Cry Rape (1973)
A tense 1973 TV crime drama that pits a rape victim's certainty against an accused man's desperate claim of mistaken identity.
Cry Rape - Movie Information
- Release Year: 1973
- Directed by: Corey Allen
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Crime, Drama, TV Movie
- Age Rating (US): NR
- Runtime: 1h 13m
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: English
- Release Date (Theatrical): November 27, 1973
- Production Companies: Leonard Freeman Production, Warner Bros. Television
- Production Countries: United States of America
Cry Rape - Plot
A man who is arrested for rape swears it wasn't him but somebody who looks just like him, but the victim insists it was him.
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Cry Rape - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Corey Allen
Main Cast
- Andrea Marcovicci
- Peter Coffield
- Greg Mullavey
- Joseph Sirola
- Lesley Woods
- Patricia Mattick
- James Luisi
- Robert Hogan
- Jana Bellan
- Howard Platt
Writers
- Will Lorin
- Leonard Freeman
Producers
- Al Adamson
- Will Lorin
Cry Rape - FAQs
What is Cry Rape about?
Cry Rape follows a man arrested for sexual assault who insists his lookalike is the real perpetrator. The victim, however, is convinced he is guilty. The film explores the agonizing collision between a survivor's certainty and an accused man's desperate claim of mistaken identity, raising uncomfortable questions about truth and justice.
Does Cry Rape take sides — victim or accused?
That's the film's central tension. Cry Rape deliberately keeps viewers uncertain, presenting both the victim's unwavering identification and the accused man's credible denial. Rather than offering easy answers, it forces the audience to sit with the discomfort of a case where two people may both be telling the truth as they experienced it.
Is Cry Rape based on a true story?
Cry Rape is not documented as being based on a specific real case. Written by Will Lorin and Leonard Freeman, it draws on the very real phenomenon of eyewitness misidentification in sexual assault cases — a subject that was beginning to receive serious legal and social scrutiny in the early 1970s.
Who are the main actors in Cry Rape?
The cast is led by Andrea Marcovicci as Betty Jenner, the assault victim, and Peter Coffield as Andy Coleman, the accused man. Greg Mullavey plays Liam Price, with Joseph Sirola and James Luisi as the investigating detectives. Robert Hogan, Lesley Woods, and Howard Platt round out the supporting ensemble.
How does the mistaken identity theme unfold in the film?
The accused insists someone who looks just like him committed the assault, a claim that strains credibility for detectives and the victim alike. As the story unfolds, the film examines how the justice system handles conflicting testimony, putting pressure on both the accused's alibi and the reliability of eyewitness identification in traumatic circumstances.
Who directed Cry Rape and when was it released?
Cry Rape was directed by Corey Allen, best known as an actor in Rebel Without a Cause before transitioning to a prolific television directing career. The film aired on November 27, 1973, as a CBS TV movie, produced by Leonard Freeman Production and Warner Bros. Television.
Is Cry Rape considered a significant TV movie of its era?
Cry Rape is regarded as a notably bold television film for its time. Early 1970s TV movies were beginning to tackle socially charged subjects head-on, and this one confronted sexual assault and the fallibility of eyewitness testimony with unusual directness for network television, making it a meaningful artifact of that era's social conscience programming.
What are some films similar to Cry Rape?
If Cry Rape's themes of mistaken identity and justice resonate with you, consider Outrage (1950), an early Hollywood film tackling sexual assault, or They Made Me a Fugitive (1947) for a wrongful accusation thriller. The Assault (2014) and Time Without Pity (1957) also explore the human cost of a justice system under pressure.
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