The Night of the Hunter

Plot synopsis:
Night of the Hunter opens in the stars, where Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) tells the children (and the audience) a Southern Gothic parable regarding the importance of childhood and the dangers of "wolves in sheep's" clothing.Several children play hide and go seek near a farmhouse. One of the kids finds a prime hiding spot: the cellar. However, when he opens the door, the twisted legs of a young woman appear on the top steps. Miles away, the perpetrator, Reverend. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) drives a stolen Model-T as he talks to the Lord about his earthly mission. He feels convinced that he is being led to punish some of the most wicked segments of society - "vain women", who use lust to ensnare men. At a peep show, Powell's disdain grows evident as his knuckles clutch his thigh - the words "LOVE and HATE" tattooed on his fingers. His weapon of choice, a switchblade rips through his pocket as the woman performs her striptease. However, the police stop the Preacher for car robbery, and he is charged with a thirty day stay in Moundsville Penitentiary.In another part of town, little John (Billy Chapin) and his young sister Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) play in their front yard; Pearl dresses her doll, Miss Jenny. Their father, Ben Harper (Peter Graves) rushes to the lawn clutching wads of money: $10,000. He has stolen the money, and is on the run from the police. Harper hides the money in a secure location off camera. He forces John to swear to protect his sister, and to never reveal the location of the money. As the police arrive on the front lawn to arrest his father, John clutches his stomach, "Don't...don't!" He exclaims.Ben Harper is tried, and sentenced to be hanged for murder. Awaiting his execution, he is incarcerated with Harry Powell, who learns of Ben's financial gain. While Ben does not disclose the location of the money, Powell thanks the Lord for giving him the opportunity to find Ben's future widow and supplying him with funds.The town's children taunt John and Pearl by singing a hangman's song. They draw chalk outlines of hangmen. Ever vigilant, John takes Pearl away from the school, stopping to admire a watch at the store, and continuing home past the local ice-cream parlor, Spoons. Despite the temptations of the watch or candy, John resists the urge to spend the money, and makes Pearl swear not to reveal the location. In Spoons, Willa (Shelley Winters) the mother of John and Pearl, talks about how she is not in any rush to marry. A train ominously steams towards the town - bearing the now freed Reverend Powell.That night, John tells Pearl a story about a King, who is captured leaving his son and daughter gold and orders to defend their treasure. As he tells the story, the foreboding silhouette of Reverend Powell almost supernaturally appears in their bedroom. He ominously sings the hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." The next day, John visits his friend, an outsider living in a house boat named Uncle Birdie. Uncle Birdie had been working on repairing Ben Harpers river skiff.John arrives at Spoons where Reverend Powell tells Icey (the store proprietor), Willa, and Pearl, how he had ministered with Ben Harper in his final moments. He explains the meaning of the tattoos on his fingers. His left hand has the word "HATE", and the right hand, "LOVE." They are in a constant struggle against each other since the fall of man, with "LOVE" winning out over all. Icey invites Reverend. Powell to come to the town picnic. John immediately dislikes the Preacher.At the picnic, Icey attempts to play matchmaker between Willa and the Reverend. He reassures Willa that Ben told him the money was at the bottom of the river. John knows this is a lie. That night John walks home from a visit with Uncle Birdie - the skiff not yet repaired - past the ice cream parlor. He sees his mom and Icey, ebullient over something. When he returns home, Reverend Powell corners him in the cramped hallway. Powell tells John that he is going to become his father and tries to convince him to reveal the location of the money. Pearl wants to tell; she has grown an affinity towards Powell.On the night of the honeymoon, Willa wears a neglige and tries to sleep with the Reverend. Powell humiliates her, forcing her to look into the mirror. Powell emerges from the darkness, illuminates himself for a minute, turning on a naked bulb, and once again floods the room with darkness as he chides her lust. Willa looks into the mirror uttering, "Help me to get clean.''On the newly repaired skiff, Uncle Birdie and John are fishing. Birdie reassures John that if John is ever in trouble, he can come for help. That night, it is Willa, fanatically leading a revival meeting, testifying how Reverend Powell had saved her. The torches in the foreground illuminate her zealous face. The next night, Pearl is cutting paper dolls out of the money. It is revealed that the money was hidden in her doll, Miss Jenny. John quickly scolds her for playing with the money, but is interrupted as Rev. Powell appears in the doorway. The two children are able to hide the money, and Powell does not notice the paper dolls swirling next to his feet.Willa's trust begins to split as she realizes that Powell has been questioning John. Powell