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  • The Moving Finger (1963)
  • Not Rated
    81 min | Drama
The Moving Finger (1963)
Not Rated
81 min | Drama

A rare beatnik artifact of the early 1960s, one of only a few such films made before the hippies took over Hollywood. Low budget and in b&w, it's set in Greenwich Village, with what seems like a mostly improvised script. It begins as a ...See moreA rare beatnik artifact of the early 1960s, one of only a few such films made before the hippies took over Hollywood. Low budget and in b&w, it's set in Greenwich Village, with what seems like a mostly improvised script. It begins as a late film noir crime tale involving a bank robbery where only one of a group of thieves escapes with his life, as well as $90,000 in loot. Injured and on the run, he hides in a local tour bus and is soon taken in by a group of bohemians who shoot him full of morphine to ease his pain and let him sleep it off on a mattress. Mason is the head beatnik. There's also the owner of both an upstairs coffeehouse and garret, where these beatniks hang out. They, in turn, bring the tourist trade in. Although the robbery is supposed to be the main focus of the plot, it quickly turns into more of a character study featuring these rebellious bon vivants and their odd lifestyle, which includes smoking and selling dope, mooching at art galleries, long conversations about all sorts of things and a beat shindig, shot Cinema Verite style in the director's actual apartment. Along the way, they do things like shower together at the home of an heiress and mostly plot ways to get the bank heist money away from Mason, who's too clean-cut to be one of them, but wins us over with his naturally arrogant charisma. The whole thing climaxes at the Feast of San Gennaro, in a typically documentary style conclusion. Written by Richard Santoro See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
Writers
Charles R. Allen Jr. (writer) | Robert Cordier (writer) | Richard Dowling (writer) | Carlo Fiore (screenplay) | Larry Moyer (screenplay)
Producer
Larry Moyer (producer)
Cinematographer
Editor
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Status
Edit Released
Updated Dec 31, 1963

Release date
Dec 1963 (United States)
Awards

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Cast

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32 cast members
Name Known for
Lionel Stander
Anatole Anatole   See fewer
Art Smith
Doctor Doctor   See fewer
Wendy Barrie
Gloria La Marque Gloria La Marque   See fewer
Monroe Arnold
Detective Zac Detective Zac   See fewer
Otto Mjaanes
Huntington Huntington   See fewer
Garry Goodrow
Sweater Sweater   See fewer
Carol Fleming
Angel (as Carole Fleming) Angel (as Carole Fleming)   See fewer
Zelda R. Suplee
Woman (as Zelda Suplee) Woman (as Zelda Suplee)   See fewer
Mike Dana
Vince Vince   See fewer
Louis Basile
Actor (as Louis Bacile) Actor (as Louis Bacile)   See fewer
Big Brown
Actor Actor   See fewer
Saliha Curtis
Actress Actress   See fewer
Joe Gorenstein
Actor (as Joe "The Russian'' Gorenstein) Actor (as Joe "The Russian'' Gorenstein)   See fewer
Maurice
Poetry Man (as Maurice "Prince of Bohemia") Poetry Man (as Maurice "Prince of Bohemia")   See fewer
Marla Penn
Actress Actress   See fewer
Marcia Speinson
Actress Actress   See fewer
Sara Stephens
Actress Actress   See fewer
Sandy Walsh
Actress Actress   See fewer
Moondog
Self (uncredited) Self (uncredited)   See fewer
Shel Silverstein
Party Attendee (uncredited) Party Attendee (uncredited)   See fewer
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