THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)

 The summer is flying fast! With this most recent post, our guest writer Phil Congleton ends Summer 2022 on a darker but thrilling note. Here is his latest entry on The Night of the Hunter (1955)...and a nod to another hot summer classic, Do the Right Thing (1986).

My film choice for August ended up being very appropriate for this month. First of all, its main star, Robert Mitchum was born on August 6th, 1917. Co-star Shelley Winters was born on August 18th, 1920. Nine days later, the producer on this film, Paul Gregory, was born on August 27th, 1920. Principal filming for The Night of the Hunter (1955), began on August 15th, 1954 and a year later the film made its Hollywood premiere in Los Angeles, California on August 26th, 1955. Some areas of the country got to see the film as early as July 26th, 1955, some had to wait as late as September 29th, but the majority of ticket sales happened in August. Also, judging by all the sweating the characters do throughout the film, makes it feel like a hot August nightmare-of-a-story. The film takes place in West Virginia, along the Ohio River, so judging by the heat the characters seem to face, totally makes it look like it takes place in the Summer. Robert Mitchum’s Harry Powell mentions at some point in the middle of the film, "it is still a young summer". The film eventually ends at Christmas time, but it is evident that it takes place mostly in August. 

Photo by Phil Congleton

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The biggest surprise about this film, is the fact that, it is directed by acting-great Charles Laughton. Yes, the same Charles Laughton, who also appeared in Oscar winner Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), was a one-time Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), who was also Captain Kidd (1945) and who also returned seven years later in Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952). That Charles Laughton. The Night of the Hunter (1955) is hailed as one of the greatest films ever made. It is part of the National Film Registry list. That is an amazing thing to consider, since the film had a rough initial release in 1955. It was a bomb, critically abused, and it made Laughton leave the directing business for the rest of his life. It obviously ruffled the feathers of various faiths along the mid-west too. However, over the decades it gained recognition of being a great film, regenerated into cult-classic status by a large fanbase and eventually became a top 100 staple on lists everywhere.

The film is about a false, man-of-faith, serial killer, who uses his faith to justify the brutality of his actions. At this point, this fake minister, Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), is trying to swindle $10,000 out of a woman, after he finds out about the money from her husband, while serving time in jail. He uses his charms of the cross, to lure his victim's into a false sense of security and then he strikes. The story is based off of a novel of the same name and Laughton utilizes a lot of great old-Hollywood, filmmaking technical styles, which make the mood of the film even greater. It gathers together a great cast, along with Mitchum, such as, Lillian Gish, Shelley Winters, and Peter Graves.

Some of the scenes are shot on-location in West Virginia, but a large bulk of the film is shot on sound stages, mostly for budget issues, but turns out being a positive, because the set pieces, that Laughton uses are really artful. They are beautiful. Laughton is able to capture the moody, brilliance of film-noir. The lighting and set design looks great in another wonderful black and white film. There were plenty of options to shoot in color, but maybe because of budget issues it was decided to do it in black and white. That, once again, ends up being a positive for the film. That is what makes this film great. Laughton was able to capitalize on budget issues and turned it into a strength. Be prepared for a brutal story (1950s style), about the devil in a black hat, but also be prepared to see a moment in film history that is a sight to see.

8.8 (B+ My Grade) = 8 IMDB, 4 Stars Letterboxd

The Criterion Collection trailer of The Night of the Hunter (1955)...

The Star Wars connections….

The guise of many evil characters throughout history resembles that of a dark, evil figure in black, who terrorizes the weak protagonists caught in their grasp. Robert Mitchum's character, Reverend Harry Powell and Darth Vader are the same horrible construct. Darth Vader has his dark cloak, helmet and body armor, while Harry Powell has his jacket, tie and hat. Harry's choice for a weapon is a switchblade, that he calls his sword. It is an interesting comparison, since a sword is the same size as a light saber. Vader is a lord of the dark side of the force, while Harry Powell uses a faith, that he actually doesn't identify with or has a name for, in the film. His faith is a secret between him and his lord. The awful, terrible things that Powell has done are just as horrible as what Anakin Skywalker did to the younglings in Revenge of the Sith (2005). They are both truly awful, evil beings. One interesting note; Powell has LOVE/HATE tattooed onto his fingers and tells the story of the struggle between love and hate. It is a chilling scene, which was created again in the great Spike Lee film, Do the Right Thing (1986), although not as chilling. Here is the sweltering trailer of Do the Right Thing with the LOVE/HATE reference....

In both of their respective films, they are introduced to the audience roughly the same way. They both end up in a situation involving capture/arrest, although Powell is also a prisoner in jail, while Vader is obviously in charge. Powell is in prison for stealing a car. He bumps into another cellmate, who is on death-row, Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who has ditched $10,000 somewhere, back in his home in West Virginia. Powell gleans from Harper the information about the money, but never gets the information where the money is. In Star Wars (1977), Lord Vader, interrogating Princess Leia, knows she has the Death Star plans she smuggled, but he never gets the exact location of where the plans are. Thus, the hunt is on after Powell gets out of prison and Vader turns to other leads, while his film moves on. As the characters begin their journey, the train carrying Powell moves along its path along the countryside, carrying Mitchum inside, as he gets closer and closer to the family. Director Charles Laughton films the train from a low, side-angle view, as the train moves by the camera, totally resembling the Imperial star destroyer, carrying Vader, moving past the camera in the beginning of Star Wars (1977).

Here is the surprisingly menacing-sounding trailer for Star Wars (1977) that echoes the darker side of Vader...

Episode IV Teaser Trailer on Disney Video

Both of these characters are a version of each other. In every situation, before you see Darth Vader’s shadowy figure, you hear his breathing first. In Night of the Hunter (1955), almost every time, you hear Powell singing his creepy gospels, before you ever see the man himself. It is a warning from the two characters, the outwardly signal to the audience, the danger approaching the victims. You also see Powell as a shadowy, frightening figure, much like Vader. Laughton shot him in many ways, as just a dark figure, stalking around in the background, before he strikes. He just didn't have a cloak or body armor. The resemblance becomes even more prevalent when we see in the Star Wars films, Vader’s pursuit of Luke and Leia, whether it is him chasing Leia in the beginning of Star Wars (1977), chasing Luke through the Death Star trench in his X-wing fighter at the end of that same film, or pursuing Leia and Han though the asteroid belt in Empire Strikes Back (1980). In Night of the Hunter (1955), once Powell gets to Harper's home in West Virginia, Harper's children, John and Pearl (Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce), manage to escape onto a rowboat down the Ohio River. It is the pursuit by Powell that reminds us of Luke and Leia being chased by Darth Vader all throughout the Star Wars films.

About the Author

Phil Congleton is a lifelong, but retired, film buff, who worked in television for 30 years and produced some small independent films in the 1990s. He just loves the art of film. You can read more of Phil's film reviews on Letterboxd.