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The Night of the Hunter (1955)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
24 November 1955 (Argentina)
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Tagline:
The wedding night, the anticipation, the kiss, the knife, BUT ABOVE ALL... THE SUSPENSE! more
Plot:
A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win
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NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
The Stepfather (1987)
(From SoundOnSight. 22 October 2009, 8:17 PM, PDT)
Shelley Winters: 1920-2006
(From IMDb News. 14 January 2006)
(From SoundOnSight. 22 October 2009, 8:17 PM, PDT)
Shelley Winters: 1920-2006
(From IMDb News. 14 January 2006)
User Comments:
Overwhelming
more (275 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Robert Mitchum | ... | Harry Powell | |
| Shelley Winters | ... | Willa Harper | |
| Lillian Gish | ... | Rachel Cooper | |
| James Gleason | ... | Birdie Steptoe | |
| Evelyn Varden | ... | Icey Spoon | |
| Peter Graves | ... | Ben Harper | |
| Don Beddoe | ... | Walt Spoon | |
| Billy Chapin | ... | John Harper | |
| Sally Jane Bruce | ... | Pearl Harper | |
| Gloria Castillo | ... | Ruby (as Gloria Castilo) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
La noche del cazador (Argentina) (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
Die Nacht des Jägers (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
La nuit du chasseur (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Sombra do Caçador (Portugal) [pt]
A vadász éjszakája (Hungary) [hu]
De jagersnacht (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
I nyhta tou kynigou (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
La morte corre sul fiume (Italy) [it]
Noc mysliwego (Poland) [pl]
O Mensageiro do Diabo (Brazil) [pt]
O thanatopoinitis me to simadi (Greece) [el]
Pimeydessä vaeltava (Finland) [fi]
Räsynukke (Finland) [fi]
Trasdockan (Sweden) [sv]
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Die Nacht des Jägers (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
La nuit du chasseur (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
A Sombra do Caçador (Portugal) [pt]
A vadász éjszakája (Hungary) [hu]
De jagersnacht (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
I nyhta tou kynigou (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
La morte corre sul fiume (Italy) [it]
Noc mysliwego (Poland) [pl]
O Mensageiro do Diabo (Brazil) [pt]
O thanatopoinitis me to simadi (Greece) [el]
Pimeydessä vaeltava (Finland) [fi]
Räsynukke (Finland) [fi]
Trasdockan (Sweden) [sv]
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
92 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Finland:K-16 (1959) (cut) |
South Korea:15 (2003) |
Brazil:14 |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Canada:14A (video rating) |
Finland:(Banned) (1955) |
Norway:16 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:12 |
USA:Approved (certificate #17385) |
West Germany:12 |
UK:X (original rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Robert Mitchum once stated that Charles Laughton was the best director he had ever worked for, ironic in that Laughton never directed another movie after The Night of the Hunter (1955) with Mitchum.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: The turtle that John says could be made into soup is actually a desert tortoise.
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Quotes:
Willa Harper:
[Willa and Harry's wedding night] Harry?
Rev. Harry Powell: I was praying.
Willa Harper: I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought...
Rev. Harry Powell: You thought, Willa, that the moment you walked in that door, I'd start to paw at you in that abominable way that men are supposed to do on their wedding night. Ain't that right, now?
Willa Harper: No, no, no.
Rev. Harry Powell: I think it's time we made one thing perfectly clear, Willa. Marriage to me represents the blending of two spirits in the sight of Heaven. Get up, Willa.
Willa Harper: Harry, what...?
Rev. Harry Powell: Get up. Now go look at yourself yonder in that mirror. Do as I say. Look at yourself. What do you see, girl? You see the body of a woman, the temple of creation and motherhood. You see the flesh of Eve that man since Adam has profaned. That body was meant for begettin' children. It was not meant for the lust of men! Do you want more children, Willa?
Willa Harper: I... no.
Rev. Harry Powell: It's the business of this marriage to mind the two you have now. Not to beget more. Alright, you can get in bed now. Stop shivering.
[...]
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Rev. Harry Powell: I was praying.
Willa Harper: I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought...
Rev. Harry Powell: You thought, Willa, that the moment you walked in that door, I'd start to paw at you in that abominable way that men are supposed to do on their wedding night. Ain't that right, now?
Willa Harper: No, no, no.
Rev. Harry Powell: I think it's time we made one thing perfectly clear, Willa. Marriage to me represents the blending of two spirits in the sight of Heaven. Get up, Willa.
Willa Harper: Harry, what...?
Rev. Harry Powell: Get up. Now go look at yourself yonder in that mirror. Do as I say. Look at yourself. What do you see, girl? You see the body of a woman, the temple of creation and motherhood. You see the flesh of Eve that man since Adam has profaned. That body was meant for begettin' children. It was not meant for the lust of men! Do you want more children, Willa?
Willa Harper: I... no.
Rev. Harry Powell: It's the business of this marriage to mind the two you have now. Not to beget more. Alright, you can get in bed now. Stop shivering.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Surge of Power (2004)
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Soundtrack:
Dream, Little One, Dream
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FAQ
How did Harry get out of prison?Is this a true story?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
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I was lucky enough to see this in a cinema with a restored print. I had previously caught a snatch of it while channel surfing cable TV, and saw enough in about 30 seconds to realise that this was worth watching through if I got the chance.
I could barely speak at the end of the film. Pauline Kael called it one of the scariest movies ever made, and she was absolutely right. Robert Mitchum becomes the embodiment of evil, and his pursuit of the children is so relentless, and so menacing, that it becomes impossible to believe that they can escape. The images are brilliant; there's a depth to black and white that colour somehow lacks, and it is used superbly here to create a sense of brooding terror.
I didn't mind the homily at the end. Like everything else in the film, it is done with utter conviction, and this makes it work. Charles Laughton saw it as the indispensable conclusion to the film, and the strength of his belief makes it indispensable.
The images are so much part of the film that it must lose a great deal on the small screen, although my minimal exposure to it in that environment showed that it was still well worth watching, but if you get a chance to see it in a cinema, jump at it.