Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Night of the Hunter - Review by Ebert

I've posted a review of The Night of the Hunter by film critic Roger Ebert. He wrote it for his on-going Great Movies series. Read through it. I've got some questions for you after.



"The Night of the Hunter"
Roger Ebert - film critic

Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter'' (1955) is one of the greatest of all American films, but has never received the attention it deserves because of its lack of the proper trappings. Many ``great movies'' are by great directors, but Laughton directed only this one film, which was a critical and commercial failure long overshadowed by his acting career. Many great movies use actors who come draped in respectability and prestige, but Robert Mitchum has always been a raffish outsider. And many great movies are realistic, but ``Night of the Hunter'' is an expressionistic oddity, telling its chilling story through visual fantasy. People don't know how to categorize it, so they leave it off their lists.

Yet what a compelling, frightening and beautiful film it is! And how well it has survived its period. Many films from the mid-1950s, even the good ones, seem somewhat dated now, but by setting his story in an invented movie world outside conventional realism, Laughton gave it a timelessness. Yes, the movie takes place in a small town on the banks of a river. But the town looks as artificial as a Christmas card scene, the family's house with its strange angles inside and out looks too small to live in, and the river becomes a set so obviously artificial it could have been built for a completely stylized studio film like "Kwaidan" (1964).

Everybody knows the Mitchum character, the sinister "Reverend'' Harry Powell. Even those who haven't seen the movie have heard about the knuckles of his two hands, and how one has the letters H-A-T-E tattooed on them, and the other the letters L-O-V-E. Bruce Springsteen drew on those images in his song "Cautious Man'':

"On his right hand Billy'd tattooed the word "love'' and on his left hand was the word "fear'' And in which hand he held his fate was never clear''

Many movie lovers know by heart the Reverend's famous explanation to the wide-eyed boy ("Ah, little lad, you're staring at my fingers. Would you like me to tell you the little story of right-hand/left-hand?'') And the scene where the Reverend stands at the top of the stairs and calls down to the boy and his sister has become the model for a hundred other horror scenes.

But does this familiarity give "The Night of the Hunter'' the recognition it deserves? I don't think so because those famous trademarks distract from its real accomplishment. It is one of the most frightening of movies, with one of the most unforgettable of villains, and on both of those scores it holds up as well after four decades as I expect "The Silence of the Lambs" to do many years from now.

The story, somewhat rearranged: In a prison cell, Harry Powell discovers the secret of a condemned man (Peter Graves), who has hidden $10,000 somewhere around his house. After being released from prison, Powell seeks out the man's widow, Willa Harper (Shelley Winters), and two children, John (Billy Chapin) and the owl-faced Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce). They know where the money is, but don't trust the ``preacher.'' But their mother buys his con game and marries him, leading to a tortured wedding night inside a high-gabled bedroom that looks a cross between a chapel and a crypt.

Soon Willa Harper is dead, seen in an incredible shot at the wheel of a car at the bottom of the river, her hair drifting with the seaweed. And soon the children are fleeing down the dream-river in a small boat, while the Preacher follows them implacably on the shore; this beautifully stylized sequence uses the logic of nightmares, in which no matter how fast one runs, the slow step of the pursuer keeps the pace. The children are finally taken in by a Bible-fearing old lady (Lillian Gish), who would seem to be helpless to defend them against the single-minded murderer, but is as unyielding as her faith.

The shot of Winters at the bottom of the river is one of several remarkable images in the movie, which was photographed in black and white by Stanley Cortez, who shot Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons," and once observed he was "always chosen to shoot weird things.'' He shot few weirder than here, where one frightening composition shows a street lamp casting Mitchum's terrifying shadow on the walls of the children's bedroom. The basement sequence combines terror and humor, as when the Preacher tries to chase the children up the stairs, only to trip, fall, recover, lunge and catch his fingers in the door. And the masterful nighttime river sequence uses giant foregrounds of natural details, like frogs and spider webs, to underline a kind of biblical progression as the children drift to eventual safety.

The screenplay, based on a novel by Davis Grubb, is credited to James Agee, one of the icons of American film writing and criticism, then in the final throes of alcoholism. Laughton's widow, Elsa Lanchester, is adamant in her autobiography: ``Charles finally had very little respect for Agee. And he hated the script, but he was inspired by his hatred.'' She quotes the film's producer, Paul Gregory: ``. . . the script that was produced on the screen is no more James Agee's . . . than I'm Marlene Dietrich.''

Who wrote the final draft? Perhaps Laughton had a hand. Lanchester and Laughton both remembered that Mitchum was invaluable as a help in working with the two children, whom Laughton could not stand. But the final film is all Laughton's, especially the dreamy, Bible-evoking final sequence, with Lillian Gish presiding over events like an avenging elderly angel.

