Why It's a Classic: The Night of the Hunter

A video essay about Charles Laughton's macabre fairy tale for adults about a mass murderer who simply wants a doll.
Here I analyze the elements that led "The Night of the Hunter" to be elevated across movie history. Its universal Good vs. Evil narrative aided by its highly unique chiaroscuro visuals. This is, after all, an extremely unusual film, and it was one even upon its release.
During the Great Depression, serial killer "Preacher" Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) finds out his former cellmate hid 10,000 dollars in his house. Charming his way through the town, Powell marries the widow (Shelley Winters) and does all he can to make her children John and Pearl reveal where is the money. Soon they'll have no one to turn to but the benevolent protector Rachel Cooper (Lilian Gish).
A classic earns its place in the canon through recognizable quality. It stands out from heaps of contemporaneous works to always be named as the highest point an artform can aspire to. A classic prospers through history; it is canonized by time. Artistry alone can guarantee survival because history gives no handouts. Times change, cultures change, peoples change, but beauty, craft and excellence always remain. This series is a celebration of the pantheon of great films.
I found out while making this video that "Laughton" is pronounced Law-tuhn. I always said Laugh-tuhn, as in laugh. You learn something new everyday.
#videoessay #filmmaking #cinematography
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[@LycanVisuals]

I'm watching through an entire serial killer watchlist in letterboxd because I'd like to write a few serial killer scripts. I finally ran into this film and loved it. Can't believe Charles Laughton only made ONE film...

[@gavinhebert27]

Name of the list please?

[@LycanVisuals]

@gavinhebert27 I just went on letterboxd and typed in serial killer in the list section. Most of the selections are just about the same.

[@keremmazman3761]

He only directed one film but he is one of my favorite actors from that era. If you haven't you should watch Witness For The Prosecution.

[@larskaaber9869]

Moviewise, you missed one significant element that explains everything in "Night of the Hunter", from the strange cinematography, artificial sets and the acting which may come off as stilted, to the sometimes improbable psychology and fairy-tale quality which you mention: it's "epic theatre" in the style of Brecht whom Laughton had worked with 8 years before in California on a production of "Galileo". It was Laughton's vision to transfer all Brecht's ideas to film. This also explains the presence of songs, an important part of epic theatre.

[@azohundred1353]

Robert Mitchum's performance is a tour de force in this. Lillian Gish was fantastic as well, decades after her career in silent films.

[@Kevin_Street]

This is one of Robert Mitchum's best performances, but the real revelation for me was Lillian Gish. Seeing her in this film she just seems so alive and three-dimensional, compared to her silent films. (Or at least the few I've seen.)

[@johnnzboy]

"It is the son of many fathers and it fathered many sons, but it remains its own beast" - positively epigrammatic, and the visuals match tellingly. Bravo!

[@davidthorpe8712]

The king of KZbin film critics

[@patrakotoson5126]

Don't forget that the preacher speech about Love and Hate Is what inspired Spike Lee for a scene in Do The Right Thing. He remade the dialogue almost word for word.

[@blakob]

I reckon sunset boulevard / double indemnity is deserving of a 'why it's a classic' video

[@Aimbot95]

Double indemnity for sure! Billy Wilder is at his best in that movie

[@matthewkasowski2792]

I second Double Indemnity

[@johnradovich8809]

No question. Wilder was the wittiest director who ever lived.

[@davidunderwood1773]

I just finished rewatching "The Night of the Hunter," thanks to this video. A thing strikes me on this rewatch was how little people talk about the sound mixing of this movie. Some of the most horrifying elements of this movie, like the rabbit being killed by the owl, only are portrayed through sounds.

[@tom-vj9lz]

"can you imagine a great film being made today that's only 92 minutes long?" Coming from the guy that crowns Ken Braunagh's 4 hour Hamlet adaptation as the greatest of them all

[@totostamopo]

Thanks for another amazing entry into the "Why it's a Classic" series. What can one say about this one? The cast is stellar ( Mitchem, Winters AND Lillian Gish!) through and through and Laughton rightly praised for the film. So glad you gave it this well deserved attention.

[@zetectic7968]

Laughton's only direction because the critics hated it & the reviewers panned it.

[@spacemanspud7073]

8:24 Great line here! When I saw the picture in the community tab of this video being announced, I thought that house shot was from the Exorsict before I got a closer look. It's cool to see that its the influence

[@shortsio5657]

This movie along with Cape Fear are in my opinion the two best movies about psychopaths who'll stop at nothing to get what they want. Both terrorizing two different families for two different reasons, but the outcome is still two haunting characters.

