Filmmaker reacts to The Night of the Hunter (1955) for the FIRST TIME!
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- čas přidán 8. 12. 2022
- Hope you enjoy my filmmaker reaction to The Night of the Hunter. :D
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Original Movie: The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Ending Song: / charleycoin
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1955 this was made..lots to learn here!
Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema
Have a great weekend!
👉 _The Manchurian Candidate_ (1962) - another essential classic thriller masterpiece for the list.
I don't have patreon so this is merely a small suggestion but in line with The Night of the Hunter & specifically Laughton, it would be interesting to see you react to The Island of Lost Souls (1932).
react to "River runs through it" next? Academy awarded for beautiful cinematography.
Maybe put 1962, Cape Fear on a list, same actor Robert Mitchum.
Thank you for reacting to my mom’s favorite movie on her birthday. Lots of great memories.
James, thanks for continuing to include older films in your reactions. It’s appreciated.
On the one hand I adore this film, on the other it upsets me greatly that this was Laughton's swan song as a director because of the negative feedback at the time. It's such a beautiful fairytale of good vs evil and Mitchum is undeniably creepy as Powell, I cannot praise TNOTH enough; and the cinematography is striking too. Glad you're talking about this masterpiece 🙂
Incredibly striking fairy-tale at that. One with many lessons within the story and out of it as well. Pretty cool history behind this film!
@@JamesVSCinemaoh absolutely. I ended up, way back, doing a small essay/review for it myself and that was a challenge as it was hard to be objective because I have so much love for this film. There's not one frame, one moment I dislike in The Night of the Hunter; probably why it's in my top ten 🙂
Literally on one hand it's the story of Love...🤗
It's so sad that Charles Laughton never directed another film! If this one had been well-received during its time, he probably would have. At least we have so many great performances from him.
@@melanie62954and at least if we got just one film from him it was this beauty 🙂
I love this movie. I think of it as an American gothic fairy tale - kind of like if Hansel and Gretel was written in the depression-era South. Lillian Gish singing on the front porch with Robert Mitchum lurking in the yard is amazing. Also the LOVE and HATE tattoos. And that scene under the river at 11:15.
Ahhhhh that’s really cool, didn’t catch the Hansel and Gretel reference but I did mention the fairytale-like structure!
I had the DVD and I distinctly remember someone (maybe director Charles Laughton) referring to the story/movie as a "Mother Goose Nightmare!!!" 😱😄
It is a Gothic tale set in South of America if I'm not wrong. One of the most underrated masterpieces of American Cinema for sure. For me, it's like upto the level of David Lynch movies. I love this movie... (for all the bad reasons).
Mitchum considered himself a jobbing actor who didn't really have lot to say about his work. The rare exception being this film which he really enjoyed making. Indeed Mitchum gave special praise to Laughton who he said was a great director that he loved working with. As for Laughton well he was a gay man who probably had a thing for Mitchum who was lets face it a handsome bastard lol
Film nerd facts!
1) The 'love' and 'hate' knuckle tattoos and monologue about them inspired Radio Raheem's rings and monologue in Spike Lee's 'Do The Right Thing'.
2) The old woman with the shotgun is Lillian Gish, one of the biggest silent movie actresses of her time, and most famous for playing good little girls when she was young.
A nod to Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, and Peter Graves. Beloved actors who will be remembered by some of us.
that sequence when the kids first escaped the Reverend, his scream, the calm that proceeded, Pearl’s song. beyond visceral, gives me goosebumps everytime
Best scene in the film and the spiderweb also
This is such a singular film. Part fairy tale and part horror, nothing before or since quite looks like it. The shot of Mitchum and Gish harmonizing is beyond good, it's mythic. Such a shame Laughton never directed another film.
You're on a roll because 2001 and Night of the Hunter are two movies I adore. And I'm sure not that many people have reacted to Night of the Hunter.
