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The Night of the Hunter (1955)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
24 November 1955 (Argentina) moreTagline:
The wedding night, the anticipation, the kiss, the knife, BUT ABOVE ALL... THE SUSPENSE! morePlot:
A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
1 win moreUser Comments:
Very atmospheric thriller moreUS TV Schedule:
| Tue. July 21 | 4:15 PM | TCM |
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Robert Mitchum | ... | Harry Powell | |
| Shelley Winters | ... | Willa Harper | |
| Lillian Gish | ... | Rachel Cooper | |
| James Gleason | ... | Birdie Steptoe | |
| Evelyn Varden | ... | Icey Spoon | |
| Peter Graves | ... | Ben Harper | |
| Don Beddoe | ... | Walt Spoon | |
| Billy Chapin | ... | John Harper | |
| Sally Jane Bruce | ... | Pearl Harper | |
| Gloria Castillo | ... | Ruby (as Gloria Castilo) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
92 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)Certification:
Finland:K-16 (1959) (cut) | South Korea:15 (2003) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:14A (video rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1955) | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #17385) | West Germany:12 | UK:X (original rating)Filming Locations:
CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
Charles Laughton had no great love for children and so despised directing them in this film that Robert Mitchum found himself directing the children in several scenes. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Harry is stood in front of the Moonlit window and talking to Willa who is lying down on the bed, the 'odd' shaped window frame is projected by the moonlight on the wall behind Harry. When there is a shot of Willa alone on the bed, the shape of the moonlit window obviously frames Willa and not on the wall as before. Although the lighting around her is coffin-shaped and likely to be a framing device. moreQuotes:
Rev. Harry Powell: I can hear you whisperin' children, so I know you're down there. I can feel myself gettin' awful mad. I'm out of patience children. I'm coming to find you now. moreSoundtrack:
Cresap's Landing Party moreFAQ
Is this a true story?A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is this movie based on a novel?
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Just before John Harper's father is captured by police, he tells his son where he has hidden the money. While in prison for his crime, he sleep talks and betrays himself to the religiously unhinged Rev Harry Powell. Powell leaves jail with Harper dead in his cell and sets out to infiltrate the family and get the money. However, when he kills John's mother, he and his sister go on the run from him.
One of these `hindsight is 20/20' films that gains a reputation with time, this film deserves the praise in gets in many areas and deserve to be very fondly remembered, or at least a lot more fondly than it was received by critics and audiences of the time. The plot is basic but full of religious imagery that works very well, whether it's Powell's twisted preacher or the runs of scripture that many of the characters cling to. The film presents itself with a very strong tone of foreboding and darkness that makes the material (and characters) feel more dangerous.
Most of the credit for this belongs with Laughton as director, who uses shadow really well and frames the film with clever shots. Some that come to mind is the shadow of Powell on his horse on the horizon, or the woman in the car underwater and so on. It stills feels clever and inventive now so it must have been seen as very different in the fifties. How he didn't win an Oscar, I'm not sure wonder what else was up in this year.
Mitchum is tremendous in the title role, his role is larger than life and was also slightly playing with fire in it's portrayal as a reverend as corrupt or evil. Chapin is really wonderful as young John and has a much better character than some of the others in the cast. Winters is good in her performance. The only downside of the film is the 10 minutes at the end which feel like they are a happy ending that has just been tacked on and doesn't fit with the tone of the film.
Other than that, this is a very strong film in terms of theme, plot, acting and cinematography. It deserves more than it got at the time and I'm glad that modern audiences are finding this film all the time.