manipulates Pearl into coming to the parlor to tell him the location, Willa hears the exchange outside of the window as Powell gets increasingly violent. She cannot accept this turn of events, and lies in bed helplessly. She deludes herself that they are a happy family. In their bedroom, which looks church like due to the shadows and triangular architecture, Powell slits Willa's throat. John is awakened that night by the sound of a sputtering engine.The next morning at Spoon's, Powell is devastated that his wife Willa had "run away." He claims that Willa had turned him down on their honeymoon night, and was a drunk. He decides to stay for the children. The truth is revealed, as the camera transitions to a beautiful shot of seaweed swirling under water, mingling with Willa's hair. Willa sits serenely underwater in the passenger seat of her car as light streams over the body of both the woman and the car. A fish hook tugs on the frame of the windshield. It is Birdie, who has discovered the remains.An iris shot reveals Powell calling for the children, as he moves into the house. Pearl and John hide in the cellar. Reverend Powell corners them, until Icey arrives with dinner for the trio. When she leaves, Powell deprives them of dinner until they tell him what he wants to know. Uncle Birdie is convinced that if he tells, he will be accused of murder. He begins to drink.When Rev. Powell threatens Pearl with a knife, John lies and says that the money is hid under a stone in the basement. Powell lights a candle and leads the children into finding the money. When he discovers that the floor is made of concrete, he grabs John the hair and threatens to split him open like a pig. Pearl spills the secret, but John knocks a shelf of preserves onto Powell. The kids run out and lock him in the cellar. They run to the drunk Uncle Birdie who is non-responsive. John puts Pearl in the boat, with Rev. Powell hot on their heels. As the little boat gets away, Powell lets out a shriek of anger and frustration. As the boat floats down the river, Pearl sings to Miss Jenny. Many woodland animals appear in the foreground of the camera. Powell has commandeered a horse, making his black preacher's suit look even more menacing contrasted with the white steed. The kids beg door to door, finding refuge in a barn. As the crescent moon rises high in the sky, John spots the Reverend singing his trademark song: "Leaning. Leaning. Leaning on the Everlasting Arm..."The two run back to the boat where they are found by Rachel Cooper, a woman who has adopted many abandoned children at the turn of the depression. She bathes the two children, and incorporates them into her large family, relating them to the story of baby Moses - an orphan in a basket rescueed by the daughter of Pharaoh. John likes this comparison - he realizes he can trust Rachel. The oldest child of Ms. Cooper's clan, Ruby, has a rebellious streak, going off to town to flirt with the boys. When Rev. Powell appears in town to woo her, she is ironically inspired by the preacher, and feels compelled to confess her wrong doings to Rachel.Powell rides to Cooper's ranch where he comes to reclaim Pearl and John. Pearl runs to hug him, but John is able to grab the doll before Powell can get his hands on it. Cooper forces Powell off her property with a shotgun. That night, Powell intimidates the family by singing on Cooper's front porch. The "Leaning" duet between Cooper and Powell symbolizes the standoff. When the light goes out, it becomes clear that Powell is inside the house. When a cat scares him, Cooper wounds him with a shot, cornering him in the barn. That night, John sleeps at Rachel's feet.When Powell is arrested, John has mixed feelings. As the police tackle Powell to the ground, John once again clutches his stomach, and murmurs "don't!" He then runs towards Powell, beating him with the doll, throwing the money at the arrested clergyman.Icey leads a fiery lynch mob against Reverend Powell, but even in court, John will not point out his mothers murderer - afraid of the consequence. Ruby is still enamored by the mystique Powell had held over her. While the state guards lead him from the back to avoid the mob, Cooper's children follow her like chicks following a mother hen.It is Christmas in the Cooper home, and John only has an apple to give Rachel. She accepts it gratefully and gives him a watch he had admired in the very beginning of the picture. John and Pearl finally have a safe home.

Tags: mystery, depressing, murder, allegory, atmospheric, good versus evil, romantic, storytelling

Review:
I still hear the lullaby singing sweetly in my head, like a hazy, haunting dream that won't go away.From the opening scene of the beautiful Lillian Gish and her children, watching over the world in a starry sky, this movie just sinks you into a mesmeric fairy tale land.
Robert Mitchum gives one of his very best performances as Harry Powell, the charming but evil preacher with "love" tattooed on one hand, "hate" on the other.
Powell is one of the most memorable screen villains of all time, and 'The Night Of The Hunter' is worth watching just for Mitchum, who is mesmerizing.
Shelley Winters is surprisingly effective as the widow Powell woos, Peter Graves has a small role at the beginning as her first husband, and Lillian Gish plays the saintly Ms. Cooper, guardian of unwanted children.
