The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton)

Actor Charles Laughton’s first and only film as a director was initially rejected by both the general public and the critical mass. It is not that hard to understand why this film was so unpopular. It is not a conventional movie by any standards. Part fairy tale, part Grand Guignol, this chiller operates on so many levels that it is impossible to box it in one single category. It is too bad that no one in 1955 knew what to make of it. But in recent years The Night of the Hunter has been rediscovered and reevaluated, and it has been rightly placed among the most unique, more audaciously imaginative American films of the 1950s.

If Laughton intended to surprise the audience by breaking away from mainstream film techniques, he succeeded. Whenever is possible, the director clearly opts for something that echoes the German Expressionism of the silent era. The Night of the Hunter averts reality at every opportunity. Many of the sets are obvious cardboard cut-outs, and the actors are drowned in heavy shadows and unusual camera angles (courtesy of cinematography Stanley Cortez). Laughton clearly strives for dense visual texture, but I’m afraid this approach alienated the film’s intended audience. However, I will argue that the film’s almost on-your-face style is what makes the movie fascinating to watch.

Robert Mitchum gives an larger-than-life, nearly cartoonish performance but his approach fits well within the film’s dreamlike style. The bold-faced Mitchum contrasts beautifully with the inwardly strong Lillian Gish. Miss Gish plays Mitchum’s antagonist and as far as I’m concerned, neither Mitchum’s scenery-chewing, nor Laughton’s showy direction can overshadow the power of Gish’s brilliant characterization. But Gish’s restrain in the face of Mitchum’s excesses is a calculated risk that pays off. You have to credit Laughton for such a clever manipulations of opposites halves.

The Night of the Hunter is full of memorable sequences. Laughton makes the simplest moments count. No frame is wasted. It is a bold experiment that has stood the test of time. It remains an absorbing Gothic tale, with a maddening intensity, and a strangely poetic texture. It’s an American classic.

~ by gelpi2008 on Sunday, October 19, 2008.