Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Spangle — 22 Mar 2017

They say that Satan knows the Bible just as well as God, for he uses its words to trick believers and people of the world into following a path of destruction. By knowing the words of the Bible, Lucifer can easily trick people into thinking his voice is that of God and that his words are godly ones. Unfortunately, far too many people fall for this trickery and are led astray. It is in this world that a film such as The Night of the Hunter is born. One where a Preacher is the antagonist and with good reason. He is a cruel and evil man whose only goal is to find money stashed away by a bank robber on death row. He uses his position as a Preacher to find favor with the townsfolk and the man's widow. All that is standing in his way is a couple of kids sworn to secrecy by their father.

Moving in the shadows to try and woo their mother and the townsfolk, Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a truly brutal man. Arrested at the beginning of the film for being in possession of a stolen car, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing, sent to lead the righteous off the right path. He talks the talk and shows everybody he knows the Bible, but behind closed doors, he is ruthless. From murder to theft, this is not your father's Reverend. Instead, he is a manipulative and evil man that is deftly portrayed by Robert Mitchum. In my recent forays into older classics, I have become well acquainted with Mitchum and it is hard to see him playing so against type because, inherently, I want to root for him. Mitchum is a terrific actor and The Night of the Hunter really stands as a testament as to why that is the case. He chills the room by simply entering it and his dark figure seems to tower over all of those in his presence. He simply radiates evil and makes the perfect guy for this role as a false prophet. By casting Mitchum, it makes the audience immediately comfortable with Harry Powell, just as the townsfolk are considering his status as a preacher. However, we quickly see Mitchum's brilliance as he turns on a dime between God fearing preacher and the ruthlessly greedy soul he hides within.

As a tale of religion, the film is incredibly strong. On one hand, we have the wolf in sheep's clothing and on the other, we have Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gash). A woman of faith, she takes in both John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce) - the children who Harry Powell tries to trick into giving him the location of their father's money - as well as other children. Though rejected by her own son, Rachel takes in children rejected by their parents or who are orphans and gives them a loving home. Reading often from the Bible and instilling a fear of God in her children, she stands as a beacon of light in the film and the true embodiment of faith. In the Bible it states, as Harry Powell quotes from Matthew 10:34, "Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." Rachel, though bringing peace and happiness to this children, is defensive. When she catches wind of Harry's presence and finds out he is not John's father, she immediately defends her home and her children with a gun. Reasoning that this is a harsh world for small ones, she puts herself in harms way to defend the children in her charge against a brutal enemy. In its entirety, the Night of the Hunter is a deeply spiritual affair. It boils down to a man of evil fighting a woman of purity. He is the equivalent of a Holy War on Earth between the left hand of hate and the right hand of love and turns out exactly as illustrated by Harry Powell throughout the film with love conquering hatred.

Its tale of morality is not just limited to the main characters either, as even the Hangman (Paul Bryar) suffers greatly from his job. In hanging the children's father Ben Harper (Peter Graves), he once more finds himself grappling with the weight of his job and being unsure of its justification. A man who's job it is to kill people for the state may just be a job, but what is its impact on his salvation? Though working in the coal mines would likely kill him, he constantly expresses his regret over his job and wishes he had stuck with coal mining. It is a compelling debate and one that the film introduces with grace alongside its main story that raises a lot of questions. Is it better to die young and leave your family to fend for themselves or is it better to be the man in charge of hanging convicted criminals with blood on your hands? The answer is certainly not one that anybody would have a quality answer for.

As a film noir, director Charles Laughton heavily uses shadows, silhouettes, and lighting to create incredible cinematography. The highlight of the bunch being a shot of Harry Powell riding along the horizon on his horse. Silhouetted by the moon, the two young children can see him from a distance and can hear him singing.