I grew up on 80’s slashers and my dad would always say that none of the killers were as scary as Robert Mitchum in this movie. He was right 😂
It's mad that this film was so ahead of its time in terms of cinematography, that it was a box office failure. So pleased you enjoyed it, it's fantastic.
One of my favorite scenes is when both our villain and our heroin are singing the gospel song together. The meaning runs so deep, where analysis can be made on it in so many ways where good and evil are meeting at a crossroads as both are ready to commit the ultimate sin of murder, yet for two different reasons. How is this brave old lady never seen as a female "Action" hero is beyond me, given her call to action and intent to defend to protect.
Great movie! Charles Laughton was an outstanding actor and proved here to be an excellent director. This was the only movie he fully directed.... and Robert Mitchum plays the villain so well!
Whoah! What a shock! Nice, man! This is a good one! I love Lillian Gish in this; she's literally one of the earliest movie stars, going back to 1912. And of course Robert Mitchum is incredible! Directed by one of the great actors in movie history, Charles Laughton....his only movie as a director! It was a flop, so he never directed another one! Ok, dropping everything to watch this now! Damn! First 2001, now this! And in the middle of Breaking Bad!!! What a channel! See you on the other side!
Dude, great TEACHING at the very end of this video. I absolutely LOVE black & white photography, and love the various styles and approaches of the different decades.....especially when they're able to leap across time and communicate and emotionally engage and stay as fresh as this one does. This reaction video gave me CHILLS, I had forgotten just how amazing this was shot. And yeah, black & white really trains the eye, it's a great tool. It's why it's never faded away! Every few years SOMEONE makes a movie in black & white. ("The Lighthouse" comes to mind.) Of course, by 1955 half the movies were in color, so doing a movie in black & white was a choice, not a necessity. (although, it definitely was cheaper). Anyways THANKS! I'm blown away. And I renew my love for Lillian Gish, she was badass! That face....no wonder why she did so well in the silent era. If looks could kill.....HA!
I have seen this many times and the silhouette of him on the horse in the distance with kids in the barn is always terrifying
John: "Don't he never sleep?"
When I first saw this movie about 20 years ago, I was totally mesmerized by so many eerie/creepy scenes and the use of light and shadow to create an emotional response along with the incredible acting!!! Robert Mitchum is one of my favorite actors!!! He's almost just as creepy in "Cape Fear" where he's the antagonist vs. protagonist, Gregory Peck (another of my favorites)!!!
Yes, reacting to the Cape Fear with Robert Mitchum has to be on his list of classic movies to react to. Would also love to see his reaction to In the Heat of the Night with Sidney P.
Films were more stylized and theatrical then. They were designed for the big screen, like a public dream. Night of the Hunter goes all the way with it, like a great graphic novel. And when you go back to the silent era you'll find Hunter's many dreamlike visual references. (Other connections: The Great Depression, Grimm's fairy tales.) It's broad on the surface but quite subtle and brilliant in its associations and insinuations. Laughton, Grubb and Agee were on fire.
Oh, so glad you got to see this. Robert Mitchum was a PRESENCE on screen. This cinematography paints a dream....a nightmare. Especially Shelley under the water!
Not sure if it's available for streaming but on the Criterion Blu-Ray there's a making-of documentary called Charles Laughton Directs The Night of the Hunter and it's basically just 2 1/2 hours of raw takes from the film, with him giving direction. Amazingly they didn't throw away hardly anything. It's a fascinating look into Laughton and filmmaking.
Back in high school I went threw a classic movie obsession. This was one of the first ones I watched. I love this film and it’s so dope to see it added to your channel, man. You’ve been knocking these videos out cold.
YES
this is easily the best channel for reactions of films because you actually bother to check out the classics :)
I think Night of the Hunter is one of, if not the, prettiest black & white movies ever made. It's one I always recommend to people, especially towards Christmas time. It was the first movie I ever saw in 35MM and at my fav theater, the Hight's Theater in Minneapolis. One film I hope to get highlighted on this channel one day is The Red Shoes (1948). If Night of the Hunter is the prettiest black & white film, then The Red Shoes is the prettiest technicolor film. It's also Scorsese's favorite film so that's a cool bonus.
