The Night of the Hunter dvd movie.|
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List Price: $14.98 Our Price: $10.49 You Save: $4.49 Features • Black & White In Theaters : 1955 DVD Release : 25 January, 2000 |
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The Night of the Hunter description In the entire history of American movies, The Night of the Hunter stands out as the rarest and most exotic of specimens. It is, to say the least, a masterpiece--and not just because it was the only movie directed by flamboyant actor Charles Laughton or the only produced solo screenplay by the legendary critic James Agee (who also cowrote The African Queen). The truth is, nobody has ever made anything approaching its phantasmagoric, overheated style in which German expressionism, religious hysteria, fairy-tale fantasy (of the Grimm-est variety), and stalker movie are brought together in a furious boil. Like a nightmarish premonition of stalker movies to come, Night of the Hunter tells the suspenseful tale of a demented preacher (Robert Mitchum, in a performance that prefigures his memorable villain in Cape Fear), who torments a boy and his little sister--even marries their mixed-up mother (Shelley Winters)--because he's certain the kids know where their late bank-robber father hid a stash of stolen money. So dramatic, primal, and unforgettable are its images--the preacher's shadow looming over the children in their bedroom, the magical boat ride down a river whose banks teem with fantastic wildlife, those tattoos of LOVE and HATE on the unholy man's knuckles, the golden locks of a drowned woman waving in the current along with the indigenous plant life in her watery grave--that they're still haunting audiences (and filmmakers) today. --Jim Emerson |
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| ♥♥♥♥♥ | Leaning, leaning... One of the strangest, most unique movies you will ever see |
| Night of the Hunter is one the most intelligent, creepy, and unique films I've ever seen, and I like to think that I have watched a lot of movies in my life. As many reviewers have already astutely pointed out, the flick is so unique that it is impossible to neatly classify. It is equal parts thriller, satire, horror film, children's adventure, and fantasy. Night of the Hunter, despite its initial failure and lack of attention for decades, was undoubtedly way ahead of its time.
The best part of the movie is obviously Robert Mitchum who probably played the role of his life. His chilling charm, gravely voice, and dark intentions perfectly fit the role of the evil "Reverend" Harry Powell. Mitchum was able to capture Powell's nature as a religious fanatic, cold-blooded murderer, shifty snake oil salesman, hypocrite, and sexually repressed Frankenstein-ian monster better than any one else I can imagine. That Mitchum wasn't at least nominated for an academy award for this role is unfortunate, but not terribly surprising since the movie was a commercial flop when it came out in 1955. I think it was probably just too dark and too difficult to neatly categorize for that time. Night of the Hunter is also made so special is by its many great scenes, scenes that stay with you long after you've watched the movie. A handful of superb scenes are worth mentioning: in the opening minutes when Powell is sitting in the audience of a burlesque show, his look of pure hatred and raging anger is absolutely unforgettable; the wedding night between Harry Powell and Willa Harper, when Powell promises her that the marriage will never be consummated is great because of Mitchum's weird evil and Harper's anguished lust and open shame; the river scene as the children float downstream, with its great songs almost right out of a lullaby; and finally, perhaps my favorite is the silhouette of Harry Powell in the distance as he rides his horse after the children, eerily singing his own rendition of a religious tone--"leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms..." I'm getting chills just thinking about them now, and I can promise that you won't forget any of these scenes (and others) either. Is this movie a tad dated in parts? Sure. Do some of the backgrounds - like those in the river scene - seem about as a real as a four-dollar bill? Absolutely. In the end, though, this black and white film with its inconceivable, impossible story line and characters is one-of-a-kind, unlike any movie you've ever seen and probably will ever see given the garbage coming out of Hollywood these days. Check out Night of the Hunter. Heck, see it a few times to get a full appreciation of its singular greatness. Five stars. |
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