This film, which didn't receive the attention it got when it was released, has turned out to be something discerning movie fans saw from the start, a classic.Charles Laughton was basically a man of the theater, then came the movies, but he was at heart someone who was equally at ease working on the stage, or performing in front of a camera.
Mr. Laughton undertook to direct this screen play written by another distinguished American writer and critic, James Agee, based on the David Grubb's novel.The result is a magnificent film about to what extreme a man will go in order to steal from two young and innocent children something their father had left for them in trust.
He marries the children's mother, a widow who was hoping for some happiness in her life, only as part of his overall scheme of things.The film is a poetic account of the story with great emphasis on the kindness the children receive at the end from Rachel Cooper, a woman with a heart of gold who took John and Pearl into her home when they needed it.Robert Mitchum is the evil Harry Powell.
Also, the musical score of Walter Shumann adds another layer in the film's texture."The Night of the Hunter" is ultimately a work of art that moves the viewer because of the tremendous work its director, Charles Laughton, gave to the movie..
Veteran actor Charles Laughton's directional debut & perhaps the only feature film he ever directed is a rare breed that blends film-noir with German expressionism, resulting in a very unique looking cinema that unfolds its narrative in a lyrical manner but also makes up for some weird moments as the two styles are often at odds with each other.Based on the novel of the same name, the story of The Night of the Hunter focuses on one corrupt reverend-turned-serial killer who uses his charm to woo rich widows before killing them & fleeing with their money.
Jailed for driving a stolen car, he learns from his cell mate about the large sum of money he had stolen & goes after his family once he's out of prison.Co-written & directed by Charles Laughton, The Night of the Hunter really benefits from the few elements it borrows from German expressionism of the silent era like eccentric camera angles, unconventional settings, surreal photography or silhouette figures but its inclusion of stylised dialogues & unrealistic acting in a Hollywood crime-drama is also unintentionally hilarious at times.Production design work is excellent, Cinematography makes terrific use of lighting, contrast & shadows, camera placement is inventive & every frame is captured in crisp detail.
Editing is brilliant for the most part but its final act also feels overstretched, and performances are a mixed bag for the kids do a pretty good job in their given roles while Robert Mitchum's expressionist act borders on hamming.On an overall scale, The Night of the Hunter is experimental cinema at its finest for it tries to merge into film-noir what influenced the genre in the first place.
From a technical standpoint, the film is influential in every manner, especially the way it uses its camera to set a disturbing mood or introduce its themes but its overstretched ending, excessively dramatic lead act & depicted stupidity (or innocence) of children never allowed me to take its premise seriously..
One of my favorite images is the one wherein Willa Harper (Shelley Winters) lies in blissful repose on a bed as Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) stands by a window in an unadorned room with angular walls that slope upward, as if in a church.One of the most haunting, and famous, sequences has the two children, John and Pearl, in a rowboat, as they make a Homeric odyssey down a river, lorded over by giant spider webs, frogs, and rabbits.
And Shelley Winters effectively jitters her way through the film, ghostlike, her character lost in delusion.The film's original score is haunting and mournful, and could hardly set a more appropriate tone: "Dream little one, dream; dream my little one, dream; oh the hunter in the night fills your childish heart with fright; fear is only a dream; so little one dream".With its brilliant photography, its unpopular but deeply truthful theme, and its nightmarish story, Charles Laughton's "The Night Of The Hunter" is high up on my list of twenty best films of all time..
Charles Laughton had only one choice to pay the role of psycho-reverend- conman for his adaption of Night of the Hunter and it was Robert Mitchum.
After a while he let Mitchum actually direct Chapin and Bruce in their scenes.Lillian Gish gives one of her great performances in the sound era of her career as the farm woman who eventually takes in the kids as she does for a few others.
This masterpiece was wonderfully directed by great actor Charles Laughton , his only film behind the cameras , however being a flop on original release and he was never again to be offered the film-making another movie .
I think that if I had seen "Night Of The Hunter" on t.v. when I was six years old it might have left some kind of twisted, haunting impression on me; however, as an adult I don't see anything suspenseful about this film or for that matter anything of great value at all beyond its sheer ridiculousness.
Don't get me wrong- I thoroughly enjoyed it until the novelty wore off, but then I got extremely bored about the time the kids started drifting down the river and then all of a sudden it seemed like an entirely different film altogether and then Mitchum came back and nothing particularly climactic happened and then I was like, "what???!!!??" But don't look for a scare here- it's more like farcical comedy.
All the other actors give nice supporting performances as well: Shelley Winters is very likeable as the gullible widow that marries Mitchum, and Lillian Gish gives a strong performance as the old lady that defends the two children.
