Gen Z and Gen X React to Night of the Hunter (1955) | First Time Watching

[@TTM9691]

Wow, great movie! Can't believe you're doing this one! Dropping everything to watch this with you dudes! Super shocked!

[@RKnights]

Thanks for spending time with us. We try to be different.

[@antrimlariot2386]

The kindly old lady is Lillian Gish - the greatest actress of silent films (1914 - 1928)

[@perrymalcolm3802]

The old lady was a movie star of the first order from a girl, LILLIAN GISH!!!

[@bengilbert7655]

Yes She was a star in the silent movie era and was still making movies in the 1980s.

[@floydster23]

Wow, my favorite "oldie". It's like watching a fairtytale with the kids barely escaping from the big bad wolf.

[@MrRondonmon]

The reason John was crying at the end was not the Preacher, he hated what *"THAT MONEY"* had brought into his life 1.) Dead Father 2.) Dead Mother 3.) a traumatized sister. That is why he did that, the money was what he hated, *"here take it, take it, take it"* Most people miss that. P.S. Robert Mitchum played in the original Cape Fear.

[@marcsullivan7987]

The reason he is crying is Bc he is reliving the arrest of his father. The shots directly mirror the sequence from the beginning of the film

[@Fredo_Viola]

Yep, it’s definitely a reaction to the previous trauma. Such a moving scene!

[@geraldmcboingboing7401]

Another great reaction, guys!!!! You're cooking on the front burner! The director, Charles Laughton, was an Academy Award winning actor, whose cinema acting career stretched from 1928 to 1962.

[@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626]

Hi Guys, the Director Charles Laughton was a British actor most famous for portraying characters such as Quasimodo in the 1939 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the King in the 1933 film The Private Life of Henry VIII, Captain Bligh in the 1935 film Mutiny On The Bounty. In one of his later supporting roles he portrayed Sen. Gracchus, in the 1960 film Spartacus.

[@RKnights]

I read that he was a prolific actor. I though he did a great job with this film.

[@TTM9691]

Don't forget "Island Of Lost Souls" He plays Dr. Moreau! The best version of that story hands down, that movie is fantastic!

[@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626]

@@TTM9691 I have not seen that one, I had seen all the others, although even Mutiny I had only seen parts of it.

[@TTM9691]

​@@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626 Mutiny On The Bounty is fantastic (the Charles Laughton version). That movie TOTALLY holds up! Definitely check out "Island Of Lost Souls", that is a genuinely creepy horror movie. He's great in The Canterville Ghost, very funny movie. And, as you say, definitely as "Henry VIII" (although Keith Michel is the ultimate Henry VIII in the fantastic BBC mini-series "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" (1970). Wow. That is an incredible miniseries. If you like "I, Claudius", check out 'Six Wives Of Henry VIII" and it's sequel, "Elizabeth R" with Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth.

[@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626]

@@TTM9691 The only version I`ve seen of The Canterville Ghost was with Patrick Stewart in 1996 tv movie. I watched Laughton`s Henry VIII years ago on the tv & have since bought the DVD. As for the BBC Mini Series of Henry VIII, Elizabeth R & I Claudius, I saw them all as they aired on tv & have since bought the DVD sets. I also watched three other historical Mini Series on tv when aired, 1981 The Borgias, 1983 By the Sword Divided & 1983 The Cleopatras, I have the former two DVD sets but not the latter yet. I would recommend all of these BBC mini series to any History buffs or fans of Historical drama.

[@MonkeyFarmFrankenstein]

I love seeing this movie get more exposure. Mitchum is one of the all-time greats. The look of the film is absolutely "stagey." Laughton is drawing on influences from German Expressionist films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and M, both of which played up the artifice of film to effect a less realistic, more nightmarish feel. Pearl and the other old lady are both metaphors. The old lady has an unquestioning obedience to traditional gender roles and religious authority, which is part of what makes her so bloodthirsty later on: she feels personally betrayed. Pearl and her mother represent different ways abusive families are bound together: Pearl has a psychological dependency on the preacher because she can't distinguish between a father figure and a particular man. The mother represents the social and economic pressures to marry and stay with a man, regardless of how he treats her or whether she feels fulfilled.

[@mothermayhem3255]

Cape Fear (1962). An excellent psychological thriller, also with Robert Mitchum.

[@firebird7479]

The blond in the prison is Peter Graves --- the Pilot in "Airplane!"

[@RKnights]

Really? Wow! Thanks for that info :-)

[@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626]

He also was the original Jim Phelps from the `60`s Mission Impossible tv Series, who listened to the message & picked the team.

[@firebird7479]

@@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626 Well, I point out the Airplane reference because they reacted to it. Even then, he didn't appear in MI until the 2nd season.

[@firebird7479]

@@RKnights A great movie with Peter Graves is the POW movie classic "Stalag 17". Peter Graves, William Holden. Excellent film.

[@long-timesci-fienthusiast9626]

@@firebird7479 I didn`t remember that but you are right, there was another actor before him.