[@jennatuuls]

I only just saw your community post a few hours ago. Naturally, I had to check this film out. Gosh, this one's going to be on my mind for a while...

[@theroguecritic4138]

This is the brilliance of Moviewise. I am not at all a fan of Night of the Hunter (due to many of the same weaknesses the video discusses); and yet I watched the whole video and learned a ton. Another great video, keep it up!

[@henrybrowne7248]

It really is. I found out about it from a respectable list of all-time great films, got it [here on YT], and was enthralled. What performances by all actors, especially Mitchum! It's basically a childhood fairy tale for adults. Alas, it was probably a bit over the head of audiences back then, flopping at the box office, and Laughton never directed again . . What a waste.

[@horatius2006]

@5:03 LOL: "His hands seem a little more Count Orlok than normal." Another great analysis from the Moviewise master! Hope it's not too cliche, but how about a Kurosawa breakdown?

[@phonon1cv1brat1on]

Amen

[@Zed-fq3lj]

Thank you good man, another enjoying review from from you! A brilliant, above all else a unique movie!🤩

[@Kevin_Street]

Thank you for continuing this series! I remember discovering "Night of The Hunter" in the library, back in the VHS days. It was obvious from the first viewing that this film was something special, and it's held up ever since. Laughton's style is so integral to everything, it's impossible to imagine the movie working as well with a different director. It's too bad the film wasn't more of a box office success at the time, and he didn't get another chance to direct. I wonder what his version of "The Naked And The Dead" would've been like.

[@TheCh1212]

Amazing analysis. I love this series and this KZbin channel. Please do not stop making videos!

[@solomonrichards599]

A Clockwork Orange could be deserving of a video like this.

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

He said classics ended after the Sixties.

[@madmartigan21]

​@@N_Loco_Parenthesis as much as I love these videos, I hate that he gives an arbitrary ending for an age of classics.

[@ulaznar]

@@madmartigan21 Not that arbitrary. The Golden Age of Hollywood ended around 1954.

[@madmartigan21]

@@ulaznar why is 1954 anything but an arbitrary date? What criteria does anyone use to determine that's the end ? What is the criteria used to determine that the age of Classics ended in the 1960s?

[@ulaznar]

@@madmartigan21 1954 was the last year of Joseph Breen as censor (the so called Hays Code), and the year in which the last of the operational links between a major production studio and theater chain were broken (consequence from the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948) effectively ending the Studio System. For 1968, the MPAA rating system replaced the Hays Code, and probably most directors started experimenting with their cameras taking foreign cinemas as influence. Were would you draw the line to separate the age of classics?

[@allistairmitchell5747]

Great film often overlooked by others. Great job of explaining its brilliance. Keep it up.

[@johnradovich8809]

Love this film. Mitchum’s best. And that’s certainly saying something.

[@patriciafeehan7732]

This movie is frightening. It is a masterpiece.

[@alexrollinsberg4736]

Love this movie. Thanks Moviewise.

[@rudrajabasu4995]

Been watching your videos lately it was apparent from the first video that you provide a content more superior compared to others in this platform.Here's a request...How about the 1955 classic Pather Panchali for your next video,I have seen a lot of analysis of Satyajit Ray's film before but I would like to see your's take on it.... Keep up the good work!!

[@MrCanadatom]

This film is way over the top, and I imagine critics of the time felt the same way. In this way, it is timeless. The whole 'fairy tale' thing enchances that. I actually saw this is a cinema back in the 1980s, and remember just soaking up Laughton's viruosity - you think, oh if I was a director, I'd like to make something so against the grain like this. Looking at its influence, it's obviously a film-maker's film.

[@repugnus]

Thank you for your great videos one of my fav KZbin channels 😸😎

[@cinefabrication]

Why it's a classic: «Sweet Smell of Success» directed by Alexander Mackendrick or «Executive suite» directed by Robert Wise

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Both excellent.

[@jerryschramm4399]

You mention the similarity to silent movies, Which may be why Laughton decided to make Lillian Gish a major character. Also, of course, we have the jewelry/brass knuckles of Radio Raheem in"Do the Right Thing". This may be the most poetic film since "Beauty and the Beast" (which was so stunning I seriously thought it was in color, rather than black and white in my memory). Yes, there are some silly moments, but it would be fascinating to see the film in silent mode, with music and dialogue cards to help tell the story.

