The Bad Seed

Director: Mervyn LeRoy

Overview

"This melodramatic thriller about a very, very bad little girl comes to DVD in a presentation which should please the members of its cult following. The Bad Seed has been transferred to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been

Product Details

Release Date:	09/13/2005
UPC:	0085393352424
Original Release:	1956
Rating:	NR
Source:	WARNER HOME VIDEO
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:09:00
Sales rank:	4,233

Special Features

Closed Caption;Commentary by Patty McCormack and Charles Busch; New making-of documentary "Enfant Terrible: A Conversation With Patty McCormack"; Theatrical trailer; Subtitles: English, Fran?ais, and Espa?ol

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Patty McCormack	Rhoda Penmark
Nancy Kelly	Mrs. Christine Penmark
Eileen Heckart	Mrs. Daigle
Henry Jones	Radio Voice,LeRoy, Handyman,
William Hopper	Col. Kenneth Penmark
Evelyn Varden	Monica Breedlove
Paul Fix	Bravo
Jesse White	Emory
Gage Clarke	Tasker
Joan Croydon	Miss Fern
Frank Cady	Mr. Daigle
Alex North	Composer

Technical Credits

John Lee Mahin

John Lee Mahin	Screenwriter
Mervyn LeRoy	Producer

Scene Index

Side #1 --
1. Credits [1:33]
2. Goodbye, Ladies [3:32]
3. Gifts From Monica [2:02]
4. LeRoy and Miss Uppity [5:32]
5. Does She Fit In? [2:07]
6. Pathological Lunch Talk [5:35]
7. Tragic News [2:38]
8. Behaving Very Well [3:29]
9. Lost in Thought [3:09]
10. Miss Fern's Suspicions [6:22]
11. Somethin' Funny to Mrs. Daigle [7:18]
12. Kenneth's Concern [1:55]
13. The Discovery [1:53]
14. Rhoda Tells the Truth [6:42]
15. "I Wish She Were Mine" [1:38]
16. LeRoy Figures It Out [4:47]
17. Testing for Blood [2:08]
18. Can Children Kill? [3:02]
19. Bad Seeds [5:44]
20. Christine's Old Fear [4:50]
21. Not a Dream [5:13]
22. On Purpose [:03]
23. "I Believe You Did It" [6:20]
24. Playing With Matches [5:54]
25. You Must Sleep [1:26]
26. Drunk and Unfortunate [2:11]
27. Cries for Help [7:00]
28. New Vitamins [5:21]
29. Dream Well [5:02]
30. What Kenneth Still Has [1:50]
31. Specious Theorizing [3:41]
32. "How Long Do Lovebirds Live?" [1:26]
33. Errand in the Night [1:42]
34. Phone Call [1:37]
35. Retribution [1:29]
36. Wonderful Cast: Coda [:54]

Menu

Side #1 --
Play Movie
Scene Selections
Special Features
Commentary by Patty McCormack and Charles Busch
Enfant Terrible: A Conversation With Patty McCormack
Theatrical Trailer
Languages
Spoken Languages: English
Subtitles: English
Subtitles: Français
Subtitles: Español
Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

Often imitated but never really equaled, this chilling 1956 melodrama adapted from Maxwell Anderson's stage play (which in turn was taken from a novel by William March) boldly and unapologetically depicts an angelic-looking girl with homicidal instincts. Patty McCormack stills sends shivers up and down viewers' spines with her portrayal of the innocent-looking grade school student Rhoda Penmark, who deliberately murders a classmate because he won the penmanship medal she coveted. Nancy Kelly does well with the difficult role of the mother who gradually discovers that her precious baby is a killer, and William Hopper is equally good as the adoring father who fails to grasp the truth. John Lee Mahin's screenplay hews closely to Anderson's play, and as a result the film bears many hallmarks of a theatrical production. But director Mervyn LeRoy builds steadily to a crescendo of horror that is all the more frightening because it plays out in a "normal" setting. His handling of the material leaves nothing to be desired, and from Nancy Kelly -- a pleasant but minor actress who'd already been in films for 20 years when The Bad Seed was produced -- he elicits the performance of a lifetime, one that earned her an Oscar nomination. While not as coarse or graphic as today's thrillers, The Bad Seed remains a daring and impressive movie that lingers in the memories of all who have seen it.