[@TTM9691]

Totally love Robert Mitchum! If you want to see him really intense: "Cape Fear" (1962). If you 've seen the 90s remake, Robert Mitchum plays the Robert De Niro character. And he's scarier! Or at least just as scary! And the good guy is Gregory Peck, the Dad in "To Kill A Mockingbird" (can't remember if you've seen that). Definitely check out "Cape Fear" one day.....and the Scorsese/De Niro remake, too! They compliment each other! Scorsese uses the old cast and even uses the same score, it's a fantastic remake that is even better if you know the original. PS:: The old woman is Lillian Gish, one of the earliest of all movie stars, she started in 1910 and was a huge star in the silent era. She would pop up in movies after that all the way into the 80s, always great. And it's directed by Charles Laughton.....fantastic actor, this is the only movie he ever directed! And it's great! But it was a flop, so he never made another one! He's amazing in "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame" (1939), the incredibly creepy "Island Of Lost Souls" (1932), and the fantastic "Mutiny On The Bounty" with Clark Gable (1934). Those are three essential Charles Laughton movies, and just three of the best movies of the 30s that really hold up.

[@thegodlessvulcan]

Well now you all need to watch "The Bad Seed" '56. For another good Mitchum movie watch "El Dorado" where he's teamed up with John Wayne in a western.

[@deckofcards87]

Robert Mitchum was the goat, genuinely one of the best actors who ever lived. Even in lighter movies where he's playing a good guy there's an edge to him.

[@radentstwo9793]

Witness for the Prosecution with Charles Laughton is definitely a good one to view.

[@jacksimian3176]

So Glad You Guys Are Run-in Through the Classics!👍🇨🇦Thank You

[@juliell2139]

I really loved the part when John gives her the apple as a gift.

[@mothermayhem3255]

The Manchurian Candidate (1962).

[@Dej24601]

Definitely! A 5 star film! (the original, not the lame remake.)

[@track1219]

The way you guys reacted to the older lady breaking out the shotgun!🤣

[@juliell2139]

I always get emotional and tear up when John breaks down at the end and give up the money. That poor kid was all mixed up inside. It was too much to ask of him.

[@RKnights]

He has been through a lot in this movie. Tbh, this is a movie I would love to see redone by Guillermo Del Torro. I think he would respect the story and highlight the beauty of this film.

[@juliell2139]

@@RKnights I agree. Another great B&W movie with a similar eerie feel is The Innocents (1961) with Deborah Kerr - Great Victorian Haunting story with diff interpretations. Great cinematography (we have a frog cam -lol) Described as a gothic psychological horror film. Based on the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. Please consider adding it to a few polls to see if we can get a reaction.

[@track1219]

The sad thing is he was the most grounded character in the movie! He knew right away the “preacher “ was bad news. To me , the kids really made the movie. Love the dreamy river scene.

[@brettg274]

I love the set design in this movie

[@juliell2139]

"He had the charisma of a serial killer." LMFAO. Great react

[@JimmieRayGiboney]

Mark 20:47. Left her?! Huh? So your word means nothing? That boy swore an oath to his father! 👋

[@JC-rb3hj]

Mitchum is a fantastic actor. I suggest a latter Mitchum film 'Yakuza' 1974 directed by Sidney Pollak, Paul Schrader & Robert Towne screenplay. I think you'd love it.

[@JimmieRayGiboney]

Mark 10:01. Shoot! Dad, thought my brother and I needed a stepmother ASAP! So he dated different women in hopes of fiding one, until we outgrew the need for one. So he never remarried.

[@Dej24601]

It does make a difference when viewing this film on the big screen - especially for the river scenes; you really feel surrounded by the mystery and timelessness. The audience gets sucked in to the journey and feel like you are accompanying the kids. This film is a unique type of “film noir” - it has been labeled “fairy tale noir” ; so many traditional fairy tales are actually very dark and usually feature kids going on a journey of some sort, where they have to learn courage and to be self-reliant, usually are without parents, and rely on their wits. Animals play a large symbolic role in fairy tales, and feature frequently in this. Most “noir” films have a femme fatale: an evil woman ; here we have the homme fatale: an evil man. Many noir films end with the death of everyone that the evil person affected, but this film had someone intervene to help save lives- not a cop or detective, but a ordinary person who had not let greed or hatred change them. The scene where she sings with Robert Mitchum shows that even in this horrible situation, and knowing she might have to use a weapon, she still had no hate in her soul. The director was a well-respected English actor and showed an impressive creativity in this film with a very unusual point-of-view. He worked with one of the greatest Hollywood cinematographers who specialized in black & white, with high-contrast and deep shadows to create tension, a sense of menace and they created an authentic feeling of 1930 despite it being 1955. Also, this story is set in the worst times of The Depression, and in locations where there was little hope. So, the old woman represents a return to hope. Most of the story is set in a dry, dusty, dark environment, reminding the audience of The Dust Bowl across the south and all the hunger it caused. But at the end, the old woman is surrounded by clean snow, and has fresh fruit in the house, so the film ends with a sense of relief and expectations of a better future. Since so many people lost family in The Depression or were separated by the attempt to travel to new places for work, food or money, (and the children taken in by the old woman were all victims of that,) the end also includes a redefinition of ‘family’ - even if not blood relatives, people could build new relationships based on the values of helping one another. It is a film that gets deeper and more interesting with multiple viewings (especially on the big screen as was intended) or having caption/subtitles on in order to catch all the dialogue. The screenwriter was James Agee, a famous journalist and novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize. A few years before this, he had written the screenplay for “The African Queen, “directed by John Huston. Because of the unusual aspects of this film, its idiosyncratic style that once made people’ feel uncomfortable, and its shocking blend of dark humor with evil, it holds up today without seeming outdated. It is precisely the unrealistic features that contribute now to its timelessness.