YES to all of this!
I agree on how "pretty" this film is. I would put Val Lewton's "I Walked With a Zombie" as the number one, "Night Has a Thousand Eyes" as second and then this one (of the B&W films). Night Has a Thousand Eyes needs restoration though.
This is an amazing movie. Laurence Olivier once said, "The only actor I ever knew who was a genius was Charles Laughton" (despite not getting along with him at all :D). Laughton should have directed more. I once read a review that said he packed more interesting ideas into this movie than a lot of other directors do in entire careers. In addition to the terrific performances from Mitchum and Gish, I would also say the soundtrack to this film (including its sweetly sinister lullabies) is an integral part of it, respect to composer Walter Schumann. You should check out actor/writer Simon Callow's book on this movie, and you'll see it's actually got many interesting influences, such as: German expressionism and D.W. Griffith (hence Lillian Gish), Seurat's "La Grande Jette" in filming the picnic scene, Moholy-Nagy's "Vision in Motion," Sibelius' "Valse Triste" (an inspiration for cinematographer Stanely Cortez in doing the lighting for the murder scene)...
An amazing and terrifying film. If you think Mitchum is a bad man in this you should see him in the original Cape Fear. Driven by revenge there rather than greed but still very chilling.
Another classic! Mitchum played a similarish lunatic character in Cape Fear a few years later, it's worth checking out. You prob know the Scorsese, DeNiro remake.
After I watch a film which I loved, I tend to head straight to youtube to learn as much about the film as I can. I've found recently that I now head straight for your channel to see if you've reacted to it and end up re-living my first watch with yourself.
One of my absolute favorite movies ever! Been hoping you’d watch this since your reaction to M. Robert Mitchum is a god in this lol
The cinematography In this film is really the apex of b&w cinematography in how it uses so many useful techniques to tell its story because the cinematography is emotional, a reflection of characters and their interactions. But you can go back to the silent period and see stunning visuals as in Billy Bitzer's work on D.W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE (1916) or Karl Struss's work on the tremendous film by F. W. Murnau's SUNRISE (1927).
The night of the hunter is a kind of film I refer to as a “head shaker” which means it’s so good that certain shots scenes moments just make you shake your head in a like come on kind of way.
One of the best movie ever made imo. Laughton’s only film too. Robert Mitchum is something else in this.
This also came out the same year as Marty, Richard III, Rebel Without A Cause, Rififi, The Man With The Golden Arm, Seven Year Itch and Picnic.
Great to see a reaction to Night of the Hunter. Robert Mitchum’s character is one of the creepiest that I have seen on film. Mitchum’s scream when he is in the water is truly one of the most psychologically scary moments in cinema. The shot of the murdered mother is beautiful and horrifying at the same time.
One of my top 5 all-time. This is simply a stunning work of genius. I LOVE how during the river scenes the film takes on a childlike simplicity. As if the children had retreated into a special, innocent world of their own to try and forget the pained screams of the demon denied.
9:50 I liken that shot as sort of him holding the pulpit of a perverse church.
After the first viewing the scenes were absolutely etched in my mind. I never had a movie do that before or since. I wouldn't even watch again for a very long time. Charles Laughton was one of the finest actors there ever was. This was his first, and last, directorial effort. It was not appreciated at the time and he never directed again. Robert Mitchum was frightening. I am a church music director and our congregation still sings hymns. After watching this film I can't sing Leaning on the Everlasting Arms without hearing Mitchum and Gish singing it. It affected my pastor husband the same way. This film is a treasure.
Thank you so much for reacting to The Night of the Hunter, you should check out THE MALTESE FALCON it's one of the greatest Film Noir movies of all time.
