00:00Point Blank marked the Hollywood debut for British director John Borman, who had only
00:03made one other feature film before this. Borman met producer Judd Bernard on a trip to Los
00:08Angeles, and when Bernard presented him with the script for Point Blank, he became fascinated
00:13with the lead character. Lee Marvin felt the same way, and he agreed to make the film with
00:17Borman, even though he'd never seen any of the director's work. Marvin was a major
00:21movie star at this point in his career. He'd gotten started in Hollywood in the early 1950s,
00:26but spent most of the decade playing small supporting roles. He made a strong impact
00:31in many of them, including The Big Heat, The Wild One, and Bad Day at Black Rock. But his
00:36career didn't really take off until the following decade. In 1967, when he made Point Blank,
00:42he was coming off a string of starring performances in acclaimed hits, including The Dirty Dozen
00:47and Cat Baloo, which had won him an Academy Award. He was given enormous creative control
00:52over the production of Point Blank, but in a show of trust, he turned most of his power
00:57over to John Borman and supported the director's vision throughout the production.
01:03Next on TCM, Scarecrow, then Dog Day Afternoon, and later, Pale Flower, Noir Alley's No Bed of Roses Tonight.