No director I know has managed to catch the soul language of the eyes better than Laughton, and he was a master actor with his eyes himself.The fantastic photography makes it vital though to watch it in as high quality as possibly, not to miss perhaps the most important element of the film.
(Other minor flaws: Mitchum's failed attempt to catch the children as they flee up the cellar stairs is unconvincing--as is his failure to catch them when they set the boat adrift from shore.)But the most wonderful thing about the movie is Robert Mitchum's flawless performance in a role in which he uses a great deal of expressions (rather than remaining deadpan as he so often does) -- which leads to a mystifying question.
Perhaps it can be argued that the sound studio river scenes are merely stylistic - they look like a filmed stage play set - but I thought it made the production look terribly cheap (as did Mitchum's acting)..
I heard that _The Night of the Hunter_ was a classic film noir and suspense movie.
1955 audiences laughed aloud at scenes Laughton meant to be terrifying; I found myself echoing those sentiments last night, including Mitchum's elongated Frankenstein-like chase of the children to the river's edge.
Mitchum's subsequent role in Cape Fear did not use his Night of the Hunter character as inspiration, rather, it showed what a great actor can do with a REAL director like J.
In his time, Robert Mitchum may have been a terrifying movie villain, but his performance here is so over-the-top it's almost camp; Evelyn Varden as his mother-in-law is simply laughable, Billy Chapin tries hard as a young hero (though when he is shocked his jaw literally drops, by about two inches) while Sally Jane Bruce, as his sister, is completely wooden throughout.
The ending is typical of this enigmatic film: a partial condemnation of lynch-mob justice is followed by an extended cringe-making homily, delivered by Lillian Gish (who was better in Robert Altman's 'A Wedding', in which she played a corpse and didn't have to speak).In depicting a serial killer, 'The Night of the Hunter' is also of note as an early entry in a subsequently common genre - Mitchum went on to make 'Cape Fear', in which he similarly plays a figure of pure evil.
After hearing the praises of "Night of the Hunter" for so long, and trying so hard to track down a copy of it, I was highly disappointed that the film was nowhere near as great/frightening/(choose your adjective) as I had been led to believe.Robert Mitchum is definitely this film's saving grace.
Sure, some things never change, but much of the tone of this film sounded "off", not matching current time at least.Personally I can add to it that I had little reason to sympathize with any of the victims as the most of them were too naive or even stupid - they should have seen what was coming too, just like the audience did.5 out of 10 predictable thrillers.
Robert Mitchum plays it for laughs and Lillian Gish sends the post war world home cosy and warm.If I were to try to describe the plot and interpret the motivation of all the characters, I would be doing the job Charles Laughton abysmally failed to do.The only good thing is he had his shot at directing, listened to the criticism and promptly threw in the towel.Buying big star names to sell a film didn't seem to work in 1955.
Director: Charles Laughton, Script: James Agee, Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelly Winters, Lillian GishThis is a great example of the "film noir" category of films of the 1930's through 1950's.
This is one of those films that "movie buffs" seem to agree is a "classic." I, on the other hand, who naively ask only to be entertained, instructed, inspired, astonished or something of that sort, found it quite "blah." The credits are overwhelming: from James Agee screenplay and Charles Laughton directing (the last film he ever directed), to Shelley Winters and Lillan Gish (yes, really) as the female leads and Robert Mitchum as the bad preacher.
I shall try not to make my praise of this movie come out like criticism of so many other movies, but I re-saw Night of the Hunter last night - after not having seen it for twenty years or so - and not only was it even better than I remembered it, but it also made me wonder whether this one-off by Laughton is not the overlooked masterpiece of all time.
Mitchum is on the trail of a hidden cache of stolen money after having already wooed, wed, and murdered gullible widow Shelley Winters, and now he thinks her two children will tell him where the loot is hidden.The first and only feature directed by Charles Laughton is more eccentric than many of the actor's own screen performances, enough to compromise the intended horror of James Agee's original script.
A fairy tale,a thriller,a parable,a horror movie,"The night of the hunter" is all this and more.Charles Laughton's only movie ,it's a riveting tour de force that pits two children against evil epitomized by an astonishing Robert Mitchum in an oscar  caliber performance.The pictures take our breath away:Shelley Winters at the bottom of the water,the chidren fleeing from their home on a boat .Matching Mitchum and Winters every step of the way is Lilian Gish's sensational portrayal of the old lady (her career spans almost a century ,from Griffith to Altman,hats off!)She's the last refuge of innocence,delivering such memorable lines as "God bless the little children".For,if there's a message in this masterpiece,it must be this one :no more "burn baby burn",no more "suffer the little children"!In our world full of poverty and hunger,where a lot of them are starving,of appalling pedophilia and of antipersonnel mines,this message has a contemporary feel..