As far as cinematography this film is in a class of its own , even considering when it was made . Some truly dream like set pieces
That's Robert Mitchum. his last movie was Scrooged. This was made in 1955 I was 1. I watched it as a kid when it came on TV. The part when the kids are in the barn, it was given the nod in "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" when Clooney said, Damn we're in a tight spot. Good review. I laugh at the same parts.
Scrooged was 1988 , he’s in Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man from 1995 . I definitely recommend both !
I love this movie. I remember getting this and The Third Man from the library and watching them back to back when I was like 12.
That’s an amazing double bill! Two of my favorite movies. Hope James reacts to The Third Man.
OH MY GOD this film is so good the visuals re MADDDDD
Just saw this post up when I opened up the CZcams app and audibly gasped the words “He finally watched it!” haha. Such a classic, and a cinematic achievement. This film works well with “stage-play” sensibilities, and also combining a sort of fairytale/nightmare ingredient in the mix. Such a masterclass in visual storytelling.
I got emotional just watching your reaction. I will be watching this movie after this. That underwater scene is both beautiful and haunting!
They started playing old movies when color arrived (1966) and 1st they started showing 1930's -50's movies. . The scene with the dead mother under the water gave me nightmares when I was 8-11 (1968-71). No one expected it
The elderly lady was a young starlet in 1916 , Lillian Gish. A star for many years
This movie is absolutely perfect!! Thank you so much for watching it!
One of my favorite films. The visuals, the menace, Mitchum’s performance…never gets old.
An utterly superb film. Mitchum owns the space like a sociopathic ballet dancer. There's the same in films like Point Blank. I love how these old films, through their theatricality, tell you that you're watching a sealed-in environmment where there are X number of characters and that's it - and there's not going to be other random 'other real life elements' stuff coming in later, so it's all about their scenario and their gripping predicament. There's rarely a deus ex machina in these movies/plays, as they let their hermetically sealed environment tensely resolve the issues. It's as if the good and nasty characters are literally trapped on a stage together, until whatever poetic or deathly ending occurs. It meas the viewer is always engaged with all the ideas, points and possible resolutions. Regarding black and white films, I love how they used colour filters over the lenses sometimes to make certain colours appear much lighter or darker - which was used to huge effect in films like The Haunting, where a red filter cancelled out the blue light of the day sky and made it look almost black as night but kept the clouds distinct. My lovely X-T5 photography camera lets me add colour lens simulations to black and white just like that, at the push of a button, to dramatically affect the result.
Sociopathic ballet dancer - that is the perfect way to describe Mitchum in this film!
One of my favorite movies of all time. Wouldn't expect a youtuber to react to this, but very glad.
I just watched your reactions to this and Videodrome, two of the films most influential to my brain as a filmmaker. Great job, very appreciated!
Seeing her bring out the shotgun reminded me of a story of my great great grandfather holding up two government agents who were going around killing livestock to raise the price of beef during the depression until they left his cows alone
I’m not even religious, but this film has some extraordinary biblical symbolism throughout… one scene in particular stands out to me:
Rachel, the perennial symbol of motherhood/comfort/protection, sitting in her rocking chair holding the shotgun while Powell sings from the darkness, just beyond the borders of the hallowed ground she guards.
She is the literal arm (and armed arm!) of the Lord, protecting innocence from the crooning clutches of Evil. She is an Angel.
Powell’s song, too, is a mockery of a hymn, a familiar tune used to entice and entrance. What does Rachel do to combat it? She sings the counter melody, unyielding in her righteousness.
Thank you for reacting to this!! Love your channel.
And the scene of Billy Chapin silently taking Lillian Gish’s hand is one of my favorite bit of nonverbal acting in all of cinema.
Just… an extraordinary moment of compassion in the midst of all the horror.
This film is timeless ...deserves to be in the top 100 greatest movies..lighting and camerawork revolutionary for the time...Laughton should have been encouraged to carry on...he might even have eclipsed Hitchcock
masterpiece
As I watched you view this movie it dawned on me that this appeared on AMC classics back in the early 2000s. Back then I was into watching older movies just to get a perspective of how they made films and to see something that was precursors to modern films to view any overlaps in ideas that were deemed new. Please keep the older classics coming. Great movie review James vs Cinema!!
