Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Ben H — 10 Apr 2012

Terrifying modern parable/fairy tale, brilliantly adapted by James Agee, astonishing direction by Laughton who used his theater directing experience to great effect, and most credit due to Stanley Cortez' expert cinematography with lighting effects that created some of the most memorable sequences in cinema - the dream-like journey downriver, the Preacher as a silhouette on the horizon and the underwater shots of dead Willa. The score is excellent too, as are performances by Mitchum, Winters and Gish.

In some respects the film is an attack on the often unquestioned Christian beliefs and weak-mindedness of rural America, at a time when that whole way of life was being increasingly corrupted by modernity (symbolised by the Preacher and his car) and progress.