Night of the Hunter (1955)

The Night of the Hunter is a 1955 American film noir directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. The film is based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Davis Grubb, adapted for the screen by James Agee and Laughton. The novel and film draw on the true story of Harry Powers, hanged in 1932 for the murders of two widows and three children in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

The film's lyric and expressionistic style sets it apart from other Hollywood films of the 1940s and 50s, and it has influenced later directors such as David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Jim Jarmusch, Harmony Korine, the Coen brothers, and Spike Lee.

In 1992, The Night of the Hunter was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in its National Film Registry.



Plot;
The film is set in 1930s West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Ben Harper (Peter Graves) is sentenced to hang for his part in a robbery in which two men were killed. Before he is caught he hides the stolen money, trusting only his son John (Billy Chapin) with the money's location. Harper has a much younger daughter, Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce). Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a serial killer and self-appointed preacher with the words "LOVE" and "HATE" tattooed on the knuckles of his right and left hands shares a prison cell with Harper. He tries to get Harper to tell him the hiding place before his execution, but the only clue he gets is a Biblical quotation Harper mutters in his sleep: "And a child shall lead them."

   


Convinced that Harper told his children the secret, Powell woos and marries Harper's widow, Willa (Shelley Winters). Willa is unaware of Powell's motives and is convinced that her marriage will lead to her salvation. Powell questions the children about the money whenever they are alone, but they distrust him and reveal nothing. John especially is suspicious and protective of his sister. One night Willa overhears her husband questioning the children and she realizes the truth. As she lies in bed that night in their attic bedroom with rafters reminiscent of the interior of a church, Powell leans over her and slits her throat.



Powell disposes of her body in the river. Powell finally learns the money's location from Pearl by threatening John, but the children escape with the money and travel down the river. They eventually find sanctuary with Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish), an elderly but tough woman who looks after stray children. Powell eventually tracks them down, but Rachel sees through his false persona. After a climactic standoff between Rachel and Powell in which she protects the children with a shotgun but sings hymns through the night with Powell, he is arrested by the police and put on trial for the murder of Willa. The film ends with Rachel speaking directly to camera that "Children are man at his strongest. They abide."

Related articles by Zemanta

• 16 reviews of Robert Mitchum (rateitall.com)
• Film: Scenic Routes:Metropolis (avclub.com)