Throwback Thursday - The Night of the Hunter

Logline: A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.  

Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Peter Graves

Directed by: Chris Laughton

The Night of the Hunter was filmed in 1955 and has since been considered a critically acclaimed classic. So much so in fact that the Library of Congress holds it in their National Film Registry as a milestone in cinematic history.

So did it really live up to the hype? What is a classic anyway?

The film starts off with children John and Pearl's father returning home in a hurry. We find out he has $10,000 and he hides it in a special location that only the two children would ever know of. He makes them swear to never tell a soul where the money is hidden, not even their mother. The police come and arrest him shortly after and he is sentenced to jail time where he would await his execution.

While in prison, he meets Harry Powell, a preacher and a serial killer. He figures, hey, why not talk to a prison mate about the money, what's he going to do from inside a cell? Well, he isn't in that cell for very long - and now he knows that the cash is attainable.

So he shows up to the children's home, seduces the mother and marries her. Of course she doesn't believe her children when they tell her Powell keeps asking where their father hid the money. Until one day she catches him asking.

Say no more.

Let's dive into the topic of the day first... what is a classic?

Straight from the dictionary, a classic means: of the first or highest quality, class or rank. It also means: serving as a standard, model or guide.

So, I think both definitions put together serve as a pretty clear definition that people abide by. A high quality film at the time of release that sets the standard for upcoming films. So, does that mean classics can go stale over the years? I'd argue no, because objectively viewers have to respect that films made 60-80 years ago are going to have values and issues from a completely different and even less sophisticated culture.

So, by that definition, is The Night of the Hunter a classic in my eyes?

I'd argue that most people would say yes. Apparently many great directors of today have been influenced by the way this was filmed (Scorcese, Coen Brothers). So, it clearly did set a standard. That's half of what a classic is.

Was it of high quality? Well, from a person who hasn't tackled critiquing many classic films - I can say this wasn't as memorable as others. Have I watched a mountain of old classic movies? No. But I've seen enough to compare and contrast.

I will say that one thing this movie has going for it is a set of good characters. We have Powell the serial killer who can sweet talk his way into anything he wants, two innocent and loyal kids, a gullible widow, a pushy best friend who thinks she knows best, and a valiant protector who takes care of orphans. Each character adds a different flavour to the story and takes you into a very believable world.

However, I am a fan of storytelling, and although this was filmed in 1955, I cannot forgive it for some glaring mistakes.

This will spoil the end - so follow the stars and don't read in between them if you care.

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Powell is a character whose main attribute is his sly and charming speech that dwindle him into the hearts of anyone he talks to. The whole film he sneaks his way past everyone's walls of trust.

And then there is this scene. The kids run away from him after he kills their mother and discovers that the money is hidden in Pearl's doll. They boat down a river to a woman named Rachel Cooper who looks after stray children (convenience much?). Powell shows up and the kids scream that he is not their father. Rachel holds a gun to him and tells him he best be headed off her property. And then - Powell does something that irked me. He breaks his character and does something a man like Powell would never do. He yells to Rachel: "You haven't seen the last of Harry Powell. I'll be back for you come night fall. Be ready."

Now... a man who thrives off being sneaky. A man who is clever with every word he speaks. A man who is determined to get that money with all he's got. Does this sound like something he would say? Am I wrong here? This to me was a major breach of character and to me it ruined the whole final scene which could have been quite intense.

I was digging this movie up until this point.

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Aside from a breach in character that threw the ending off tilt for me, this movie does have some solid messages in it. Kids are the strongest form of man, but yet so vulnerable - a Socrates philosophy with a twist to it. It also explores the notions of good vs. evil, and yes this has been done so many times, but not in 1955. It's hard to believe this was made just 10 years after World War II. The characters were all demonstrated very well aside from a glaring mishap near the end, and I believe in 1955 this movie would have creeped many people out.

Many people will consider this a classic for its style and technique. The film's story is solid for its time and each character is well acted. For me, this movie is definitely very well done, but it won't go down as a classic in my books as it was missing the high quality that I have been accustomed to from other films around that era.

7.8/10