Here is my second assignment for my "Film Reviewing" class. Hope you enjoy...THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
Director: Charles Laughton
Producer: Paul Gregory
Screenwriters: James Agee, Charles Laughton
(Based on novel by Davis Grubb)Cinematography: Stanley Cortez
Music: Walter Schumann
Harry Powell...Robert Mitchum
Willa Harper...Shelley Winters
John Harper...Billy Chapin
Pearl Harper...Sally Jane Bruce
Birdie Steptoe...James Gleason
Icey Spoon...Evelyn Varden
Rachel Cooper...Lillian Gish
Running Time: 93 minutes
Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars
The 1955 thriller, The Night of the Hunter stars Robert Mitchum as Harry Powell, a murderous preacher who stalks and torments two small children in attempt to get to their dead father’s stolen fortune. The film has acquired a cult following and is considered a classic by many movie lovers. While The Night of the Hunter certainly has a few promising qualities, such as Mitchum’s haunting performance as the villainous, child-hunting preacher, I found the film to be overwrought, gaudy, and often times confusing. Despite having an interesting story and a talented lead actor, the film’s potential is undermined by weak performances from the supporting cast and the disrupted pacing leading into its exhausting conclusion.
Robert Mitchum puts on the performance of his career as the psychopathic Harry Powell. Armed with the infamous “LOVE” and “HATE” tattoos on the knuckles of each hand, and a deep, gravelly voice as he boisterously calls out to the two terrified children, Mitchum fully embodies the creepiness and frightening presence necessary to pull off such a role.
Unfortunately for Mitchum, none of the supporting actors in the film can match up to the caliber of his performance. Shelley Winters plays Willa Harper, the widowed mother of the two children. Willa mistakenly falls in love with Harry and marries him, completely oblivious to his true intentions. Her naivety is so overplayed that it becomes hard to understand her character’s motives. She is so easily manipulated by Harry, making it difficult to really sympathize with her character. Other supporting characters include Icey Spoon (Evelyn Varden), owner of a local shop whose absurd humor is sometimes funny but mostly overdone and out of place, and Uncle Birdie (James Gleason), a drunken fisherman that gets abandoned early on in the film.
While it might seem a little unfair to critique child actors, especially from the 1950’s, it seems necessary when they play such an integral role in the film’s plot. In this case, the child stars are what makes this film difficult to connect with. The two children (played by Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce) seem incapable of expressing emotions in a manner that is required for the suspense of the film to work. Their reactions to life-or-death situations seem forced and unnatural. This can be especially seen in the over-the-top, sometimes laughable chase scene, in which Harry clumsily wrestles through conveniently placed obstacles as he pitifully fails to catch the two little children.
After this overdramatic chase scene, the tension and momentum of the film comes to an abrupt halt as the plot transitions into a slower, less interesting chapter of the story. Finally, after what seems like a logical ending, the film continues needlessly for about another 15 minutes. While I can see why The Night of the Hunter is considered by many to be a cult classic, I found it difficult to fully enjoy. Even Mitchum’s outstanding performance isn’t enough to save this film from its weak supporting cast, overdone dramatics, and overextended conclusion.
Trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment