A series of strangulation murders of Boston women sparks a protracted complex manhunt. Law professor John Bottomley leads a multi-jurisdictional task force in the investigation, with help fr... Read allA series of strangulation murders of Boston women sparks a protracted complex manhunt. Law professor John Bottomley leads a multi-jurisdictional task force in the investigation, with help from surviving victim Diane Cluny.A series of strangulation murders of Boston women sparks a protracted complex manhunt. Law professor John Bottomley leads a multi-jurisdictional task force in the investigation, with help from surviving victim Diane Cluny.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTony Curtis was generally considered too old to play Albert DeSalvo, despite being only six years older than DeSalvo. At the times of the murders DeSalvo was only in his early thirties.
- GoofsIn the film, it is assumed DeSalvo was guilty, and it portrays him as suffering from multiple personality disorder and committing the murders whilst in a psychotic state. DeSalvo was never diagnosed with, or even suspected of, having that disorder.
- Quotes
Capt. Ed Willis: Everybody's banging everybody. It's a horny world.
- Crazy creditsClosing credits epilogue; ALBERT DESALVO, PRESENTLY IMPRISONED IN WALPOLE, MASSACHUSETTS, HAS NEVER BEEN INDICTED OR TRIED FOR THE BOSTON STRANGLINGS.
THIS FILM HAS ENDED, BUT THE RESPONSIBILTY OF SOCIETY FOR THE EARLY RECOGNITION AND TREATMENT OF THE VIOLENT AMONG US HAS YET TO BEGIN.
- Alternate versionsThe original UK cinema version suffered heavy BBFC cuts with edits to shots of a woman's dead body, the murder scenes, and the removal of graphic descriptions of the murder victims. Video versions were cut by 1 min 5 secs and reduced the torture of Dianne Cluny to a series of flash shots by removing facial closeups, a shot of her kicking, and detailed footage of her arms and legs being tied to the bed. The cuts were fully restored in the 2004 TCF widescreen DVD.
- ConnectionsEdited into Voskovec & Werich - paralelní osudy (2012)
- SoundtracksSemper Fidelis
(uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Heard from the television during the opening scene
Also played during the flashback montage
Featured review
Tony Curtis embraces the unpleasant
Based on the real-life series of murders in Boston from 1962-64, this police procedural has close to a documentary-style approach. The filmmakers also utilized the split-screen technique briefly popular back then, in other films such as "The Thomas Crown Affair." More than just splitting the screen in two, there are sometimes as many as 5 different images dividing the screen, and a widescreen version is necessary to get the full effect. Here, the technique is used to display the actions of both the victim and the serial killer at the same time, viewing their movements preceding the actual murders. Some viewers may find their concentration divided to a greater degree than they would like.
The first half of the film shows how the police deal with (or, try to) the number of female bodies steadily piling up in the city. Some of the material is dated, with homosexuals being the primary suspects, and various types of perverts, like peeping toms, rounded up in unintentionally amusing scenes (see also "The Detective"1968 with Frank Sinatra for similar scenes of the homosexual community persecuted by the police dept.). Fonda plays the chief investigator, placed in charge against his wishes, but who soon accepts the gravity of the situation. George Kennedy is one of the main detectives.
Curtis doesn't appear until the first hour ends. As an actor, he immersed himself in this unpleasant role, and, from the first minute he's seen on screen, all his past film roles are summarily wiped away. He was a star for close to 15 years at that point and all those comedies & sappy adventures he'd been in immediately disappear from one's mind. It's a rather astounding feat - who knew he was this method actor? But, he wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. Also, unlike, for example, Travolta's comeback in "Pulp Fiction"(94), this did not revitalize his career. Sally Kellerman("M*A*S*H",1970) also appears in an early role as a victim who just may survive. Look also for, in a very early role, James Brolin in one scene as a police sgt. caught in some indiscretion by a supposed clairvoyant. Modern filmmakers should also check out some of director Fleischer's techniques towards the end, in that white room with Curtis.
The first half of the film shows how the police deal with (or, try to) the number of female bodies steadily piling up in the city. Some of the material is dated, with homosexuals being the primary suspects, and various types of perverts, like peeping toms, rounded up in unintentionally amusing scenes (see also "The Detective"1968 with Frank Sinatra for similar scenes of the homosexual community persecuted by the police dept.). Fonda plays the chief investigator, placed in charge against his wishes, but who soon accepts the gravity of the situation. George Kennedy is one of the main detectives.
Curtis doesn't appear until the first hour ends. As an actor, he immersed himself in this unpleasant role, and, from the first minute he's seen on screen, all his past film roles are summarily wiped away. He was a star for close to 15 years at that point and all those comedies & sappy adventures he'd been in immediately disappear from one's mind. It's a rather astounding feat - who knew he was this method actor? But, he wasn't even nominated for an Oscar. Also, unlike, for example, Travolta's comeback in "Pulp Fiction"(94), this did not revitalize his career. Sally Kellerman("M*A*S*H",1970) also appears in an early role as a victim who just may survive. Look also for, in a very early role, James Brolin in one scene as a police sgt. caught in some indiscretion by a supposed clairvoyant. Modern filmmakers should also check out some of director Fleischer's techniques towards the end, in that white room with Curtis.
helpful•354
- Bogmeister
- Aug 1, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Bostonski davitelj
- Filming locations
- Longfellow Bridge, Boston, Massachusetts, USA(fighting hippie couple scene)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $4,100,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $9,439
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
![The Boston Strangler (1968)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYmQ2NWRlZjktMTgyMy00OTgxLTg1ZTQtYzExMjU1YjFjZTYxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxMTY0OTQ@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)