Adapted by James Agee from a novel by Davis Grubb, The Night of the Hunter represented legendary actor Charles Laughton's only film directing effort. Combining stark realism with Germanic expressionism, the movie is a brilliant good-and-evil parable, with good represented by a couple of farm kids and a pious old lady, and evil .. Read more
| Starring | Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason |
|---|---|
| Director | Charles Laughton |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
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Adapted by James Agee from a novel by Davis Grubb, The Night of the Hunter represented legendary actor Charles Laughton's only film directing effort. Combining stark realism with Germanic expressionism, the movie is a brilliant good-and-evil parable, with good represented by a couple of farm kids and a pious old lady, and evil literally in the hands of a posturing psychopath. Imprisoned with thief Ben Harper (Peter Graves), phony preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) learns that Ben has hidden a huge sum of money somewhere near his home. Upon his release, the murderously misogynistic Powell insinuates himself into Ben's home, eventually marrying his widow Willa (Shelley Winters). Eventually all that stands between Powell and the money are Ben's son (Billy Chapin) and daughter (Sally Jane Bruce), who take refuge in a home for abandoned children presided over by the indomitable, scripture-quoting Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish). The war of wills between Mitchum and Gish is the heart of the film's final third, a masterful blend of horror and lyricism. Laughton's tight, disciplined direction is superb -- and all the more impressive when one realizes that he intensely disliked all child actors. The music by Walter Schumann and the cinematography of Stanley Cortez are every bit as brilliant as the contributions by Laughton and Agee. Overlooked on its first release, The Night of the Hunter is now regarded as a classic.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe, Billy Chapin |
|---|---|
| Director | Charles Laughton |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 29 mins LOVEFiLM Instant: 1 hr 28 mins |
| Certificate |  DVD LOVEFiLM Instant |
| Collections | 100 Top Thrillers |
| Genres | Drama, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English LOVEFiLM Instant: English |
| Dubbed | German, French, Spanish, Italian |
| Hearing-impaired | English, German |
| Subtitles | DVD: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish |
| Released | Production year: 1955 On LOVEFiLM Instant: LOVEFiLM Instant: 08 Dec 2010 To Rent: DVD: 19 Mar 2001 |
| LOVEFiLM Instant | £2.49 |
Weird, manic fantasy in which evil finally comes to grief against the forces of sweetness and light (the children, an old lady, water, animals). Although the narrative does not flow smoothly there are splendidly imaginative moments, and no other film has
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Pious Propaganda
Robert Mitchum's performance aside this is a distinctly dire film. In turns patronising and pious. The religous and 'natural' symbolism is woefully ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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gripping - one of the great screen villains
I hadn't seen this for 20+ years, but watching it again I was on the edge of my seat. Totally gripping. Mitchum gives one of the all-time great screen ... read more »
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Mesmeric Mitchum
Mannered story of good and evil. Mitchum makes a terrific bully, a mixture of smarmy piousness and vicious, violent evil. You can kind of see why Laughton didn... read more »
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absolutely terrifying
This is one of the most terrifying films you will ever see. I had to turn it off before the end and watch the last bit by daylight the next morning. As a study ... read more »
Once upon a time and forever… Fairytales have endured through the centuries, but few would have predicted Hollywood’s current obsession with children’s bedtime classics. Comic books, yes. Greek Gods, fine. But Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood…? Really?? In the months prior to this week’s dippily amusing and fabulously dressed Mirror Mirror (the first of competing Snow White movies) we’ve already seen Amanda Seyfried molested by a big... Read more
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