Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Steve F — 04 Apr 2012

On one end you have the manipulative preacher Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), on the other the benevolent and wonderful Rachel Cooper. Together they do battle in a metaphor as fitting for the time as any you could conceive. One, Harry Powell represents hate although as the movie suggests it comes looking much like love in many instances. It's written on the preachers knuckles, love on one and hate on the other, he explains that although hate my rise up, love will always conquer it. We learn how aptly this metaphor is displayed by the end of the movie. It's triumphant and compelling and not just just for 1955. You have to wonder just how many movies have been influenced by Night Of The Hunter, (my bet is all of them).

Harry Powell, played impeccably by Robert Mitchum acts a bogus preacher who lands in jail after stealing a car, he meets up with Ben Harper, a man who's about to be put to death. Ben Harper lets Harry know of ten thousand dollars he has hidden, although the only ones who know its location are his children. Harry Powell then takes initiative and seduces Ben Harper's gullible widow, acting with charm and charisma, wooing his way into not only Mrs. Harpers heart but into the heart of all the townspeople, (the final mob scene is a sight to behold). He finds however that the children of Ben Harper are not so easily fooled. The youngest boy, John Harper withholds all information from Mr. Powell and it builds towards an intense battle of wills that proves to be indelibly haunting. Mr. Powells chillllllldren, call from the top of the stairs is blood curdling in it's own right.

Director Charles Laughton went on to direct more films but none as visually appealing and suspenseful as Night of the Hunter. One of the most striking aspects about this film is how well it holds up to today's standards in terms of story, visuals and overall entertainment. It's horrifying and welcoming at the same time, the scene where Willa Harper is sunk under water in the old model T is one of the most haunting scenes in all of cinema. It has beauty but for all intensive purposes it's visually frightening. Night of the Hunter has surpassed the standard for what It means to be a classic, (hell it was even recognized by congress as being culturally significant), not that it truly matters, what does is a well written, well acted story about what happens when love and hate collide. Sometimes we have trouble telling the difference, but eventually as the movie suggests hate is toppled and defeated.