Favorite Movies: The Night of the Hunter
SPOILER ALERT: This film came out in 1955, but I will attempt to forego overt spoilers. Even so, I would recommend watching this bona fide classic before reading any reviews.
Dream little one, dream
Dream my little one, dream
Though the hunter in the night
Fills your childish heart with fright
Fear is only a dream
So dream little one, dream
This lullaby, written by Walter Schumann for the score of the 1955 classic The Night of the Hunter, plays over the film’s opening titles. Voices of children sing the words - which say so much before the film’s plot even begins.
This is a film about children navigating a world of corrupt adults. It is a film loosely based on the true story of 1932 serial killer, Harry Powers. It is also a film that speaks to our current struggles as much as any film ever made.
By the time he directed this film - his first ever directing credit - Charles Laughton had made a name for himself as an actor, having won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1933 for his work in The Private Life of Henry VIII. He would never direct another film, largely due to the fact that The Night of the Hunter was poorly received by audiences and critics alike. As is so often the case, genius was not recognized in its time.
You can speak of the greatness of the images in this film - and there are many. The haunting visual of a woman’s hair floating underwater with the reeds after she has been killed and thrown in the river is one of the most arresting images ever committed to film. You won’t forget it. The words “love” and “hate” written on a character’s knuckles are referenced by Spike Lee is his timeless film Do the Right Thing. And that same character - a corrupt preacher - riding on horseback set against the lamplight on a country road brings deep fear and dread.
That character, “Preacher” Harry Powell, is played by Robert Mitchum in one of his great performances. You can speak, too, of all the acting prowess on display. Shelley Winters as the widowed, Willa Harper, is acted upon by forces outside her control until she sees things as they truly are. Her children, John and Pearl (played by Billy Chapin and Sally Lane Bruce), are the heart of the film. But even beyond these key players, the film is populated with unforgettable supporting characters - Lillian Gish as Rachel Cooper, the first character you see on screen; James Gleason as Uncle “Birdie” Steptoe; and Evelyn Varden as Icey Spoon, to name a few.
Ms. Cooper begins the film by teaching a group of children. She recites Bible passages and ends with Matthew 7:15-20:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits…”
Once the film’s story begins in earnest with a group of children finding a dead body in an open cellar, Ms. Cooper’s voiceover continues.
…a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Wherefore, by their fruits, ye shall know them.
It is just after these words - and the ominous score from Schumann - that we are introduced to Powell as he drives into town. He is in conversation with God as he drives his car. He speaks vaguely of the number of widows he has been led to in his travels by God. “You say the word, Lord, I’m on my way,” he intones. We don’t yet know what any of this means, but the film removes all doubt just a few moments later with a series of chilling lines from Powell.
“Not that you mind the killings. Your book is full of killings. But there are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin’ things, lacy things, things with curly hair.”
If one might be willing to bypass - at their peril - the first two sentences by reaching to agree with Powell’s take on lasciviousness, the film’s next shot takes away that option. Powell is shown in a burlesque house, participating in the very actions he says God hates.
In less than five minutes, the film has laid its cards out on the table. One can speak the language of religion and not know what it means. Even worse, one can speak the language of religion, know what it means, but use those words to twist and corrupt the hearts of the people for whom you are called to care.
Powell is picked up at the burlesque house by a police officer for the theft of the car we saw him driving. He is sent to the penitentiary, where he will meet someone that will drive the remainder of the film.
This language of religion that Powell twists to his own devices lies at the core of American identity. Certainly in the time of the film, Sunday School and preachers were mainstream building blocks of society. Though their influence may be lessened today, their core aspects of American identity remain.
At this point, I should say that I am a devout Christian and have attended church all my life. As I have grown, my faith has grown with me. Yet, I continue to see faith in God as the core part of my identity. I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The religious themes in this movie resonate with me deeply.
That is not to say that it is a simple or straightforward story.
As the film dispenses with any pretense about Powell’s intentions from the very beginning, I don’t think it spoils the experience of the film to know about his evil machinations. The film still has surprises in store. Well-meaning individuals who make up the core of the community depicted in the film are swindled by Powell’s smooth talk. The power of the film is in the characters who are not swindled by him.
That takes us to John and Pearl. By plot points that I won’t divulge here, they become tied up with Powell. Their mother, Willa, is raising them on her own. Powell, believing her to have money stowed away, ingratiates himself into the family. The key point here is that John and Pearl are caught in the middle of forces outside their control. They know Powell to be up to evil devices, yet the opportunity for him to even step into the picture was made by the immorality of their father, Ben (Peter Graves). Ben forces John to swear that he will protect Pearl and that he will never divulge the family’s secret.
Adults do not come off well in this film. They are either blatantly corrupt, or they are easily tempted by forces like the twisting of religion or the lure of a bottle. John and Pearl are left to make of the world what they will. When the plot gets to its darkest, they take to the river - a place that had been full of wonder and amazement for them - and its dark banks and unknown end.
Pearl sings as animals dot the riverbank. It is another haunting scene. Its haunting quality comes, not from jump scares or depicted horror, but from the notion that we are all just children floating down the river, unsure of the future that awaits us.
Icey Spoon is another key character. She and her husband, Walt (Don Beddoe), run an ice cream parlor where Willa works as a waitress. She is well-meaning, but she inserts herself into the lives of others with a wantonness that is, honestly, off-putting. But she goes farther than this as the movie continues. From initially supporting Powell, she then leads a mob to call for his lynching once his evil is finally unearthed.
In Icey Spoon, I see so much of the current strife that plagues us. She professes faith - and she very well may believe it. But she fails to discern the fruit of a false preacher in her midst until it is too late. Once this is revealed, rather than practice introspection, she reacts violently against the world outside. The problem is always with others, not within.
And this brings us to Rachel Cooper, played by the silent film legend - Lillian Gish. Here is an adult that looks out for “the least of these.” She takes in orphans and teaches them about God. She protects them from outside forces that would corrupt their innocent lives. She sings hymns while holding her rifle to fend off the evil outside her door.
Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus
Leaning on the everlasting arms
In quoting Matthew 7 at the outset, this films gets to the heart of so many issues at play in our American identity. Religion and power. Manipulation and tenderness. Differences between male and female. Insecurity and strength. Matthew 7 encourages us to look inward before we call out our brothers and sisters.
We live in the night of the hunter. May we find a soft riverbank as we travel onward, innocent children though we are.
NOTE ON CONTENT: This film has a frankness to it that may have brought about the inability of the audiences of its day to appreciate it. This frankness comes in forms both violent and sexual, but not by any of those things being graphically depicted on screen. You could call it a horror film, but there are no slasher qualities or jump scares. It is simply truthful about the horrors that stalk all our communities in the night. I think viewers of many different ages will be moved or impacted by watching this film. However, it does deal with adult themes and topics.