My 150 Favorite Movies - #117
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
I don't usually go in for creepy and horrific, but The Night of the Hunter is one of the few exceptions. With an impeccable pedigree - directed by Charles Laughton (the only feature film he is credited with directing), and a screenplay by James Agee, this is a masterful tale of a self-appointed Preacher, and serial killer, set out to steal money left behind by his late cellmate, first by marrying and then murdering his widow, then by going after his two children. No one plays the villain better than Robert Mitchum, or the victim better than Shelley Winters. Filmed in black-and-white in the cinematographic style of the German expressionist films of the 1920's, this film was ranked no. 2 by Cahiers du Cinema on their 2007 list of the 100 Most Beautiful Movies.
I don't usually go in for creepy and horrific, but The Night of the Hunter is one of the few exceptions. With an impeccable pedigree - directed by Charles Laughton (the only feature film he is credited with directing), and a screenplay by James Agee, this is a masterful tale of a self-appointed Preacher, and serial killer, set out to steal money left behind by his late cellmate, first by marrying and then murdering his widow, then by going after his two children. No one plays the villain better than Robert Mitchum, or the victim better than Shelley Winters. Filmed in black-and-white in the cinematographic style of the German expressionist films of the 1920's, this film was ranked no. 2 by Cahiers du Cinema on their 2007 list of the 100 Most Beautiful Movies.
posted by Helene H. at 12:52 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home