Review of The Night of the Hunter (1955) by Van R — 28 May 2010

Charles Laughton directed only one film during his long career, but "The Night of the Hunter" is a tour-de-force effort from Laughton as well as a stellar cast headed by Robert Mitchum as an insane murderer Harry Powell who wanders the countryside like a serial killer preying on poor widows.

When a poor farmer Ben Harper (Peter Graves of "The Five Man Army") robs a bank, he convinces his son John (Billy Chapin of "Tension at Table Rock") to hide the loot. While Ben is in prison, he shares a cell with Powell.

Powell has the words love and hate tattooed onto the knuckles of his hands and he tells a Biblical story about how good triumphs over evil. He knows that Ben Harper stole a fortune so after Ben dies in the electric chair, Powell goes after Ben's family.

Iniitally, he romances Ben's widowed wife, Willa Harper (Shelly Winters of "Cleopatra Jones"), and discovers that she knows nothing. Powell puts on airs like a wounded minister of God. Eventually, he drowns Willa in the river.

"Since You Went Away" lenser Stanley Cortez contributes some atmospheric photography, especially the sight of Shelly Winters tied up in an old automobile at the bottom of the river with her hair swimming peacefully in the currents.

James Gleason is effectively cast as river rat Birdie Steptoe who is John's only friend. John suspects that Powell is up to no good from the get-go and he doesn't tell him a thing. Unfortunately, John has to keep a lid on his loquacious little sister Pearl Harper (Sally Jane Bruce of "Kids Will Be Kids") who takes a liking to the evil Powell.

You see John has stuffed the loot in his sister's baby doll. After Powell kills their mother, John and Pearl set out in a john boat on the river, just a step ahead of Powell. The action unfolds during the Great Depression and our heroes wind up in the care of an older woman, Rachel Cooper(Lillian Gish of "The Birth of a Nation"), who is mighty handy with a shotgun.

Laughton shot most of "The Night of the Hunter" on a sound stage and Hilyard M. Brown's art direction and Alfred E. Spencer's set decoration are nothing short of superb. Mitchum is simply unforgettable as the evil preacher who rides a white horse and sings a hymn.