The Night of the Hunter (1955) | |
| Director(s) | Charles Laughton, Robert Mitchum (uncredited), Terry Sanders (uncredited) |
| Producer(s) | Paul Gregory |
| Top Genres | Drama, Film Adaptation, Film Noir, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Money, True Story (based on) |
Featured Cast:
The Night of the Hunter Overview:
The Night of the Hunter (1955) was a Film Noir - Drama Film directed by Charles Laughton and Terry Sanders and produced by Paul Gregory.
The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Davis Grubb published in 1953.
SYNOPSIS
In this eerie meditation on good and evil, a murderous "preacher" with the elemental forces of "love" and "hate" tattooed on each hand relentlessly hunts two small children across the Depression-era Bible Belt to get at their dead father's stolen fortune. He marries then kills their mother (Winters), and the children flee on a nighttime river odyssey to the protection of Gish. In the only directorial effort by Laughton (from a screenplay by Agee), Mitchum turns in the performance of his career, with Gish as costar and camerawork by Cortez, of The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). A dreamlike parable laced with stunningly orchestrated symbolism. Despite current critical acclaim, it was a box-office flop and was nominated for no Academy Awards.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.The Night of the Hunter was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1992.
BlogHub Articles:
Robert Mitchum, Shelly Winters, and Lillian Gish star in "The Night of the Hunter"
By Stephen Reginald on May 30, 2023 From Classic Movie ManRobert Mitchum, Shelly Winters, and Lillian Gish star in "The Night of the Hunter" The Night of the Hunter (1955) is an American thriller directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum, Shelly Winters, and Lillian Gish. The supporting cast includes James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Billy ... Read full article
The Night of the Hunter (1955), Charles Laughton’s horrifying masterpiece
By Carol Martinheira on Oct 8, 2021 From The Old Hollywood GardenThe Night of the Hunter (1955), Charles Laughton’s horrifying masterpiece On October 8, 2021October 8, 2021 By CarolIn Uncategorized Can you believe it?s October already? I certainly can?t. But you know what that means. Horror Month is here! And we kick off t... Read full article
Silver Screen Standards: The Night of the Hunter (1955)
By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 8, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub BlogSilver Screen Standards: The Night of the Hunter (1955) The Night of the Hunter (1955) is such a haunting and unusual film that I often wonder what else Charles Laughton might have produced had he directed any more movies, but if he was only going to direct once at least we got this picture to sh... Read full article
1001 Classic Movies: The Night of the Hunter
By Amanda Garrett on Jul 29, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsThe Night of the Hunter (1955) is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. It stars Robert Mitchum as a preacher/ex-convict who is after $10,000 in stolen money. Each week, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 series and reviews of earlier f... Read full article
ClassicFlix (Teen Scene): The Night of the Hunter (1955)
By Virginie Pronovost on Jun 29, 2017 From The Wonderful World of CinemaFrom March 2015 to April 2017, I was writing the monthly Teen Scene column for the website ClassicFlix. My objective was to promote classic films among teenagers and young adults. Due to the establishing of a new version of the website, it?s now more difficult to access to the old version and read t... Read full article
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Quotes from
Birdie Steptoe: Man of my age needs a little snort in the morning, heat the boilers.
Willa Harper: I feel clean now. My whole body's just a-quiverin' with cleanness.
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Facts about
Stanley Cortez, the cinematographer on "Night of the Hunter", had also worked on Orson Welles's masterpiece, "The Magnificent Ambersons". He remarked some years after the making of this film that only two directors he'd worked with had understood light, "that incredible thing that can't be described": Welles and Laughton.
The sequence purportedly showing the preacher riding a horse in the distance was filmed in false perspective and was actually a midget astride a pony.
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