The whole movie has an absurdist, dreamlike quality to it, from Robert Mitchum's often over-the-top portrayal (He plays it like a psychopath would have been remembered in the children's memory..) all the way to the sets that often look like secondary, minimal stagesets.
Fascinating film of an evil preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) who is after two children, John and Pearl (Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce) who have a large amount of money that he wants.
Chapin and Bruce are good as the children--supposedly Laughton couldn't stand the kids and let Mitchum direct them--turned out very well.
It sees a fanatical murderous preacher Harry Powell (expertly played by Robert Mitchum), marry the widow of his former cellmate Ben Harper(Peter Graves), in an attempt to find the location of $10,000 that Harper had stolen in a robbery, prior to his arrest.This is one of the best films I've ever seen, and one of my all-time favourites, which is a phase I don't use lightly.
Winters gives a terrific performance of someone that is both smitten and trapped at the same time.The standout of the film without a doubt is Robert Mitchum as the Preacher Harry Powell.
"The Night of the Hunter" is a gem in the cinema community, and was Charles Laughton's only attempt at directing a movie.
Often classified as Film Noir﻿, it shows us what is really terrifying in this life while making sure the audience leaves the theater well grounded Demonstrating real charisma and a credible singing voice, Robert Mitchum﻿ is devastatingly good as the serial-killing preacher, Harry Powell.
To counteract all of Powell's raging hate, the screenwriters (James Agee and Charles Laughton) introduce an essential character towards the end of the film (representing Love), aging matriarch Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish).
There is a fairy-tale side of "Night of the Hunter" that modern audiences, used to fantastic horrors appearing in the daily nightmare (i.e., news), may find a bit unnecessary.This is the only film that Charles Laughton ever directed.
When Harry arrives in her town, Ms. Cooper has to protect the children.What a great movie "The Night of the Hunter" is!
With a wonderful cinematography, that brilliantly uses the shadows in black and white; a magnificent performance of Robert Mitchum in the role of a modern Bluebeard, certainly among his bests; and a simple, tense, suspenseful and credible story, it is fair that this movie is in IMDb Top 250.
Laughton's surreal world and Mitchum's horrifying performance as preacher / serial killer Harry Powell will be a film to remember ..
It's a good movie, mostly due to Mitchum, but it does have some issues with choppy story telling and/or film editing.
He himself is believed to have once said he only worked with two directors who understood light, Welles and Laughton and it is clear from the outset and is sustained all the way through that he's working with a kindred spirit here.Some of the pictorial compositions are breathtakingly good - as well as the justly famous shot of Mitchum and his horse in silhouette travelling up and over a bridge in slow but sure pursuit of the two young children who are concealing the ill-gotten gains of their lately executed father (played by a young Peter Graves) there are memorable shots of Shelley Winters's doomed young widow returning to the house at night while Mitchum's evil preacher menaces her two children within and of course the scenes at the end when this situation is reversed and Mitchum is outside old Mother Goose Lilian Gish's house brazenly threatening intent as she devoutly out-sings him and reclaims God as being on her side in protecting her young charges.The story is as crazy as Preacher Harry Powell of course but helped by Laughton's sure direction, the viewer is held every step of the way.
The man gets hanged, but the preacher is released, and he promptly sets out to woo the widow and squeeze the hiding place of the money from the children.Laughton was heavily influenced by the German expressionism style of film making and it shows.
Granted, there are also some truly beautiful shots, especially when Laughton plays with silhouettes, but I was still pulled out of the story way too often.Full props to Robert Mitchum as the preacher Harry Powell.
I took the movie home and watched it the next day.The Night of the hunter is the story of a priest brilliantly performed by Robert Mitchum with a taste for not so holy pleasures.
This film is haunting in so many ways.To start, Robert Mitchum's performance as Harry Powell is genuinely frightening.
"The Night of the Hunter" starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish was a great movie.
In addition this I have to mention that the interpretation of Robert Mitchum who played as Harry Powell was very good and I believe that also the interpretation of Peter Graves who played as Ben Harper was equally good.Lastly I have to say that "The Night of the Hunter" is a great movie to watch because it makes you understand how people change when money is on the table.
One is a great example of social realism, the other a wonderful piece of film noir.OK, I'll start by saying that the villain is a preacher named Harry Powell, played by Robert Mitchum.