Excellent pick, Charles Laughton's masterpiece. You'd like the Powell/Pressberger classics: _The Red Shoes,_ _Black Narcissus,_ _Life & Death Of Colonel Blimp_ - some of Scorsese's favorite films & biggest influences.
And especially for Scorsese fans.
Yes, yes, yes! Can't recommend Powell and Pressburger enough. Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes have probably the best use of effects up until Star Wars, and transcendent cinematography, as well. And Kubrick was probably inspired by A Canterbury Tale's match cut between the falcon and bomber when he made 2001.
@@melanie62954 I would add "Tales of Hoffmann" on a visual level (though admittedly overall it's a more demanding film relative to "Black Narcissus" and "Red Shoes"--I would say those are the two films where anyone interested in P&P should begin their exploration).
@@gammaanteria Definitely! Tales of Hoffmann takes some getting into, but it's incredible too. Total artwork.
@@melanie62954 also Jack Cardiff. Who’s cinematography of those films are incredible alongside the cinematography from Gone With The Wind.
"She brought out the shotty ! "
Robert Mitchum was the narrator in Tombstone. One of my favorite actors ever, and a lifetime crush.
2:58 I also liked Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear (1962) and The Longest Day (1962).
When you're ready for more movies starring Robert Mitchum, check out some of these -- Crossfire (1947), Out of the Past (1947), Blood on the Moon (1948), The Lusty Men (1952), Angel Face (1953), River of No Return (1954), The Enemy Below (1957), Thunder Road (1958), The Sundowners (1960), Cape Fear (1962), El Dorado (1966), The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973), ...
My sister had such a crush on Robert Mitchum when I was a little girl and this movie made her so mad because he was playing such an evil guy.Rachel Cooper is played by lillian Gish.She was a silent film actress in 1912.She died just a few months away from her 100th birthday.She received a Life Time Achievement Award in her 90s.Robert Mitchum,John Wayne,Kurt Douglas ,and Burt Lanchaster were major audience drawing actors back in the day.Robert was in a film called Heven Knows Mister Allison which is a really good film(war film).Mitchum was the bad guy in the original Cape Fear that was remade with Robert De Nero playing the bad guy.Track Of The Cat is also good.Home From The Hill was sort of a new age drama similar to Cat On A Hot Tin Roof or Butterfield Eight back in the day.
Charles Laughton is one of the greatest actors of all time, and this was the first and only movie he ever directed. What a legend. Fun fact, Mitchum was an engineer at Lockheed during the war, and one of his coworkers married marylin Monroe, before she was an actress, so Mitchum met her before she became famous. The mother in this movie ended up becoming one of Marylins best friends in Hollywood, after she became famous.
James this isn't the only time Robert Mitchum played a terrifying character. Check out the original Cape Fear sometime.
I always loved this movie. Shelly Winters was so pretty in this. She could play any type of role. Mrs. Rosen in 'The Poseidon Adventure' (1972), she was so sweet. She won best supporting actress Oscar for 'A Patch Of Blue' (1965) also starring Sidney Poitier. She played a beotch mother to a uneducated blind girl. So many other movies she was in, you should check them out.
You gotta do Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “SANTA SANGRE” (1990) in regards to the cinematography craftsmanship, not to mention the lurid atmosphere, savage story & bizarre characters. It’s truly a garish, surreal & archetypal journey. An absurd masterpiece. You’ll be captivated. Jodorowsky is a film god.
🙌🎬🎥
Soooooo glad you got around to this! It's a special experience!
Wow... love this film. Love the reaction. Thank you.
The other Robert Mitchum film of this genre is the original version of "Cape Fear". Then mining classics from the 1950's you might want to take a look at "Bad Day at Black Rock".