Robert Mitchum is one of the great icons of the second half-century of cinema. Despite his sometimes scandalous off-screen reputation, despite his genial willingness to sign on to half-baked projects, he made a group of films that led David Thomson, in his Biographical Dictionary of Film, to ask, ``How can I offer this hunk as one of the best actors in the movies?'' And answer: ``Since the war, no American actor has made more first-class films, in so many different moods.'' ``The Night of the Hunter,'' he observes, represents ``the only time in his career that Mitchum acted outside himself,'' by which he means there is little of the Mitchum persona in the Preacher.

Mitchum is uncannily right for the role, with his long face, his gravel voice, and the silky tones of a snake-oil salesman. And Shelly Winters, all jitters and repressed sexual hysteria, is somehow convincing as she falls so prematurely into, and out of, his arms. The supporting actors are like a chattering gallery of Norman Rockwell archetypes, their lives centered on bake sales, soda fountains and gossip. The children, especially the little girl, look more odd than lovable, which helps the film move away from realism and into stylized nightmare. And Lillian Gish and Stanley Cortez quite deliberately, I think, composed that great shot of her which looks like nothing so much as Whistler's mother holding a shotgun.

Charles Laughton showed here that he had an original eye, and a taste for material that stretched the conventions of the movies. It is risky to combine horror and humor, and foolhardy to approach them through expressionism. For his first film, Laughton made a film like no other before or since, and with such confidence it seemed to draw on a lifetime of work. Critics were baffled by it, the public rejected it, and the studio had a much more expensive Mitchum picture (``Not as a Stranger'') it wanted to promote instead. But nobody who has seen "The Night of the Hunter'' has forgotten it, or Mitchum's voice coiling down those basement stairs: "Chillll . . . dren?''



As you probably noticed, I highlighted a few of Ebert's passages in pink. I'd like you to pick one or two and comment on it - do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? As always, please give support for you claims. And feel free to comment on the responses of others.

Also, are there any passages that I did not hightlight with which you severly agree or disagree?


16 comments:

  1. "The basement sequence combines horror and humor." I have never noticed that, but now that I think about it, it does! I could see how it may be comical for this mad-dog killer to be chasing little kids and then tripping and falling like some clumsy oaf! Ever heard the saying "God protects children"? The preacher's fall kind of symbolizes to me that saying. Even though Powell has everyone convinced he's a preacher, the Big Man Upstairs knows the truth! On a side note, I was kind of irritated when Lillian Gish had that shotgun pointed at Powell but she didn't fire! She had so many opportunities to kill him before he entered her house! "I'll be back tonight!" I thought for sure she would have shot him then. Anyways, I think this was a good movie.

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  2. I agree with the section:
    Charles Laughton showed here that he had an original eye, and a taste for material that stretched the conventions of the movies. It is risky to combine horror and humor, and foolhardy to approach them through expressionism.

    Laughton's use of shadows exemplifies the homage to German Expressionism. Specifically scenes like the marriage night bedroom scene, this one shot of the entire bedroom as a chapel specifically reminds me of the ominous and eerie look of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in the lighting as well as the set design (Sharp corners and odd angles). The use of expressionism is the lynch-pin to giving this film the brooding qualities and errieness that modern day films lack.

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  3. "Nobody who has seen 'The Night of the Hunter" has forgotten it, or Mitchum's voice coiling down those basement stairs" 'Chillll...dren?'"
    I completely agree with this. After all, this was my second time seeing this movie, and when I asked what we were doing in class (because I missed the day before) I got the answer "We're watching 'Night of the Hunter.'" I instantly thought, but did not say out loud, oh the movie with the creepy guy singing, who talked awfully calmly, and chasing after the children. It will stay with me forever, and I think for many it will too. Who knows, maybe when were trying to scare someone we'll be saying in Mitchum's voice, "How about you come over here. I have something to tell you. I can feel myself getting awfully angry."

    Dmitriy, you know how you said, "Lillian Gish had that shotgun pointed at Powell but she didn't fire!" Well, Dmitriy they always have stuff like that happening in the movies. The guy has the shot, but he doesn't take it. And it always gets you saying why the... didn't he do that?! I remember seeing this in Mission Impossible (whichever one... I think the most recent), but a helicopter came up from the bridge. It hovered there right in front of Tom Cruse, and the bad guys did not take the shot. They hovered there for about 10 seconds and didn't do anything, and same with Tom! Dmitriy, if they took the shot, in both of these movies, then the movie would be way shorter, and it would leave you saying, "Man! That ending sucked!" Don't you think it made it more interesting?

