Every once in a while I watch a film that I’m embarrassed to say I had never seen before. Films that I’ve known about for years and kept saying; “I’ll get to it”. The Night of the Hunter is one of those films. I’ve finally taken a look at it and, I have to admit, it’s a pretty amazing film. Made in 1955, based on...well, let’s say- inspired by the novel by Charles Grubb, starring Robert Mitchum, and directed by Charles Laughton (yes, that Charles Laughton-- Captain Bligh, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Captain Kidd) it is a thrilling watch with incredible visuals.
Robert Mitchum plays Harry Powell a self appointed “man of the cloth” and one of the most evil characters to appear on movie screens. He’s a serial killer who, in the midst of the Great Depression, woos women for the their money then murders them and he’s not against killing children who may get in his way either. While serving some time for charges unrelated to his killings, he meets a man on death row who tells him about his family and the loot he stole and how the cops will never find it. So, when Harry is released he heads right to that man’s family with the goal of getting the money for himself. He gets the widow (Shelley Winters) to marry him then grills her children, John and Pearl, about where their father stashed the money. As he becomes more frustrated he becomes more physically abusive and the children, who do know where the money is by the way, escape in a rowboat down the river. Harry gives chase on Horseback but the children continue to be just out of reach. Finally, starving and miserable, they are found by a woman, Mrs. Cooper (Lillian Gish), who has taken in children who are orphaned or who’s parents just can’t afford to care for them properly. She takes them in, feeds them, and shows them love and respect. Everything seems great until Harry Powell shows up demanding his step- children come with him.
The Night of the Hunter is the one and only film Charles Laughton directed. The movie was greeted with mixed reviews but very poor attendance when it came out and was a financial failure. He was so affected by it’s reception that he didn’t direct another movie. It’s hard to imagine that this film was not universally agreed to be great. Sure, there are some technical issues I had with it, but those just came with the time in which it was made and the technology at hand, but the performances are amazing, even the kids! The cinematography and sheer artistry of the way it’s shot is amazing for a first time director. At least not since Orson Welles made Citizen Kane. The black & white photography is beautiful and Laughton’s use of common things happening in the foreground or background while the main action plays out on the other just sucks you into this world, which was mostly shot in soundstages. I guess Laughton wanted to shoot on location but the studio, United Artists, was not going to pay for it. At times it’s so obviously shot on a stage that it took me out of the story of a moment, but the visuals are so compelling that, after a while, I just didn’t care. There is also a shot of an owl being yanked off it’s perch by a pretty obvious wire that would be a little embarrassing to see today.
As I mentioned earlier all the performances are great, even Shelley Winters, who tended to overact. Even in great movies, like a favorite of mine- Kubrik’s Lolita. She’s great here. Mitchum is at his best as the horrible, horrible Harry Powell. I thought he was nasty in Cape Fear but I’d much rather be stuck in a room with Max Cady than Harry Powell. The kids, Billy Chapin (who I happened to have seen recently in an old “B” SF movie- Tobor the Great) and Sally Jane Bruce (who was only 5 at the time), are impressive. I did wonder just how much work Charles Laughton had to do with them? Because he got some pretty genuine looks and reactions from these children. Other than Mitchum, the standout performance, for me, was Lillian Gish as Mrs. Cooper. Wow. I know she was a huge star during the silent era, and I recall her in The Whales of August late in her life, She was in her early 60’s at this point and just kills it. Lillian Gish’s performance, along with the film as a whole, was ignored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Looking at it today, with two amazing performances, incredible direction, and beautiful photography, It’s hard to imagine.
I’m so glad I finally got around to seeing The Night of the Hunter and I’m sure I’ll revisit it in the future. If this is one that has gotten past you too I can’t recommend it enough. It is available on home video on DVD and 4K, but it is also available on DVD and Blu Ray as part of the Criterion Collection. I watched it streamed on Amazon Prime, which is a really nice transfer itself.
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