Both the main character children in the film deserve a mention. Billy Chapin gives a very strong, moving performance throughout and little Sally Jane Bruce, who was only 5 when filming started, is utterly convincing and cute.
This is the movie directed by actor Charles Laughton.
Absolute classic my man. I am so sorry it has been so long since I last commented.
No worries at all brotha! Happy to see you’re well g!
Thanks for reacting to this classic film!
You'r killing it in choice of movies with 2001 and this one!
Such a fascinating movie. And so completely unlike any movie of it's time. On one level, Laughton was reaching way back to the early German expressionists. On another, he was using his own experience in theater to avoid 'movie' tropes. On yet another he seemed to be channeling David Lynch before David Lynch was born.
No one was ready for this movie when it came out. But the actors believed in it.
You are watching some of the coolest movies. This is almost like the Silence Of The Lambs of its day.
Night of the Hunter was very experimental for its day. I just discovered it was from a best selling book and Laughton was obsessive in trying to recreate the book on screen. It's a fabulous novel and the closest transition from page to film I've ever scene, not just plot but mood. Laughton even had the author, Davis Grubb, send him sketches of how it pictured it.
The inspiration for the novel was from a Lonely Hearts serial killer who murdered widows and orphans in West Virginia.
Charles Laughton took such a pounding from critics for this movie that he never directed again. Its a discordant work of genius.
Generally, I'm not mad about films with kids as the focus, but this is one of those exceptions. It's a great film and really pleased to see you reviewing it. Thanks.
Another great film where the main character is a child is "Fresh" from 1994, starting Sean Nelson.
Definitely a dark classic. Also watch the original Cape Fear. Mitcham was the predecessor to DeNiro and Nicholson.. This movie is interesting because I can see many modern movies inspired by it like the Disney Rescuers, Mr. Blond in Reservoir dogs, Billy the Kid in the Green Mile, the Hate and Love tatoos shown in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and Taxi Driver.. I also see this movie in the same genre as Hitchcock's Psycho. As well as the m.o. and personality of many modern Serial Killer traits.. It makes me wonder if the character of Harry Powell was also a WW2 vet the way he is comfortable with killing.. whew
Robert Mitchum has never gotten the due he deserves. He's as big a legend as there can be in Hollywood history. He specialized playing "the heavy", but he turns the typecasting he experienced on its ear in The Bad Seed. As subtly a terrifying film thats ever made.
By the way, Reverend Harry Powell was based on a real person (Harry Powers) that indeed went around West Virginia marrying and then killing widows and their children in the 1920s.
I feel like the film "A Face in the Crowd" with Andy Griffith as the villain would be a good choice, as well (directed by Elia Kazan.) It's a dark satire made 2 years after "The Night of the Hunter" and was received about as poorly at the time. Both films are widely-recognized today as masterpieces.
James VS Cinema I know I'm late so not sure if anyone told you but the director Charles Laughton was an actor and he directed this one and only film and critics and audiences hated it! He was so upset he never directed another film again...Of course years later it was finally recognized for it's genius. Robert Mitchum is a menace! I'd recommend his underrated film he was in The Friends Of Eddie Coyle. Very authentic crime film.
This is one of the most underrated movies yet one of the scariest ones .This is the only movie the director :Charles Naughton due to the film poorly received.But Robert Mitchum is a talented actor ,you must check out The Friends With Eddie Coyle(1973).
Rewatched this a couple days ago. Noticed more detail this time. A personal favorite entry in the Criterion Collection I own.
This is one of my all time favorite movies, the cinamatogrephy , the music, men didn't trust him, women love him. They are easily swayed by him. John is the hero. If you haven't already, check out the original Cape Fear, also with Mitchum.
Great film! You should check out the film A Face in the Crowd. Fantastic film, and Andy Griffith’s first film!