[@Brandon-a-writer]

Every time you release a new video I end up falling down the whole list of all these great scripts of yours. From one KZbin writer dude to another, I really hope you see every bit of success that you deserve man. This movie is so ingrained in American culture, back in the early 90s you would see kids with the same fake-knuckle tattoos as the Preacher. And that's some 30 years (give or take) after the film, long after the source was forgotten. It was like the 'Here's Johny!' - so many people heard it in pop culture before ever getting back to the Shining. Some films can be so heavily referenced in pop culture you can almost get the whole of it from the piecemeal references scattered across the media landscape. I'm sure at some point I used a sharpie and wrote that shit on my own hands, long before I ever knew what it came from. I do have a great defense: it looked fuckin' cool. Also, I used your Bridge on the River Kwai video to teach my intern irony :P Excellent, excellent work sir. The Vertigo falling man silhouette works amazingly in the intro!

[@benjaminherrera3518]

FAVORITE MOVIE!

[@elizabethpalladino8301]

I've only seen clips of this film, but always planned on watching it. I loved how you pointed out how the cinematography was more like silent expressionist films than the cinematography of sound films. I'm also not surprised that "Night of the Hunter" is a Universal Film. It reminds me of the black and white expressionist cinematography of so many of Universal's B horror films, such as "Frankenstein," "Dracula," or "The Wolf Man." I've often heard of "Night of the Hunter" referred to as a Film Noir movie. Nope, it's a Universal monster film, complete with the mob with the torches and pitch forks chasing down Robert Mitchum's "monster."

[@SlothGunner]

You’re next classics essay should be about The Bridge on the River Kwai. I know you’re a fan and not enough people have seen it.

[@bell1876]

i spent near 20 minutes watching a video that had less than an eighth of the insight, logic or perspicacity of this one before i lost patience with the hack... if he actually had a point i don't think he understood it himself. i genuinely can't understand why this channel doesn't have a larger following. my only regret i the near-twenty minutes i wasted instead of watching this twice

[@michelele7949]

It’s a chilling and powerful movie, stuck in my mind Not perfect, but ageless indeed

[@robinsandquist]

Saw it yesterday. It was a really good moodpiece with some really awe-inspiring shots. It sadly lost a bit of its macabre feel towards the end - but still kept a solid pace to not make you lose interest. Great film!

[@johns123]

Great video, I love this one's visual style so much. Speaking of it, do you think you'll tackle silent films in this series? It may be best to go after sound films first, not alienate too many people, but maybe tackling some of the best silent films would be good down the line, especially for someone like me who struggles to get into them

[@lawsoncrutcher3218]

you gotta make one of these about Ikiru!!

[@danielmalchovichcorleone4031]

The Leaning scene is one of my favorite scenes ever.

[@davidroylance]

I love your classic film videos @moviewise. Please do All That Money Can Buy aka The Devil and Daniel Webster. William Dietriele is becoming one of my favorite directors.

[@vb_blokeboi7251]

Stone cold classic, one of my favourites. Mitchum was brilliant

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

When people (attempt to) talk about movies and you can tell they have no knowledge of anything made before 1980 you know they're full of sh*t. Thanks Moviewise for covering the actual classics of cinema.

[@WMCheerman]

Great work!

[@johnpaulsylvester3727]

My favorite Christmas movie!

[@SillyWillyFan47]

"the son of many fathers, and it fathered many sons" - Exorcist: iconic moment. :D

[@floydffrogfloydffrog7453]

"Laugh-tuhn" now that's hilarious. I'm afraid that the simple story and hammy line delivery was too much for me and I didn't get very far into Night Of The Hunter. But now at least I know what I missed. Thank you, Moviewise. But of course Mitchum is always a pleasure to watch. He does unfathomable evil like no one else.

[@crystalwellman9024]

I would love to see you cover Cat People 42. Or anything Val Lewton.

[@TheAlexcassun]

It would make for a fun non-musical musical double bill with The Wicker Man

[@kristianlagrange]

Sunset Boulevard!!!

[@paulcarter9652]

Excellent video Moviewise. Would you talk about Vertigo next? Is a great movie but I don't understand it

[@postmodernrecycler]

One doesn't understand Vertigo. One bathes in it.

