Based on a novel by Davis Grubb and directed by Yorkshire born actor and director Charles Laughton, who appeared in motion pictures such as Spartacus, Captain Kidd and The Paradine Case, The Night of the Hunter is a classic film that both represents its era yet also manages to be ahead of its time in many ways.
Starring the legendary Robert Mitchum in the iconic role of Harry Powell and Shelley Winters as Willa Harper, the film deals with death, religion, family, greed and abuse in ways that are terrifying yet somewhat tame by today’s standard. Mitchum offers up a character that personifies greed and deception, a preacher with darkness behind his gaze yet an ability to manipulate those around him.
Showing posts with label Night of the Hunter - The. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Night of the Hunter - The. Show all posts
Monday, 23 June 2014
The Night of the Hunter - Will's Review
There is a certain something about older films, which I enjoy, but don't somehow quite have the vocabulary to explain. Don't get me wrong; I know a shit ton of words, but there's something about old films that, however hard I try to explain what I like about them, it ends up sounding bad.
There's a certain pacing to them, which I want to describe as "slow", but somehow it manages (when done well) not to be a bad thing. The truth is that most entertainment changes over the years, adopting new conventions, and it's difficult for many people to appreciate the style of bygone storytelling techniques; even harder to explain them.
Saturday, 21 June 2014
The Night of the Hunter - Lisa's Review
So a 1955 movie set in the 1930s... wonderful. I'm far from a fan of most older movies. There are a few wonderful exceptions. Is this movie amongst them? In a word - no.
The movie follows a nasty, misogynistic preacher, Rev Harry Powell (played by Robert Mitchum) who just happened to be a murderer on the side. He has managed to live his life so far completely unhindered as his ill deeds had never been discovered. He was adored by women and revered by men for his god fearing sermons. He had a real talent of getting people 'on side' and hiding his repugnant, repellent personality.
Saturday, 14 June 2014
Week 161 - The Night of the Hunter (1955)
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