Summary
- “The Night of the Hunter” is an example of how the quality of a film does not necessarily depend on critics and box office results.
- The classic thriller, whose dark story is based on fairy tale themes, is now available to stream for free on Tubi.
- Preserving films like Night of the Hunter is crucial to preserving cultural heritage for future generations.
If there was ever a film that could serve as an example that quality does not depend on critics and box office results, it would be The Night of the Hunter. The only directorial work of English actor Charles Laughton is currently streaming on Tubeand it is an expressionist fairy tale that encompasses the Southern Gothic and features one of Robert Mitchum’s most terrifying performances. While The Night of the HunterAlthough the film is now praised by critics and audiences alike, it was negatively received when it was released in 1955.
Set against the backdrop of the American South and using many techniques known during the silent film era, The Night of the Hunter is considerable in extent and depth. Preserving films like this is essential to creating and preserving a cultural legacy. Fortunately, thanks to a home media release by the Criterion Collection and free streaming on Tubi, a whole new generation can immerse themselves in one of the most thrilling films of all time.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
At the forefront The Night of the Hunter is Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing. Mitchum is a serial killer posing as a preacher, and his portrayal constantly switches between that of a crazed sociopath and a country gentleman. With The Night of the Hunter be a kind of fairy taleMitchum is best described as the Big Bad Wolf disguised as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother.
Essential to every fairy tale is the dichotomy of good and evil, of which The Night of the Hunter has several. In Powell’s first appearance on screen, he “converses” with the Lord in a stolen car, discussing the victims he has murdered that the “good Lord” has provided for him, and the stolen money that will allow him to continue spreading his gospel.
The dichotomy of good and evil in Powell is evident through the tattoos on his hands that read “LOVE” and “HATE.” These two sides of Powell constantly switch back and forth throughout the film.
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A disturbance of family peace
As with other fairy tales, such as Cinderellaan evil stepfather comes into the family and disturbs the domestic peace of an unsuspecting family. Harry Powell becomes an integral part of this fairy tale in The Night of the HunterPowell befriends Willa Harper (Shelly Winters), the widow of Ben Harper (Peter Graves), whose children have hidden the loot their father stole from a bank robbery.
Powell, who was Ben’s cellmate before his execution, tries to get him to reveal the location of the loot before he dies, but to no avail. In order to get the loot, he turns on Willa and her children and becomes an evil stepfather and troublemaker.
Although Ben Harper’s appearance in the film is brief, his actions represent another aspect of good and evil, especially in relation to Powell. The Night of the Hunter is set during the Great Depression, a time of crippling poverty. For Ben, theft is a necessary evil so that his family can survive.
Powell’s motives for obtaining the loot are purely personal gain. The facade of the pious man of God begins to crumble and the full force of Powell’s sociopathic nature becomes apparent.
Light and shadow, good and evil
One aspect of The Night of the Hunter What drives his narrative is the struggle between good and evil. More than the mere story that unfolds in the film itself, the expressionist film techniques are essential to highlighting the characters and their transformation into the fairy tale characters they become. Harry Powell’s despair and descent into confused behavior, especially in the light of the full moon, takes on a subtle form of lycanthropy, as the wolf in sheep’s clothing can no longer deceive those around him.
If Harry Powell is the personification of deception and evil, then his counterpart is the character Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish). If Powell is the big bad wolf, then Rachel Cooper is the fairy godmother. After taking in Willa’s children and providing them with a safe haven from Powell’s pursuit, she becomes their caregiver and protector.
A symbolic torch handover
The ultimate standoff between Powell and Cooper, using light and shadow to create a vivid silhouette of the two while Powell sits outside the house and Cooper is inside, recalls the time of German Expressionism in the silent film era.
Stepping out of the context of the fictional narrative that exists within it The Night of the HunterThe scene, in which a burning candle is briefly seen, can be interpreted as the final “passing of the torch.” Lillian Gish, who was one of the first major film stars during the silent era, passes the torch to Mitchum and a new Hollywood that will produce countless matinee idols and films.
All these years later, The Night of the Hunter remains a definitive tale of good and evil and a reminder that some of the most diabolical and menacing characters live among us and behind closed doors.