I recommended this movie to you monts ago on one of your reactions! I know that's not the reason you have reacted to it, but stil, so happy you've seen this marvelous and dark fairy tale!!! ♥️
I was lucky enough to see a 35mm print of this movie. I watched it for the first time after seeing an interview with Guillermo del Toro where he mentioned it as a favorite. Many have said similar things here but his calling of it as a dark fairy tale rings true. It mixes a lot of German expressionistic horror with an American south story
There are some actors who automatically put my butt in a seat to watch: Daniel-Day Lewis, Burgess Meredith, Strother Martin . . . And, for damned sure, Mitchum.
For more Robert Mitchum, checkout Out Of The Past (1947.)
Oh wow I never expected anyone to react to this, although if anyone was going to it was going to be James. One of my favourite films of all time, thanks for this.
Visually it is so striking. I always wonder whether this was a result of Laughtons background as a stage actor. It often feels extremely Theatrical- but that works to heighten the mythic element of the story.
Lillian Gish was an interesting, fabulous choice! Her brilliant silent career didn’t survive the talkies, which is so weird to me - obviously she has a great voice! But she was a powerhouse in the 1920s - a rare instance of a woman having great control of her movie career - director approval, savvy money deals, etc. I think she went to theatre from the silents, but definitely not seen in screen in roughly 25 years (at least in any kind of large role like this).
I’ve loved this movie for over 45 years, and I credit my mom’s love of movies AND Robert Mitchum as to how I know about this unusual classic.
You should try the 1962 film, Cape Fear.
More Robert Mitchum, who is joined by the equally great Gregory Peck. High tension, well done. An excellent cast throughout.
The story of right hand-left hand (Love vs Hate) is replicated, almost exactly, in Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing. I'm a bit of a dummy so I don't understand why Lee did that. Anyone able to educate me? I like learning.
Excellent analysis of a wonderful film.
I love this movie. I appreciate great imagery in a movie. I realize not all directors have a good eye for visuals, so that's why I appreciate it when someone does. This movie has just enough German Expressionism influences to be amazing to look at but not so much that it interferes with the movie just being enjoyable as a movie. Just enough art to be artistic without getting lost in the art.
I love black and white movies because they did so much more with light and shadows in them. And yes, part of that was necessity because of the lack of colors, but there was a real artistry to it that I feel is largely lost. You see a lot of that in this film, like at 8:16 for example. There are so many gorgeous shots in this movie. They really emphasize the mood of the film and the feelings of the characters.
So glad you are watching this. I've loved this film since I first saw it on late night tv in the 1980's. The scene with the man fishing in the boat while below the dead woman sits in the car with her hair floating in water currents is phenomenal. This was directed by Charles Laughton who was also a wonderful actor. His role as a lawyer in Witness For the Prosecution is classic and you should watch it, too. It also starred Marlene Dietrich in a great movie with lots of surprises.
This was actor Charles Laughton's second and final film as a director.
The scene where he was good ng to kill the brother was on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments
Absolutely..loved how those moments were shot too. Great way to capture suspense and lowkey terror lmfao
What a coincidence and surprise. I just recommended this movie to another reactor and then this notification popped up. In my opinion Robert Mitchum plays one of the meanest and unlikeable characters ever portrayed in a movie. My mom loved this movie and when it was shown on television back in the 60's when I was about 8 or 9 my mom had me watch it. I have enjoyed this movie ever since. Seeing Shelley Winters character under water is so creepy yet captivating. These movies are called "Classics" for a reason. Two movies made around this time I think you would like James are A Face In The Crowd (1957) starring Andy Griffith and Elmer Gantry (1960) starring Burt Lancaster.
James, thank you for your reviews. I think you'd really enjoy the 1962 film The Days of Wine and Roses. It has everything. Great cinematography, great acting, terrific writing.
Great movie from another cinema class I took!
One of my favorite films, and the lead actor is incredible. Robert Mitchum is my favorite actor of this time period. He was the kind of performer who could say everything with his eyes alone, even better than Henry Fonda and Burt Lancaster.