Night of The Hunter, a review by Jon
Night of The Hunter (1955)4 out of 5
A tall, handsome "preacher" - his knuckles eerily tattooed with "love" and "hate" - roams the countryside, spreading the gospel...and leaving a trail of murdered women in his wake. To Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), the work of the Lord has more to do with condemning souls than saving them, especially when his own interests are involved. Now his sights are set on $10,000 - and two little children are the only ones who know where it is. "Chill...dren!" the preacher croons to the terrified boy and girl hiding in the cold, dark cellar...innocent young lambs who refuse to be led astray.Night of The Hunter is an odd film. A good thriller with a great villain is the basis and the hook, but the real story is about two orphans finding a home. It’s full of religious sub-text and ranges from a genuinely scary, profound brooding fairy-tale to just plain nuts. You can only decide for yourself where between the two it lies overall.
Shirley Winters doesn’t help. Maybe it’s her, maybe it’s the awful dialogue, but either way her role as John and Pearl’s mother is weak and misjudged. The story only feels like it gets going once she’s out of the way, courtesy of Robert Mitchum’s fantastic Preacher, Harry Powell.
I suppose you might consider that a spoiler, but trust me, Winters’ is such an annoying part, you’ll be hoping she’s gotten rid of, so I’m helping you enjoy the good stuff, really I am! You might also vainly hope for the untimely demise of Evelyn Warden’s Icey Spoon, another shrill horrible character, full of self-importance, but as an unwitting supporter of the preacher, Harry has no reason to do her in. Damn. The best supporting character from the first part is James Gleason as Uncle Birdie, but he is underused.
Luckily, the nature of the plot sees the two kids flee Powell by escaping down river where they are rescued by Mrs. Cooper (Lillian Gish), running a sort of make-shift orphanage for a few girls. From the moment their mother has left to their acceptance into a new home, the film is wonderful. Mitchum is a foreboding presence and a tangible threat. He gets more than a few iconic moments, be it up close as he explains the tattoos on his knuckles, or as a distant silhouette, an almost ever present shadow over the children. Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce as the children do very well. Billy as John has to lead the film, essentially, and Sally is cute with some killer lines as his younger sister Pearl, who never lets the doll out of her sight. I loved her expression as she played with the money, or especially her fascination with Mitchum’s knife.
This was renowned actor Charles Laughton’s only film as director and I think he saw it as a story clearly from the kids point of view. It would make a fantastic kids book because it’s full of hope and fairy-tale darkness, with a healthy, if fervently religious, moral core. It’s only awkward until the plot is focused on the children, their nemesis (Powell), John’s guide (Uncle Birdie) and their salvation (Mrs. Cooper); and knowing Lillian Gish is keeping everything right in the world is a comforting thought for anyone! Throughout there is some wonderful imagery (like Winter’s watery grave and the gentle, lonely journey downriver) that suggests Laughton’s had a madman’s eye and could have been considered an Auteur, should he have done more.
If we could consider Winter’s exit the actual start of the film, this would be a classy, dark thriller of the highest order with a healthy dose of insanity that gives it a special, unpredictable and scary personality. Still, it is a recommended classic nonetheless.
(From Jon's Alphabet Marathon 2010 on July 6th, 2010)
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May 19, 2024, 12:02:53 AM
