IMDb > The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Night of the Hunter
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The Night of the Hunter (1955) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 38% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Davis Grubb (novel)
James Agee (screenplay)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Night of the Hunter on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 November 1955 (Argentina) more
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 more
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)

User Comments:
Very atmospheric thriller more (274 total)
US TV Schedule:
Sat. Nov. 143:30 AMTCM   

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
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)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
So disappointed was he by the poor reception of this film on its initial release both critically and commercially, Charles Laughton vowed never to direct a film again, and he never did. The film he was planning to direct next was going to be a screen adaptation of "The Naked and the Dead." more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Harry and Willa are talking on the riverside, he has his arms crossed, with his left hand touching his right arm and his right hand holding the hat leaned on his left folded leg. Between shots he appears with his left hand leaning on his leg and his right hand free holding the hat. more
Quotes:
[Pearl reaches to touch Powell's switchblade]
Rev. Harry Powell: No, no! Don't you touch that, little lamb. Don't touch my knife, that makes me mad. That makes me very, very mad.
more
Soundtrack:
Dream, Little One, Dream more

FAQ

Is this a true story?
How did Harry get out of prison?
A Note Regarding Spoilers
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83 out of 123 people found the following comment useful.
Very atmospheric thriller, 17 November 2003
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Just before John Harper's father is captured by police, he tells his son where he has hidden the money. While in prison for his crime, he sleep talks and betrays himself to the religiously unhinged Rev Harry Powell. Powell leaves jail with Harper dead in his cell and sets out to infiltrate the family and get the money. However, when he kills John's mother, he and his sister go on the run from him.

One of these `hindsight is 20/20' films that gains a reputation with time, this film deserves the praise in gets in many areas and deserve to be very fondly remembered, or at least a lot more fondly than it was received by critics and audiences of the time. The plot is basic but full of religious imagery that works very well, whether it's Powell's twisted preacher or the runs of scripture that many of the characters cling to. The film presents itself with a very strong tone of foreboding and darkness that makes the material (and characters) feel more dangerous.

Most of the credit for this belongs with Laughton as director, who uses shadow really well and frames the film with clever shots. Some that come to mind is the shadow of Powell on his horse on the horizon, or the woman in the car underwater and so on. It stills feels clever and inventive now so it must have been seen as very different in the fifties. How he didn't win an Oscar, I'm not sure – wonder what else was up in this year.

Mitchum is tremendous in the title role, his role is larger than life and was also slightly playing with fire in it's portrayal as a reverend as corrupt or evil. Chapin is really wonderful as young John and has a much better character than some of the others in the cast. Winters is good in her performance. The only downside of the film is the 10 minutes at the end which feel like they are a happy ending that has just been tacked on and doesn't fit with the tone of the film.

Other than that, this is a very strong film in terms of theme, plot, acting and cinematography. It deserves more than it got at the time and I'm glad that modern audiences are finding this film all the time.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
8.2 Rating? Did I miss something? cann85
It's a hard world for little things... ElitistScum
Why no testify? christopher-339
Hated it! ubercool_ann
Anyone else notice that Pearl was useless.... appleseiter15
Why wasn't this film nomianated with Oscars? bkutach
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