A monochrome masterpiece, pure cinematic alchemy and just about every other superlative that spells genius.
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Rated: 12A
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Theatrical Release: 02-04-1999
Synopsis: In this eerie meditation on good and evil, a schizophrenic preacher--possibly the devil himself--relentlessly hunts two small children across the Depression-era Bible Belt to get at their dead father's stolen fortune. In Robert Mitchum's career-defining role as Preacher Harry Powell,... In this eerie meditation on good and evil, a schizophrenic preacher--possibly the devil himself--relentlessly hunts two small children across the Depression-era Bible Belt to get at their dead father's stolen fortune. In Robert Mitchum's career-defining role as Preacher Harry Powell, he wears unforgettable tattoos of two four-letter words on his fingers: LOVE and HATE. Hauntingly directed by Charles Laughton, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER is his only credited directorial effort, and it is a tour-de-force. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Peter Graves, Evelyn Varden
Producer: Paul Gregory
Screenwriter: James Agee
Story: David Grubb
Composer: Walter Schumann
DVD Info
Release:
Jun 1, 2001
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Mono - English
- Dolby Digital Mono - French
Additional Release Material:
- Trailer - Original Theatrical
Additional Products:
- Behind-the-Scenes Booklet
Reviews
An overlooked gem in the history of American film, this creepy curio incorporates elements of horror, noir, thriller and fairy tale.
There's the absolute authority of Mitchum's performance -- easy, charming, infinitely sinister.
Ultimately the source of its style and power is mysterious -- it is a film without precedents, and without any real equals
This start for Gregory as producer and Laughton as director is rich in promise but the completed product, bewitching at times, loses sustained drive via too many offbeat touches that have a misty effect.
Corny, yes; pretentious, sure; overwrought, definitely -- but every frame of it is thrilling.
All this has been crisply compacted into clear screen drama by the late James Agee and it is put forth under the direction of Mr. Laughton in stark, rigid visual terms.
[Powell's] glibly superficial moralizing is epitomized by an infantile hand-play… [Gish's character] provides an undistorted counterpoint to Powell's diseased religiosity.
Charles Laughton's only directorial effort is a work of inspired brilliance.
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