John Huston

Wise Blood

Wise Blood

In this acclaimed adaptation of the first novel by legendary Southern writer Flannery O’Connor, John Huston vividly brings to life her poetic world of American eccentricity. Brad Dourif, in an impassioned performance, is Hazel Motes, who, fresh out of the army, attempts to open the first Church Without Christ in the small town of Taulkinham. Populated with inspired performances that seem to spring right from O’Connor’s pages, Huston’s Wise Blood is an incisive portrait of spirituality and Evangelicalism, and a faithful, loving evocation of a writer’s vision.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1979
  • 105 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.78:1
  • English
  • Spine #470

Special Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • New interviews with actor Brad Dourif, writer Benedict Fitzgerald, and writer-producer Michael Fitzgerald
  • Rare archival audio recording of author Flannery O’Connor reading her short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
  • A 28-minute episode of the television program Creativity with Bill Moyers from 1982, featuring John Huston discussing his life and work
  • Theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by author Francine Prose

    New cover by Josh Cochran

Purchase Options

Special Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • New interviews with actor Brad Dourif, writer Benedict Fitzgerald, and writer-producer Michael Fitzgerald
  • Rare archival audio recording of author Flannery O’Connor reading her short story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”
  • A 28-minute episode of the television program Creativity with Bill Moyers from 1982, featuring John Huston discussing his life and work
  • Theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by author Francine Prose

    New cover by Josh Cochran
Wise Blood
Cast
Brad Dourif
Hazel Motes
Ned Beatty
Hoover Shoates
Harry Dean Stanton
Asa Hawks
Dan Shor
Enoch Emory
Amy Wright
Sabbath Lily
Mary Nell Santacroce
Landlady
William Hickey
Preacher
John Huston
Grandfather
Credits
Director
John Huston
From the novel by
Flannery O’Connor
Producer
Michael Fitzgerald
Producer
Kathy Fitzgerald
Assistant director
Tom Shaw
Associate producer
Hans Brockmann
Music
Alex North
Editing
Roberto Silvi
Screenplay
Benedict Fitzgerald
Screenplay
Michael Fitzgerald
Cinematography
Gerry Fisher, B.S.C.

Current

Wise Blood: A Matter of Life and Death
Wise Blood: A Matter of Life and Death
Novelists learn not to expect too much when their books are made into movies. Obviously, great fiction has been turned into great cinema, but the dents and scrapes that so many classics have sustained on the rocky road from the page to the screen hav…

By Francine Prose

Owen Kline’s Top 10
Owen Kline’s Top 10

The director of Funny Pages gathers an eccentric list of favorite films, including classics by W. C. Fields, Robert Downey Sr., and Robert Montgomery.

Illustrator Josh Cochran Taps into His Dark Side

Studio Visits

Illustrator Josh Cochran Taps into His Dark Side

Known for his bold colors and humorous drawings, the Brooklyn-based artist took on the challenge of summoning a stark, ominous intensity for our covers of Wise Blood and Shallow Grave.

Fallen Child: Amy Wright in Wise Blood

Performances

Fallen Child: Amy Wright in Wise Blood

The great character actress delivers a lusty, unbridled performance as a preacher’s daughter in this late-career gem from John Huston.

By Shonni Enelow

Lions in Winter
Lions in Winter
Some of cinema’s most revered directors enjoyed extraordinary bursts of creative energy during their twilight years, delivering films that showcase a mastery of the craft they had honed over their long careers. This week on the Criterion Channel, o…
Harry Dean Stanton Turns Ninety
Harry Dean Stanton Turns Ninety

In honor of the actor’s birthday, we revisit an interview he gave to Interview magazine in 1991, following the release of David Lynch’s Wild at Heart.

K. K. Barrett’s Top 10
K. K. Barrett’s Top 10

“These are ten films that tickle me in the right places,” says Academy Award–nominated production designer K. K. Barrett.