[@Jack-qw3tg]

Could you do Hitchcock's Vertigo? It's narratively complex with stellar direction. Also North by Northwest

[@mashaikh52]

Have you reviewed the great classic "The Third Man 1949". Would love to hear your acerbic and sardonic views.

[@spencerlane415]

Great movie, my only grievance is when the preacher announced his entire plan to come back and get the kids at night, felt like a gaping contrivance.

[@JohnMoseley]

Not sure it's technically a classic enough to be considered for Why It's a Classic, but I just watched The Americanization of Emily and often thought as I did, 'What would Moviewise say?' - especially about James Garner's character. I'd love to see you do a video about that.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Very good film.

[@JohnMoseley]

@@OuterGalaxyLounge Yeah, it instantly became one of my favourites.

[@madmartigan21]

The Hustler, for crying out loud, do The Hustler.

[@PerfectHandProductions]

Just watched the 4K of this a few weeks ago.

[@oobrocks]

I’d love Treasure/ Serria Madre reviewed

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Nice.

[@DuesenbergJ]

Spoiling the movie in the title. Proud to be Swedish.

[@jamierobertson4139]

His Girl Friday or The Apartment would both be solid picks, maybe It Happened One Night, with all the pre-code stuff Capra might’ve gotten away with, or You Can’t Take it With You would also be a fun one of his… sticking with the Night of the Hunter vibe, maybe The Haunting or A Place In The Sun… stretch goal would be Repulsion… dunno how much of a “classic” that really is but Polanski’s directing, especially in the first half of that is undeniably great

[@joaotito7241]

po eu amo esse filme

[@patriciafeehan7732]

When you are watching old black and white movies the lights should be out or dim. Many film noir movies are best viewed in a darkened setting.

[@denroy3]

Children...what a demon.

[@ConradSpoke]

I think The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the good one, the only one) is a nearly flawless hijacking/extortion film. Other films cheat with the gadgets and physics. Pelham doesn't. Pelham develops characters to exactly the correct degree. The geography is always clear. The only backstory is for the boss, Mr. Blue, and that info comes very late in the picture. It's part terrifying and part funny. The score is the New Yorkiest ever. The editing evolves. The last line is not a line. p.s. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three will be 50 years old in October. It's a classic.

[@user-hj4zh1hg2h]

Movie Sage Upon High, Your criticisms are beyond any criticism save one. Pearl's naiveite and innocence prevents her from accepting Harry Powell's deception, even in the face of reason and her brother's influence. I suspect she was also modeling her mother's fateful behavior as well.

[@tcliloveit309]

why when people (including me) comment asking a video related question you answer me but when they (including me) comment asking just a movie general question you don't answer although this will let us know more about your movie opinions?

[@mikelezcurra810]

Oh boy. I guess I'm dropping what I'm doing.

[@railwaycompartment]

I found the sister's behavior believable in that precocious southern children can be very fickle especially under the influence of a dominant personality

[@juju10683]

Do midnight cowboy

[@N_Loco_Parenthesis]

[03:15] Coup de Chance is 93 minutes long. Fallen Leaves is only 81 minutes long. Both 2023. Too soon to know if they'll become classics, admittedly.

[@oobrocks]

All great films share 2 things: great script and great acting ❤🎉

[@jhubjrbrbr]

Do Rashomon

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Good idea.

[@Of_infinite_Faith]

The plot was awesome but some of the characters really pissed me off. The southern gothic vibes were perfect though

[@alansmith8837]

Soz mate i think its inculcate

[@alansmith8837]

And of course i liked

[@bimblebee]

Nolan lives rent free in your head.

[@mercurialhypersprite9556]

Wait... so you're never gonna cover Wong Kar-Wai? What are you a heathen?

[@user-iv5gg2rw5e]

am i the only one who didn't like this film? the acting was quite bad.

[@jonbuono7826]

Anything non-woke has become a classic.

[@sealinseguro]

please for the love of god, define "woke"

[@jonbuono7826]

@@sealinseguro LoL. Phraseology is unoriginal. Define your "god".

[@ulaznar]

Really? I didn't notice Son of the Mask becoming a classic

[@jonbuono7826]

@@ulaznar That's because you didn't watch the film "Son of Sarcasm". So ignorant.

[@hatomi_j4920]

Next Why It's a Classic: What Ever Happned to Baby Jane?

[@hallwaywarrior5286]

12 Angry Men is my suggestion for this series. one of the most timeless films ever