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  4. Caleb, I guess so. Ever since drama, movies have been exaggerating reality. It only seems reasonable a character might hesitate. Still, I can't see why even thru all these Mexican standoffs, a guy can't just plug his sworn enemy whenever he has the chance too. I guess the ending would suck that way though, so I'm ambivalent in that sense; not shooting adds to drama but subtracts from reality.

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  5. "nobody who has seen "The Night of the Hunter'' has forgotten it, or Mitchum's voice coiling down those basement stairs: "Chillll . . . dren?'' "

    I especially agree with this passage. This film stood out, and was unforgettable because of Mitchum's Character. Harry Powell was so scary because he was this vicious killer that everyone (especially the adults) fooled. He would put on his high and mighty, "preacher" facade, and he would be able to get away with anything. While I was watching the film, I put myself in John's shoes, and I felt scared and frustrated because no one (not even the mom) believed that Powell was evil. This film was really unforgettable because Harry Powell was a whole new level of evil. In most horror movies, the killer is blatantly evil, and everyone else knows it. But Harry Powell tries to hide his evil deeds with his whole preacher act, and he manipulates everyone to get on his side, and to be against his enemies. But the fact that Powell actually believes that God is telling him to kill all these people for money makes the him even more messed up, and even more unforgettable.

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  6. Mitchum is uncannily right for the role-

    I think that this is totally true. I couldn't imagine this character with anyone elses face on it. His face shape is pretty creepy and the sinister look on his face can be copied by no one.

    an incredible shot- I totally agree with this. I'm amazed by this shot and that they'd show something as edgy as this in 1957. I'm sure it shocked people then but it still shocks us now. It holds it's value 50 years later.

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  7. "scene where the Reverend stands at the top of the stairs and calls down to the boy and his sister has become the model for a hundred other horror scenes."

    out of all of the passages that you have highlighted, I think that this is the one i most agree with. As horror as developed throughout the years, the same effects and methods to scare the audience or make them feel uncomfortable have been use OVER and OVER, again and again. Out of all the horror movies you have seen, I bet a quarter or more of the movies have a scene where someone is hiding in the basement and the villain is calling out or walking down the dark staircase. This shot, which originated in this movie, has been a classic trademark in horror ever since. This realization that not many people notice is what makes this movie so special. This movie has created baselines for all horror movies today, and this basement/ dark staircase effect is still used and has been perfected to thrill the audience.

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  8. Owen Moynihan

    I agree and disagree with this part of the review.

    Winters, all jitters and repressed sexual hysteria, is somehow convincing as she falls so prematurely into, and out of, his arms.

    The children, especially the little girl, look more odd than lovable.

    Winters as the wife plays it well but the role she is playing doesn't make sense. She is widowed for a month then marries a stranger. Who in lets say a week brainwashes her into thinking her husband stole the money for her, even though we know he did it for the kids. Then the Preacher holds a knife over her to slit her throat and kill her and she doesn't even flinch. I get that she had to marry to raise the kids in that time but does anyone else find the rest hard to believe? It just didn't seem realistic to me and I couldn't get past it. The second part I could not agree more with. The little girl seemed more like something out of a nightmare than someone in it. She also did the most unrealistic of things, falling asleep in Uncle Bernie's cabin while seconds before she was almost killed and is still in danger. These little things just bothered me so much I couldn't enjoy the film.

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  9. I the same as Owen agree with some of the review and some parts I disagree with. The first thing that I blatantly disagree with is the fact that this movie is one of the best American movies of all time. I really didn't find the movie all that great. I totally agree with all what Owen has said above and really get annoyed by certain things in this movie. I think it was a well put together story and plot. I also think that the set and costumes and everything else are very interesting but the most important thing is the thing that bugs me the most, the acting. I really felt annoyed and angered by how some characters acted. The mother and what Owen said definitely doesn't do a good job and how she dies is just so unrealistic. Also when the children find out that their mother died the girl basically says, "I bet she is dead" and the boy says, "yeah she is" and then they just go on with their life like nothing happened. It just isn't believable and doesn't seem like how the children would react if they had found out their mother had actually died. But the character that really makes me angry is the little girl. She takes almost an hour to get up the stairs when she should be sprinting like Hussein Bolt to get the heck away from the murderer. She then takes another hour to get in the boat and I think there are actually several shots going back and forth to the murderer running after them and she is still making her way onto the boat. There is more I could say like how she talks so ridiculous but I think you get the picture and as well as Owen it really made it hard for me to watch the movie. The one thing that Ebert said that I do agree with is the fact that it was risky step to combine a horror and comedy. I think this is hard to do for certain movies because dark humor is hard to write in a script but I do think this movie does a good job in that area. The part were Mr. Powell is at the stairs of the basement calling to the children is really a great scene and when he calls it is funny yet scary all at the same time and was really well put together. So all in all I think its a somewhat entertaining movie to watch if you can ignore some distracting parts in the movie.

