In 2024, Vinegar Syndrome's Cinématographe label released a remastered 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo, including a new 4K scan from the original negative, Dolby Vision/HDR10 presentation, restored 1.0 mono audio upgraded to DTS-HD, and supplements such as a new commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell, a video essay on the film's Hitchcockian influences, and an archival interview with producer Michael Taylor. Limited collector's editions of the 2024 4K UHD release, such as Syndrome's slipcase version limited to 6,000 units and Video's exclusive packaging, emphasize Demme's early career milestones, including essays on his transition from exploitation films to prestige thrillers. As of 2025, Last Embrace is available for streaming on free ad-supported platforms like and , as well as subscription services including , MGM+, and fuboTV, broadening access beyond .

Reception and legacy

Critical response

Upon its release, Last Embrace received mixed reviews from critics, earning an aggregate score of 58% on based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. Critics frequently praised Roy Scheider's performance as the traumatized agent Harry Hannan, highlighting his nuanced portrayal of psychological distress and as a standout element amid the film's flaws. Similarly, Tak Fujimoto's was lauded for its visual inventiveness, with reviewers noting the exceptional composition and flair in nearly every shot, contributing to the film's atmospheric tension. However, the film faced significant criticism for its implausible plot twists, uneven pacing, and heavy reliance on coincidences, which undermined the suspense. , in a television review alongside , dismissed it harshly with two out of four stars, describing the narrative as confusing and poorly constructed. Other outlets echoed these sentiments, pointing to the story's tonal inconsistencies and failure to build sustained momentum. On a more positive note, reviewers appreciated the chemistry between Scheider and as the anthropologist Ellie Fabian, which added emotional depth to their interactions, and commended Jonathan Demme's direction for effectively sustaining moments of suspense in the Hitchcockian tradition. In retrospective analyses, Last Embrace has been viewed as an underrated entry in Demme's filmography, valued for its early experimentation with thriller elements that foreshadowed his later success with The Silence of the Lambs.

Cultural impact

Last Embrace contributed to the late 1970s wave of thrillers, blending psychological tension with urban paranoia in a manner that echoed the genre's revival into the . Its exploration of a government agent's unraveling psyche amid shadowy conspiracies parallels the deeper psychological layers seen in later works like David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986), emphasizing personal breakdown against societal unease. In Jonathan Demme's career, the film served as an early showcase of his thriller sensibilities, marking a transition from his exploitation roots to more ambitious studio projects. It highlighted innovative techniques like subjective point-of-view shots and unmotivated camera movements, which would refine in his later Oscar-winning efforts such as The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Despite its initial mixed reception, Last Embrace demonstrated Demme's ability to infuse genre conventions with on power and American history. The film's themes of , particularly through its depiction of third-generation Jewish characters entangled in ancient vendettas. It receives rare but notable nods in pop culture, such as discussions in podcasts highlighting overlooked thrillers from Demme's oeuvre. A 2024 4K UHD release has spurred reevaluation among Demme enthusiasts, enhancing its visibility through restored visuals that underscore its stylistic flair. However, its legacy remains limited, with no significant merchandising or adaptations stemming from its commercial underperformance at the .

References

  1. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/54777
  2. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_embrace
  3. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/murray-teigh-bloom/the-13th-man/
  4. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/04/archives/movie-last-embrace-a-herobesieged-thrillerthe-game-is-deadly.html
  5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079437/
  6. http://doriantb.blogspot.com/2013/11/sam-levene-what-character.html
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/13/archives/demmes-newest-film-sets-a-recordof-sorts-keeps-the-stakes-small.html
  8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079437/fullcredits
  9. https://www.mondo-digital.com/lastembrace.html
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  12. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Alien-%281979%29
  13. https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/last-embrace/
  14. https://movies.fandom.com/wiki/Last_Embrace/Home_media
  15. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Embrace-Roy-Scheider/dp/B00MBVLEBU
  16. https://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/134868/lastembrace4kultrahdbluraycinematographe.html
  17. https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/last-embrace
  18. https://grindhousevideo.com/products/last-embrace-limited-edition-4k-uhd-blu-ray
  19. https://tubitv.com/movies/100001466/last-embrace
  20. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Embrace-Jonathan-Demme/dp/B0F5NGW6DG
  21. https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/last-embrace
  22. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/85901139/la-weekly-last-embrace-review/
  23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fRgZryWDnM
  24. https://gonewiththetwins.com/last-embrace-1979/
  25. http://doriantb.blogspot.com/2010/11/last-embrace-when-harry-met-ellie.html
  26. http://www.fthismovie.net/2014/11/director-essentials-jonathan-demme.html
  27. https://www.talkhouse.com/jim-hemphill-the-trouble-with-the-truth-talks-jonathan-demmes-last-embrace/
  28. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/20-years-later-jonathan-demme-201533005.html
  29. https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2017/apr/26/jonathan-demme-silence-of-the-lambs-peter-bradshaw
  30. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/05/04/last-embrace-the-thriller-as-ethnic/3abd0524-946e-44f0-ba1c-935a245bf5a7/
  31. https://blank-check.fandom.com/wiki/Citizens_Band/Last_Embrace
  32. https://horrorcultfilms.co.uk/2015/11/last-embrace-1979/
  33. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/news/jonathan-demme-obituary-cinema-heart-soul-funk-fight
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