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When I saw the title Night of the Hunter along with Mitchum’s picture I immediately mistook it for Cape Fear (1962), another one of his early forays as a villain.
“Hunter” is an unusual film—an artistic as well as a frightful film, unusual for its era. I’m sure director Charles Laughton heavily influenced the settings and photography. It was also unusual to have a villain threaten a child. Otherwise it’s a fairly simple story, with Mitchum’s portrayal one of his best and most unsettling, a performance he would more than equal in Cape Fear.
North by Northwest is one of my all time favorite Hitchcock’s, one that I never tire of re-watching. It could have easily been in my top 25 but I already had two Hitchcock’s, so NBN got a pass.
The powerful film score by Bernard Herrmann by itself is worth the price of admission. Never has a film been more captured by a film score than was this one. From the galvanizing opening credits and scene right up to the end, Herrmann glues us right to the narrative.
The story was complex enough to keep one guessing, and the acting was first rate. The obvious chemistry between Eve Marie Saint and Cary Grant was clever and very racy for its day. James Mason was at his most suave and intimidating, as was his henchman Martin Landau (in a role that really put him on the map). Jessie Royce Landis, as Grant’s mother, although only 8 years older in real life, was perfect comedic relief. She put me in mind a little of Robert Walker’s mother, Marion Lorne, in Strangers on a Train, only not as wacky. Robert Burks’ wide screen photography, especially in the dusty country scenes was remarkable, as good as anything from John Ford.
Two very different films done 4 years apart—both memorable.
“Hunter” is an unusual film—an artistic as well as a frightful film, unusual for its era. I’m sure director Charles Laughton heavily influenced the settings and photography. It was also unusual to have a villain threaten a child. Otherwise it’s a fairly simple story, with Mitchum’s portrayal one of his best and most unsettling, a performance he would more than equal in Cape Fear.
North by Northwest is one of my all time favorite Hitchcock’s, one that I never tire of re-watching. It could have easily been in my top 25 but I already had two Hitchcock’s, so NBN got a pass.
The powerful film score by Bernard Herrmann by itself is worth the price of admission. Never has a film been more captured by a film score than was this one. From the galvanizing opening credits and scene right up to the end, Herrmann glues us right to the narrative.
The story was complex enough to keep one guessing, and the acting was first rate. The obvious chemistry between Eve Marie Saint and Cary Grant was clever and very racy for its day. James Mason was at his most suave and intimidating, as was his henchman Martin Landau (in a role that really put him on the map). Jessie Royce Landis, as Grant’s mother, although only 8 years older in real life, was perfect comedic relief. She put me in mind a little of Robert Walker’s mother, Marion Lorne, in Strangers on a Train, only not as wacky. Robert Burks’ wide screen photography, especially in the dusty country scenes was remarkable, as good as anything from John Ford.
Two very different films done 4 years apart—both memorable.
I have no clue as to what the other movie might be.
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