[@stevemccullagh36]

The reason Laughton never made another movie is the critical reaction was so vicious and personal and became basically the 50s equivalent of a Twitter pile-on that he never directed again.

[@marcsullivan7987]

And then the movie rose in critical acclaim over the decades. In 2008 Cahier du Cinema, the prestigious film journal, selected it as the second greatest film of all time

[@paulhwbooth]

Watch the bloody thing!

[@gillcawthorn7572]

I read elsewhere that Charles Laughton disliked children and couldn`t get on with then ,so Robert Mitcham took over the directing wherever the children appeared. If this is true he did a remarkable job ,as his character was one of the scariest and he must have achieved a great rapport with them to both direct and act then act his part threatening them .

[@Fredo_Viola]

One of the extra features on the dvd was reels and reels of raw footage as he worked with all of the actors. If I remember correctly he is working with the kids as well as the adults.

[@gillcawthorn7572]

@@Fredo_Viola I will go back and look at my DVD ,thank you .I can`t remember where I read this ,it may have been a Robert Mitcham biography.

[@neillio]

This movie is incredible

[@RKnights]

Thank you!!! This movie was great

[@QueensLadyDay]

The TATOOS (LOVE & HATE) on his hands are showcased in Spike Lee's "Do the right thing" (1989) by Radio Raheem.

[@darrenhoskins8382]

Charles Laughton imo was the greatest actor ever!!!!!!! Watch Witness for the Prosecution, Mutiny on the Bounty, Spartacus etc

[@bengilbert7655]

The director Charles Laughton was a great actor. Check out 1932”s The Island of Lost Souls based on The Island of Dr Moreau with Laughton as Moreau and Bêla Lugosi as the Sayer of the Law. Another great but completely different film is Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution with Laughton, Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich.

[@21stcenturyhiphop]

The movie ends up being about a fake preacher vs. a woman who actually embodies the Christian doctrine.

[@JimmieRayGiboney]

Mark 09:22. Howdy! 🤠 Oh, the title doesn't refer to an actual hunter that hunts animals. I avoid such movies. So now it is new to me too! Looking at the thumbnail gave me the impression that this is Western, but ot isn't! "Annabelle"?! Are you guys aware that thanks to her many subtle cameos in other movies, that her movie franchise thus shares a universe with those movies that aren't about her? 🤔 There's a recent movie in which she is just hiding in the office of a pediatrician! 😮 Or a therapist.

[@jasontaverner391]

The movie stayed very loyal to the original stage play. The scenes surrealistic and claustrophobic like a play.

[@raphaelperry8159]

A true classic with a great twist.

[@colinglen4505]

Lol ... I had to laugh at the hate you was giving little Pearl.

[@Goosemeyer]

Please watch Soldier in the rain with Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen. 😢

[@House0fHoot]

This is an excellent movie. Very chilling!

[@Hayseo]

When I first saw this movie, I thought this was one of the oddest movies I ever saw. It had unusual cinematography. The backgrounds were more like a play than a movie. I wanted to stop watching it but I just had to see how it ended.

[@lanolinlight]

It was entirely intentional. Laughton was a genius. It's like calling Wes Anderson "stagey."

[@paintedjaguar]

"Stylized" is a better description.

[@deckofcards87]

It's called creativity. You don't have to like it, but it's not a flaw on behalf of the filmmakers

[@marcsullivan7987]

It’s expressionism. It’s MEANT to be unrealistic

[@TYinNH]

Great movie and great reaction!!

[@RKnights]

Thank you buddy :-)

[@e.s.9080]

Movie has flaws, but still can manage to be kinda creepy, definitely can still annoy with it's high handed religious and ridiculous fanaticism and the gullibility of women (way, way different times). The movie is fast paced and entertaining. The villain kinda gives off a boogeyman vibe, dare I say a hint of Michael Myers (when he's terrorizing the old lady with the orphans). Has a fever dreamlike quality about it as the kids are floating down the river and are being lullabied by the stars. Creative, indeed. It's not a bad movie at all just somewhat disjointed. Could use a modern, contemporary retelling (shocked that this has never been remade for theatrical release by now). Never trust anyone who turns down sex, especially on honeymoon and shames you for wanting it, never listen to and take advice from foolish busybody old women, and never put your life and the lives of your children, entirely in the hands of one individual. Don't become a Dateline episode. Lol.