Night of the Hunter (1955) – A travelling preacher with a dangerous past marries a the young widow of a thief who hid $10,000. He won’t let anything stand in his way to that fortune.
Director – Charles Laughton Starring – Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
Well, my noir roll continues. I swear, this is just happenstance. I go in and arrange the movie queue every month or so. My intent is always to get some diversity but I’ve managed to fumble that for the last month. Lot of great movies along the way.
This is an amazing movie. Mitchum is chilling as the religious fanatic/serial killer. One of the greatest movie villains of all time for me. He jumps right up on my list. When you combine that with Laughton’s choice to shoot the movie with the odd lighting and visuals that you find in German Expressionism you get a movie that offers true horror. The cynicism, the strong sexual undertones (in fact, this movie is driven by sex) all combine to create the kind of movie watching experience we rarely get.
Great script, great cast, great directing. Winters offers a simple, nuanced job as the woman who is swept away by the power of her preacher “husband”. Lillian Gish’s Rachel Cooper is the perfect balance to the superficial locals who fall for the preacher, and Mitchum’s highly polished but soulless killer. She is tough, no nonsense and cares deeply for the children she takes in. Not fancy on the outside but a great heart and soul within.
The movie was a flop in its original release. Either for that or just that Laughton was ready to do something else, it was his final work as a movie director.
Why I Liked It: Mitchum’s chilling, charismatic killer.
Why You Will Like It: The palpable evil in the real world feeling to the entire movie.
Rating – ***** Highest Rating
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