I have read somewhere, sometime that Robert Mitchum never considered himself an actor. If you check Roger Ebert (rogerebert.com) he interviewed him many times. In one Mitchum tells Ebert about acting; "One of the greatest movie stars was Rin Tin Tin. What the hell. It can't be too much of a trick." In these and other snippets about him you might find there is always the self-deprecating delivery, along with smart Alec answers to many questions. But I think many of us would argue Mitchum was one of the best actors of his generation. One measure of acting abilities is the willingness to stretch out into roles others would shun. I say this by way of introduction to my thoughts on a very good movie, "The Night Of The Hunter".
The film is shot in black and white, which lends much to its tone. The score is pitch perfect, and this is one of the few movies in which Mitchum sings. I have never known exactly where Laughton shot it, but I would love to see how they did the river scenes when the children have escaped. Much is made of the fact that this was Charles Laughton's only foray into directing. Whatever the reason for his failure to repeat the experiment, this is a wonderful movie to have as a signature. It is unique; try and find another like it.
The movie begins with a father (Peter Graves as Ben Harper), on the lam from the police, entrusting the cash he has stolen to the care of his children. He makes them promise to not reveal where the money is hidden. He is arrested and, we see quickly convicted and sentenced to hang. But during his incarceration he reveals unintentionally to Robert Mitchum (Harry Powell) a hint that his children might know the whereabouts of the money.
We skip ahead; Harry is now out of prison and makes a beeline to the town where his ex-cell mate hailed from – a town along the river in West Virginia. Incredibly, through his smarmy talk and sermonizing, he weds the widow of Ben Harper. He is seriously intent on gathering information about the money.
After relentless pressure from Powell, the children at one point escape from him, commandeer a small boat and float away down the river. But Powell is never far behind and trails them for weeks. He wants that money.
One of the strangers that befriends the children on their adventure is Lillian Gish (as Rachel Cooper). Her role turns out to be quite important, and it has always been difficult to envision a better choice for her part.
How this all turns out I leave you to enjoy. Suffice it to say you will be left thinking about what you saw. Which is a sure sign of a good movie.
In the same interview noted above, Mitchum shares that working with Charles Laughton was, essentially, a joy. "Honest to God, you know, you did your really best to try to enchant him and of course it was effective." Effective it was – I will never forget, have not forgotten since I first heard and saw it many years ago, the haunting, chilling scene of him singing and trailing the children along the river.
The film is shot in black and white, which lends much to its tone. The score is pitch perfect, and this is one of the few movies in which Mitchum sings. I have never known exactly where Laughton shot it, but I would love to see how they did the river scenes when the children have escaped. Much is made of the fact that this was Charles Laughton's only foray into directing. Whatever the reason for his failure to repeat the experiment, this is a wonderful movie to have as a signature. It is unique; try and find another like it.
The movie begins with a father (Peter Graves as Ben Harper), on the lam from the police, entrusting the cash he has stolen to the care of his children. He makes them promise to not reveal where the money is hidden. He is arrested and, we see quickly convicted and sentenced to hang. But during his incarceration he reveals unintentionally to Robert Mitchum (Harry Powell) a hint that his children might know the whereabouts of the money.
We skip ahead; Harry is now out of prison and makes a beeline to the town where his ex-cell mate hailed from – a town along the river in West Virginia. Incredibly, through his smarmy talk and sermonizing, he weds the widow of Ben Harper. He is seriously intent on gathering information about the money.
After relentless pressure from Powell, the children at one point escape from him, commandeer a small boat and float away down the river. But Powell is never far behind and trails them for weeks. He wants that money.
One of the strangers that befriends the children on their adventure is Lillian Gish (as Rachel Cooper). Her role turns out to be quite important, and it has always been difficult to envision a better choice for her part.
How this all turns out I leave you to enjoy. Suffice it to say you will be left thinking about what you saw. Which is a sure sign of a good movie.
In the same interview noted above, Mitchum shares that working with Charles Laughton was, essentially, a joy. "Honest to God, you know, you did your really best to try to enchant him and of course it was effective." Effective it was – I will never forget, have not forgotten since I first heard and saw it many years ago, the haunting, chilling scene of him singing and trailing the children along the river.