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  10. I agree that the basement scene combines terror and humor when the preacher tries to chase the kids up the stairs. You are frightened that the preacher will get to the kids and hurt them. But the way the kids are slow to get up the stairs and everyone falls is humoring. I also believe that no one who has seen this movie will forget the preacher calling out "Chil....dren." I personally will not forget that. It's creepy and frightening. No one normally talks like that. Another thing I agree with is how the Love and Hate theme has become very common. Some of the scenes have become themes in horror movies.

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  11. Mitchum is uncannily right for this role

    I dont know how u could disagree with this. He honestly just looks evil. Hes not crazy-looking but sinister. Anyone else playing this role would be unfit compared to Mitchum, But not only does he look the part, he talks the part. I mean who else can calmly say "i can feel myself gettin awfully mad" the way he does? He adds this comical twist to being a serial killer whos trying to kill two kids and steal their money.. I mean he becomes the part. Its a real shame this movie didnt get more attention at the time because Mitchums performance should have been applauded

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  12. nobody who has seen "The Night of the Hunter'' has forgotten it, or Mitchum's voice coiling down those basement stairs: "Chillll . . . dren?''. I completely agree with this. The fact that this guy moves from town to town marrying and killing widows just leaves me speechless. Also the way that he has no problem hurting innocent children just sickens me and I can't forget that. When you hear Mitchum's voice it just sends shivers down your spine especially when he is saying children. Another thing that makes this movie unforgettable is the way he believes that God is telling him to kill all these people this brings up certain questions. The way Mitchum speaks and looks make this movie so much more frightening. The things Mitchum would do just makes this movie unforgettable.

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  13. i agree with this quote "But nobody who has seen "The Night of the Hunter'' has forgotten it, or Mitchum's voice coiling down those basement stairs: "Chillll . . . dren?'' because throughout the movie the preacher says children in a creep slow way. just like how he sings his song. kinda slow and mysterious. We even talked about in class as i remember, that every time he says children he says it slower and in one tone. which creates more tension between the children and him.

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  14. The passage "The basement scene combines terror and humor" reminded me of how Shakespeare's plays practically always combine dramatic horror followed by humor. It's a method that allows the audience to take a breath and notice that horrors in life such as murder, death, sins, and other horrors of reality are all jokes that life plays on humans. I'm reading Macbeth right now, and I remember him stating "All is but toys." I'm not saying that you're supposed to laugh at such serious issues, but it becomes shocking and funny how the world, especially humans, can be so delirious! I might be over-analyzing this scene, but I feel that when you examine it in this way then it creates a greater and more grave effect. After all, we may laugh at certian parts in the film...but "Night of the Hunter" is definitly not a comedy.

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  15. "And Shelly Winters, all jitters and repressed sexual hysteria, is somehow convincing" I hands-down agree with this statement! Right from the get-go, i was immensely creeped out and suspicious of something being upw ith this character. Then soon it was made clear just what she was getting at, especially when in the bedroom with the preacher. I think it was a mix of her voice, her personality, and her looks that just shed light on her creepiness factor altogether. Definitely a god choice for making the character become what it did.

    And this is my favourite statement by far! "nobody who has seen "The Night of the Hunter" has forgotten it, or Mitchum's voice calling down those basement stairs: "Chillll . . . dren?" ". So. Very. True. i'm happy to say this movie made it to a list of onse I'd actually watch again- knowing me, that right there is a feat. I don't think I could ever forget a creep such like he! An audience has probably never been so creeped out and worried for the lives of John and Pearl in their lives, either! I highly doubt there are too many movies out there with a line like this being spoken by a man with "love" and "hate" tattooed on his knuckes. Uneasy feelings!

    As for what the rest of what Roger had written about this movie, I pretty much agree with everything.

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  16. Brandon Stark

    This movie for me truly shows the never ending fight between good and evil. Alot of movies say they show it but really don't. The scene where Mitcum's voice calls down the stairs is probably one of the most frighting scenes in movie history. It's so dark and frightening and the moment is captured perfectly. It represents how powerful evil truly is.

    The second would have to be when the Preacher and Rachel Cooper sing in the night. The both sing the same song but sing their own versions of it. This got to me by showing the battle of good and evil. Also how black and white are shined upon both characters in simular ways. It's so powerful but at the same time so epic.

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