The sole directorial film work of actor Charles Laughton The Night of the Hunter is the movie that comes close to blurring a critic’s vision, for some time at least, along the boundaries of genres.
Featuring Robert Mitchum as the misogynist serial killer Harry Powell, one who targets widows, the movie follows his quest to seize $10,000 of stolen money from the family of a bank robber and killer Ben Harper (Peter Graves), who shared a cell with Powell before being executed. Selling himself to the unsuspecting townsfolk as a preacher, Powell’s scheme involves marrying Harper’s widow Willa (Shelley Winters) as a gateway to enter the family and retrieve the hidden money. But in his way are Harper’s young children, John (Billy Chapin) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce).
The Night of the Hunter has been deemed film noir but not without critics’ dispute. The movie does include certain noir elements in the cinematography and lighting departments as well as its plot, notably the escape sequence of the children. But those aren’t enough to successfully drag the movie into the noir camp. Powell comes as a distinct villain instead of an anti-hero for a protagonist. The identities are not misunderstood to significantly determine the plot and there is no convincing situation or twist to undermine the wrongdoer’s quest by his own hands. The movie’s real protagonist is young John Harper.
If the movie qualifies for any tag besides a thriller, it would be a crime drama that gains significantly from its characters. The irony of Powell’s fate stands out from a feminist perspective. The fake man of God, who successfully victimized several vulnerable women, is eventually brought to justice by a real woman of God (Rachel played Lillian Gish) protecting vulnerable children.
The biblical allusions and spiritual element in the movie are hard to miss. The movie starts with Rachel’s lessons from the scriptures to the kids in her care and ends with a Christmas celebration scene. In this context, one may view The Night of the Hunter as a modern folk tale of justice where the good prevails over evil.
Seventy years after its release, The Night of the Hunter remains a notable work in filmmaking that offers solid characters and significant sub-plots to keep audiences entertained and inspired.
