• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ransom Center Magazine

  • Sections
    • Art
    • Books + Manuscripts
    • Conservation
    • Exhibitions + Events
    • Film
    • Literature
    • Photography
    • Research + Teaching
    • Theatre + Performing Arts
  • Archive
  • Print Edition

vengeance is mine

In the Galleries: Robert De Niro’s King James Version-inspired tattoos in "Cape Fear"

June 27, 2012 - Io Paulo Montecillo

A production still of Robert De Niro as Max Cady, the bible verse-tattoo sporting convict from "Cape Fear."

The 1991 Martin Scorsese–directed thriller Cape Fear may seem an unlikely candidate for documenting the use and influence of the King James Bible, but its central character, Max Cady, as played by Robert De Niro, wielded biblical verses like weapons.

This aspect of Cady was absent in both the original 1962 film starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum and in The Executioners (1957), the novel by John D. MacDonald on which the film was based.

Cape Fear follows Cady, a convicted felon, as he seeks vengeance against his attorney, Sam Bowden. While in prison, Cady learned that Bowden suppressed information that might have resulted in a lighter sentence or acquittal. The biblical story of Job’s suffering looms large as a model for Cady’s punishment of Bowden.

The research materials from the Robert De Niro collection reveal the extent to which De Niro was involved in the development of the Pentecostal past of and biblical influence on Cady. To prepare for the role, De Niro consulted multiple Bibles, a concordance, Bible study guides, Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Book of Job, and books and articles about Pentecostalism and Pentecostal worship.

Screenwriter Wesley Strick recalled, “Every scene of Bob’s, he would call me and say, ‘Can Max say something else here about vengeance, from the Bible?’” De Niro also worked closely with Scorcese and artist Ilona Herman to identify Bible verses and designs for Cady’s extensive tattoos.

Cape Fear did not offer viewers a traditional Bible story. Indeed, Cady’s use of the Bible was troubling for many audiences, and it contributed to the tension of the film. One critic observed, “The dissonance between the cultural expectations we associate with the Bible and our immediate perception of this character [as evil] contributes to the sustained horror of the film.”

Materials from Cape Fear and other films influenced by the King James Bible are on view in the exhibition The King James Bible: Its History and Influence through July 29.

Please click on the thumbnails below to view full-size images.

Highlighted passages from the King James Bible Robert De Niro used while preparing for his role as Max Cady in "Cape Fear."
Highlighted passages from the King James Bible Robert De Niro used while preparing for his role as Max Cady in “Cape Fear.”
A production still of Robert De Niro as Max Cady, the bible verse-tattoo sporting convict from "Cape Fear."
A production still of Robert De Niro as Max Cady, the bible verse-tattoo sporting convict from “Cape Fear.”
Bible verse-tattoos sported by Robert De Niro's chararcter Max Cady in "Cape Fear."
Bible verse-tattoos sported by Robert De Niro’s chararcter Max Cady in “Cape Fear.”
A production still of Robert De Niro as Max Cady, the bible verse-tattoo sporting convict from "Cape Fear."
A production still of Robert De Niro as Max Cady, the bible verse-tattoo sporting convict from “Cape Fear.”
Bible verse-tattoos sported by Robert De Niro's chararcter Max Cady in "Cape Fear."
Bible verse-tattoos sported by Robert De Niro’s character Max Cady in “Cape Fear.”
Highlighted passages from the King James Bible Robert De Niro used while preparing for his role as Max Cady in "Cape Fear."
Highlighted passages from the King James Bible Robert De Niro used while preparing for his role as Max Cady in “Cape Fear.”

Filed Under: Exhibitions + Events, Film Tagged With: Cape Fear, cultural influence, Exhibitions, Film, Ilona Herman, Martin Scorsese, Max Cady, movies, Robert De Niro, Robert De Niro collection, tattoos, The King James Bible: Its History and Influence, vengeance is mine, Wesley Strick

Primary Sidebar

Archive

Tags

acquisition Alice's Adventures in Wonderland archive archives Art Books Cataloging Conservation Council on Library and Information Resources David Foster Wallace David O. Selznick digitization exhibition Exhibitions Fellows Find Fellowships Film Frank Reaugh Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West Gabriel Garcia Marquez Gabriel Garcia Marquez archive Gone with the Wind I have seen the Future: Norman Bel Geddes Designs America Lewis Carroll literature Magnum Photos Manuscripts Meet the Staff Nobel Prize Norman Bel Geddes Norman Mailer Performing Arts Photography poetry preservation Publishing Research Robert De Niro Shakespeare theater The King James Bible: Its History and Influence The Making of Gone With The Wind Undergraduate What is Research? World War I

Recent Posts

  • The Knickerbocker Theatre Collapse
  • On the Record: Black Creators and the Jazz Age
  • Ransom Center experience leads to new challenge
  • Films represented in the Drawing the Motion Picture exhibition
  • Celebrate with us in 2023

Before Footer

Sign up for eNews

Our monthly newsletter highlights news, exhibitions, and programs.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About

Ransom Center Magazine is an online and print publication sharing stories and news about the Harry Ransom Center, its collections, and the creative community surrounding it.

Copyright © 2023 Harry Ransom Center

Web Accessibility · Web Privacy