Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Republic Pictures
Not part of a collection.
HER ARMS...HER LOVE...HIS ONLY ESCAPE FROM A HERITAGE OF HATE!
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.
CinemaSerf
Jul 9, 2022 · via TMDB
This is actually quite a complex psychological thriller which very much looks at the sins of the father being visited on the child. In this case Dane Clark is "Danny Hawkins" whose father was hanged for murder. Persecuted and shunned by his peers as a youth, he is finally starting to get his life in some sort of order when he accidentally gets into a fight and kills a man over a girl "Gilly" (Gail Johnson) in whom he confides. When she tries to get him to notify the police, he gets spooked and flees. The contours of the film offer a love story and a murder mystery along with some interesting observations - especially from Rex Ingram as the sagely old "Mose" about human dignity and integrity. On the downside, Clark is just a bit too lightweight for the lead - the part could really do with someone a bit more heavyweight, but overall it is an intriguing look at behaviour and judgement that is worth and hour and half of anyone's time.
John Chard
Dec 9, 2018 · via TMDB
What I did was resign from the human race. Directed by Frank Borzage and adapted from the novel by Theodore Strauss, Moonrise sees Dane Clark playing Danny Hawkins, the son of a man who was hanged for his crimes. Tormented by his father's past and bullied about it as a child, Hawkins grows into a confused and resentful man. Striking out at anyone foolish enough to cross his fractured state of mind, tragedy is quick to strike, sending Hawkins deep into the Southern mire. Can solace come in the form of Gilly Johnson? (Gail Russell) or is it simply too late to rejoin the human race? We open with a hazy reflection that merges into the feet of walking men, men walking to the gallows as Danny Hawkins' father is hanged. The mood is well and truly set for Borzage's dreamy film noir. It's something of an oddity in many ways for it most assuredly is film noir, certainly in texture and on the technical issues it is, yet an overtly poetic heart and a distinctly less than broody ending almost steer it to being fanciful fluff. Borzage and his cinematographer, John L. Russell (in one of his first prominent assignments), do wonders with the atmosphere of the piece. Set in the steamy South, shadows and darkness are a constant and rewarding part of proceedings, while swinging lights and conversations filmed at midriffs further enhance the skew whiff state of Dane Clark's protagonist. Also of note is that some scenes showcase why Borzage was rightly held in high regard back in the day, a Ferris Wheel, a car crash and a Racoon tree top sequence (that upset and engrossed me simultaneously) are just some of the reasons why this is a must see for Borzage enthusiasts. Coming as it does out of the Republic Pictures house of "B" moviedom, it's natural to expect some low budgetary issues. However, this is a splendid production belying its "B" movie worth. The cast are fine, with Clark particularly doing well as his character battles with anger and warmth issues, and the sets and location work are effective and benefit the story greatly. Thankfully, and even though it has no restoration, the picture quality is very good, the sound mix is a bit down at times, but by and large this one has transfered well to prints being shown on British TV. With a support cast containing Ethel Barrymore, Allyn Joslyn (excellent), Henry Morgan, Harry Carey Jr and a brief Lloyd Bridges, this is a recommended film of course. But I can't, and will not, vouch for the ending appeasing all comers. 7/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Fandango At Home
TCM
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Fandango At Home
Dane Clark
Danny Hawkins
Gail Russell
Gilly Johnson
Ethel Barrymore
Grandma
Allyn Joslyn
Clem Otis
Rex Ingram
Mose
Harry Morgan
Billy Scripture
David Street
Ken Williams
Selena Royle
Aunt Jessie
Harry Carey Jr.
Jimmy Biff
Irving Bacon
Judd Jenkins
Lloyd Bridges
Jerry Sykes
Houseley Stevenson
Uncle Joe Jingle
Phil Brown
Elmer - Soda Jerk
Harry Cheshire
J.B. Sykes
Lila Leeds
Julie
Oliver Blake
Ed Conlon
Tom Fadden
Homer Blackstone
Charles Lane
Mr. Chandler
Clem Bevans
Coroner
George Backus
—
Bill Borzage
—
John Harmon
—
Robert "Buzz" Henry
—
Shep Houghton
—
Tommy Ivo
—
Harry Lauter
—
Lee Miller
—
Monte Montague
—
Frank O'Connor
—
Amzie Strickland
—
Candy Toxton
—
Archie Twitchell
—
Helen Wallace
—
Frank Borzage
Director
William Lava
Original Music Composer
Alexandra
Monika
The Final Note
Anthropics
My Hope
High and Low
Sunset Boulevard
Casablanca
8½
Una cita con la vida
Detrás de la mentira
Rebecca
Ace in the Hole
Pather Panchali
Mystic River
Touch of Evil
Cool Hand Luke
Notorious
Viridiana
Strangers on a Train
The Killing
Sweet Smell of Success
Elevator to the Gallows
Thelma & Louise
Laura
Mildred Pierce
The Conformist
First Blood
Birdman of Alcatraz
Gilda
In Bruges
Ray
The Set-Up
The Lady from Shanghai
REM
The Letter
Murder, My Sweet
Where the Sidewalk Ends
An Inspector Calls
A History of Violence
Chicago
Sissi: The Young Empress
Small Change
Grave Decisions
Angel Face
Garden State
The Country Girl
Caché
Die Anruferin
The Eye on the Nape
The Blue-collar Man
Insomnia
Hunted
Alphaville
Crazy Heart
12 and Holding
Raindrops, Waters, Warriors
Body and Soul
Enough
Martian Child
A Little Bit of Soul
The Inheritors
May
The Damned Thing
Secret Beyond the Door
Paranoid Park
Cry Me a Sad River
The 24th Day
Honey
Slightly Scarlet
Killer's Kiss
The Bribe
Fatal Defense
Suspense
The Undercover Man
Crime of Passion
Peacock
Impact
Ken Park
Miss Meadows
Bounce
Conference
Cut Bank
Home Sweet Home
The Doldrums or How to Cure Sadness
The Cache
Midsummer
Running Scared
Lemon Milk
Port of New York
Yellowneck
Strange Triangle
Green Light
Devil's Harvest
Details
Her Satanic Majesty
The Girl with the Golden Chain
I Am
Shokee, the Everglades Panther
Gobsmacked
A un paso de la soledad
Under Glass
The Room
The Greenstreet Affair
Lá em cima do piano
Poison on the Rocks
The Waking Call
Pavements
A Beautiful Day to Die
10 Minuten
Background Action
All Four Won
Palmer
Prayers for Bobby
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Room
To Kill a Mockingbird
Spotlight
White Heat
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Fabelmans
I Can Only Imagine
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Boyhood
Rebel Without a Cause
The Book of Henry
Hamlet
Ordinary People
Nocturnal Animals
The Judge
Cape Fear
Till
This Boy's Life
What Maisie Knew
Boy A
The Glass Castle
Dead Man's Shoes
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
The Lovely Bones
Natural Born Killers
As You Are
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Juror #2
Fences
The Return
The Chronology of Water
Swimming Upstream
The Son
Acrimony
Embattled
A Dry White Season
American Violet
May December
Sweet Girl
The Whole Truth
Starving in Suburbia
Luckiest Girl Alive
Losing Isaiah
Killer's Kiss
Eye for an Eye
Silent Night
180
Grandview, U.S.A.
God's Pocket
Oct 1, 1948
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
Pizza Friday
Carícia Fatal
2007
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
Pizza Friday
Carícia Fatal
2007
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.