Night of The Hunter :: Index

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Texts :: Movie/Dvd Review

Actors: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden

Director: Charles Laughton

Writers: Charles Laughton, Davis Grubb, James Agee

Producers: Paul Gregory

Format: Black & White, Dubbed, Full Screen, PAL

Language: English

Orig. Release Date: Aug 06, 1955

Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Region: Region 2 (UK & Europe)

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Number of discs: 1

Classification: 12

Studio: MGM Entertainment

DVD Release Date: 19 Mar 2001

Run Time: 89 minutes

Compelling, frightening and beautiful... One of the greatest of all American films!

If you are coming to The Night of the Hunter for the first time then I truly envy you. So much to discover; so much to take in. Image upon image come at you in expressionistic waves ... so much so that it gets hard to take in in one go. But this is Art; this is everything Cinema should be and more.

Remarkable when you consider that this was the only film Charles Laughton directed. If, say, Fritz Lang or Murnau had made it then you would say it was their greatest work. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, if Cinema goes on for a 1000 years, men will say, "This was its finest hour!"

For me, the star of the film, Robert Mitchum is one of the true greats of Cinema, for he has a presence that few have ever equalled. This was his Churchill moment - this was his career-defining role if you look back with hindsight. Sure the film did nothing at the box-office when it was first released but that says more for 1950s mainstream sensibilities. Today, the reappraisal is complete, and it is generally considered one of the greatest films ever made.

And Lordy, as terrifying as terrifying can be! I'm sure the term 'menacing' took on an even darker shade after Mitchum's Reverend.

"Chill...dren!"

robert mitchum night of the hunter

Texts :: Review II

A tall, handsome "preacher" - his knuckles eerily tattooed with "love" and "hate" - roams the countryside, spreading the gospel ... and leaving a trail of murdered women in his wake. To Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), the work of the Lord has more to do with condemning souls than saving them, especially when his own interests are involved. Now his sights are set on $10,000 - and two little children are the only ones who know where it is. "Chill...dren!" the preacher croons to the terrified boy and girl hiding in the cold, dark cellar ... innocent young lambs who refuse to be led astray.

A finely acted, imaginatively directed (Charles Laughton) chiller with brooding power, The Night of the Hunter stars Mitchum in his most daring and critically acclaimed performance of his career. Spellbinding, ominous, and hauntingly suspenseful, this extraordinary film noir classic remains one of the most frightening movies ever made.

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night of the hunter

Texts :: Review III

This thriller is one of the great masterpieces of American cinema, a movie so strangely repellent, so poetic and so utterly hypnotic that it sadly never found an audience. Based on a novel by Davis Grubb, it was Charles Laughton's only film as director, and it features Robert Mitchum's finest screen performance as a bogus priest and psychopath who has “love” and “hate” tattooed on his knuckles. Serving time in jail, Mitchum learns about a bank robbery from a condemned man, and on his release he relentlessly pursues the man's children whom he believes can lead him to a cache of stolen money. Mitchum's always imposing, menacing presence is heightened by Laughton to an extraordinary degree, and their stunning collaboration is enhanced by Lillian Gish's portrayal of a gun-toting spinster. Set during the Depression in a rural backwater where the riverbanks are alive with croaking frogs, it's a fairy tale turned into a dark night of the soul.

Source For Review III: Radio Times

Notes :: Dvd Special Features

1.33 Full Screen
DVD 9
French\German\Italian\Spanish
English\German
English
Dolby Digital Mono English French German Italian Spanish
Dolby Digital Mono
Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Menu
Chapter Selection
Danish\Dutch\English \Finnish \French \ German \ Italian \ Norwegian \ Portuguese \Spanish \Swedish

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Gallery :: UK Dvd

Buy :: UK Dvd

Price: £9.99
UK Sterling (new)(includes UK postage & packaging)

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Also available: amazon.co.uk| amazon.com

CD Movie Soundtrack: amazon.co.uk

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