Reverend Harry Powell, a tall, handsome, and charming
preacher roams the countryside spreading the gospel and leaving a trail of
bodies behind. To him, the Lord’s work is more about condemning souls than
saving them. Whilst serving time in prison, Harry discovers the hidden
existence of a stolen $10,000 and his new path is in sight. All that stands in
the way is a pair of children who’ve sworn to their condemned father that
they’ll never tell.
Spine-tinglingly eerie and simultaneously a most
beautifully crafted fairytale of expressionism, The Night of the Hunter definitely stands as one of the most
conflicting and captivating movies of all time. Not to mention that it features
one of the most memorable villains ever! A chilling and endearing portrait of
good and evil told mostly from the point of view of children, this movie is one
of those classics that grabs you right from the first scene and holds you in a
headlock, leaving just enough room to breathe. You’re not free until it tells you you’re free!
Reverend Harry
Powell, a tall, handsome, and charming preacher roams the countryside spreading
the gospel and leaving a trail of bodies behind. To him, the Lord’s work is
more about condemning souls than saving them. Whilst serving time in prison,
Harry discovers the hidden existence of a stolen $10,000 and his new path is in
sight. All that stands in the way is a pair of children who’ve sworn to their
condemned father that they’ll never tell.
The most striking thing about this
movie is its blinding contrast. With its central protagonists, large portions
of the script reciting biblical stories, and long, lingering, and sweeping
camera shots, the film is structured as a compelling fairytale complete with an
evil stepfather and a quest narrative of escape. Although it’s shot very simply
and almost surreally (reminiscent of the Expressionist movement), employing
various extreme lighting techniques, shadow play, and ethereal camera shots,
the story is riddled with adult themes and a lot of darkness and the macabre.
We have death, we’ve got crime, we have sexual desire and un-fulfilment, we’ve
got murder, poverty, sin, promiscuity… all manners of darkness sent to
extinguish the innocent light that comes from children. The dichotomy of good
and evil could not be more pronounced anywhere! And this captivating fairytale
structure contrasted stagnantly with its content is really incredible. There
are no words that can describe how breathtaking and stunning, genuinely stunning this movie is!
Robert
Mitchum takes his first role as a villain seriously… very seriously. Where
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates was revered for his boyish charm and
nervousness around women (before hacking them to death with a kitchen knife),
Robert wins hearts through his rich, buttery vocal timbre, his soft words with
children, and the passion with which he preaches the gospel. Another example of
brilliant contrast in the film, Mitchum delivers a performance that is
bone-chillingly eerie, violent, silky, and dangerous in every possible way. One
of the greatest villains that I’ve seen, this man is a force to be reckoned
with. You know you’ve got a live wire villain when he’s got ‘love’ and ‘hate’
tattooed on his knuckles! The only other over-zealous Angel
of Death since is Piper Laurie in Carrie.
Mitchum’s absolutely BRILLIANT!
Starring Shirley Winters, James Gleason, Evelyn
Varden, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe, Bill Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce, Gloria
Castillo, and Lillian Gish, The Night of
the Hunter is a breathtaking movie (literally) that’s packed to the seams
with drama, murder, and suspense. It’s a stunning, stunning film where everything is crafted just so perfectly: the
soundtrack featuring not so many underlying instrumental scores as characters
actually singing, the script reciting great chunks of biblical rhetoric and
using it to great effect, and of course the camera shots and performances! I
was captivated by this movie. ABSOLUTELY
CAPTIVATED!
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