The Night Of The Hunter on DVD (1955)

Rotoscoper from Bowdon , 15/05/2004

The Night of the Hunter has at its heart a dark role for Robert Mitchum as the calculating, ruthless and manipulative preacher.

However as a thriller it explores unexpected territory. Principally there is the issue of masculinity, and the lack of a hero-figure - men are absent, abdicate responsibility, or abuse those around them. The women on the other hand frequently step into the breach as heroines, bold protectors of their charges.

Since the adult-to-adult relationships are largely dysfunctional, the objects of their attention are the children. They represent the future but are constantly put in jeopardy by the weaknesses of their elders. And although seemingly vulnerable, the young constantly show themselves as resourceful and robust, dependent yet able to survive despite the most extreme terror.

At the intersection of these themes is the character of the son John. He seeks to find a replacement for the father who has both let him down, and provided financially for him. He can trust no-one, yet loves his mother even as she puts the whole family in jeopardy. Despite his longing, he has to become a man to protect his family from outside threats, embodied in the aquiline form of the Preacher.

It is in these rich themes, realised through stark photography and a sharp economical script that we are asked to face our fears for the future, and the shortcomings of our own responsibilities to those around us.

  9 out of 11 people found this review helpful

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Jimmy Magnetic from The Mighty Midlands , 20/03/2006

Robert Mitchum's performance aside this is a distinctly dire film. In turns patronising and pious. The religous and 'natural' symbolism is woefully dated and the child acting is terrible throuhgout. That said, Mitchum is outstanding and drags this moribund film along with his menacing presence and at times I actually cared what happened to the children. Mitchum once said of his own acting that he has two styles: with horse and without. He is a legend. This film, sadly is not legendary.

  5 out of 6 people found this review helpful

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bobbyperu from Merseyside , 07/04/2005

It is one of the greatest of Hollywood tragedies that Charles Laughton never made another film after Night Of The Hunter. It stands alone in tone, in menace, in performance. Robert Mitchum gives a ferocious performance as a murderous psychopath so evil that at times he appears to be almost supernatural. The power of this film has withered not a bit over time, it remains absolutely terrifying without recourse to blood and gore, but by creating a strongly Gothic atmosphere somewhere between Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce, with Norman Rockwell-style images of American pastoral life juxtaposed sharply with violence, madness and cruelty. A total masterpiece and one of the finest films in the history of American cinema.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

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nina from London , 27/09/2004

I probably shouldn't give this a five because it isn't flawless but somehow I just loved it. Mitchum is scary but at the same time looks amazing in his outfit, and the time when he tells the story of good and evil is a classic piece of cinema. The use of black and white has never been so effective.

As I said it is flawed - the narrative is slightly jarring at times but, well who cares, it looks bueatiful and is truly sinister.

Anyway it's a tale of a psychotic preacher man who is trying to find out from a kid where $10,000 is stashed, he even goes as far as marrying the kid's mum.

  3 out of 4 people found this review helpful

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