Love it or Hate it? – Night of the Hunter Film Review

 

There are a lot of films that we now consider classics that were largely ignored upon their release.  ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ were not the box office smashes that you may have expected; instead they needed repeats on TV to gather momentum over the decades.  You could consider that as long as these classics are eventually uncovered that everything is fine, but what of the people who made the film?  The director and stars may have gone unnoticed during their prime because it took so long for the films to flourish.  In the case of Charles Laughton his one directorial effort was his last as ‘Night of the Hunter’ was a commercial failure and suffered mixed reviews.  He never directed again as the heartache was too much to bear, yet the film is now considered a classic.  Does the film deserve praise so many years after it flopped, or was Laughton right to hang up his director’s chair?

A mysterious Preacher, Harry Powell, enters town one day.  He is unusual in many ways, not least the Love/Hate tattoos that adorn his knuckles.  However, his God fearing words and passionate beliefs soon win the town over and the heart of young widow Willa Harper.  Her late husband was executed after killing someone during a bank robbery, but the stash was never found.  Rumour has it that the money is hidden somewhere on Willa’s land and perhaps she or one of her two children, John and Pearl, know where it is?  What is Powell’s reason for marrying Willa?  Is he really the gentle giant that he claims to be?

‘Night of the Hunter’ is an eccentric film noir and this is in a genre that has more than it’s fair share of slightly off centre films (see the work of Robert Aldrich).  It is the powerhouse performance of Robert Mitchum as the disturbed Preacher that drives the film forwards and makes it stick in people’s minds.  The tale he tells of Love and Hate with the use of his tattoos has gone down in film history.  Mitchum is excellent in the film; especially for the first two thirds as he is a foreboding character.  The dark nature of the performance is only enhanced by the fact it is two small children that he is after.

The roles of the youngsters are played reasonably well, although a little American Pie at times for my liking.  They are somewhat shown up later in the film when they meet other children who are perhaps better actors.  However, it is the naivety of the actors that gives the characters such vulnerability and enhances the sense of fear as they have no chance against such a powerful man.

For around an hour ‘Night of the Hunter’ is amongst the best crime noir of the era.  For a first time director Laughton used all his experience as an actor to get a great performance out of his lead and shoot some wonderful angles.  However, about half way through the film makes a shift in tone and is all the worse for it. Suddenly the film becomes a chase movie and Mitchum’s role become decidedly unhinged in a bizarre manner.  He now whoops and stumbles like a man possessed, the once dark menace becomes almost clown like.  The film also concentrates more on the children and they are just not strong enough presence for the film to work.  For the last part of the film I felt it was almost farcical and it undermined the good that went before. 

With its poor conclusion I don’t feel that ‘Night of the Hunter’ should really be considered a classic other than for Robert Mitchum’s early performance in the film.  The strange twist that the film takes has to go down as director Laughton’s problem and is perhaps why he was unable to work again in the role.  This is a shame as the early promise is there with some of the darkest and most interesting imagery of the time.  In the end ‘Night of the Hunter’ is as memorable as a strange experiment as it is classic noir.

Director:           Charles Laughton

Year:                1955

Cert:                 12

Starring:            Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters

Price:                Amazon uk       £4.97

                        Play.com          £12.99

                        CD Wow         £11.99

Extras

Another light disc of a classic film, the print is decent, but there is only the original trailer in terms of true extras.

Call That a Knife? – The Big Knife Film Review

 

The Hollywood Golden Era is long gone and unlikely ever to come back as star power dwindles in favour of faceless ensemble casts taking on the latest CGI 3D monstrosity.  The 1930-50s are well regarded in film for producing real glamour and great actors and actresses.  However, was it a Golden Era for many of these household names?  The creation of United Artists suggests otherwise.  UA was formed by the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks who as bankable stars were fed up the hold that the studios had over them.  Actors would be signed up to long term contracts and only allowed to work within the one studio, many times on awful films they would rather avoid.  Some of the studios were not adverse to a little underhand tactics to force their actors into line.  What’s the worst thing that could happen under the studio system?

Charles Castle is the leading actor for successful, but corrupt, film studio.  Ever since he broke onto the scene he has appeared in countless films that are successful at the box office, but are artistically bankrupt.  Charles has become so jaded with his work that it has affected his family.  His wife is currently living away after she discovered yet another one of his affairs.  With his contract almost up it would be simple for Charles to start again elsewhere, but things are never that straight forward.  Stanley Hoff, the sinister head of the studio, appears to have a hold over the actor that delves deeper than simple loyalty.  With a wife he adores threatening to divorce him if he signs a new contract; Charles is stuck between a rock and a hard place.  Is there any way out?

Having recently watched the excellent, yet bizarre, ‘Kiss me Deadly’, I was interested in seeing other work by the same director.  Robert Aldrich was an eclectic talent whose portfolio included box office smashes such as ‘The Dirty Dozen’, but also odd Film Noir nuggets like the mentioned ‘Kiss Me Deadly’.  ‘The Big Knife’ is somewhat of a departure for the director as is an adapted play and Aldrich keeps that feel by filming within the one set of movie star Charles Castle’s home.  The tight nature of the film makes it feel very studio bound, but it also prevents some of Aldrich’s more eccentric quirks from distracting too much from the plot.

It is this central plot that is the true star of the film. This is a very wordy film of the type you no longer get.  There are probably more words spoken in this one film than all the blockbusters that will be released this summer combined.  This fact could immediately put some film viewers off, but this would be a shame as the story is a great one.  Getting a traditional feeling film noir storyline out of the Film Studio system is not an easy ask, but original playwright Clifford Odets and script adapter James Poe did just this.  ‘The Big Knife’ is a classic noir story of an antihero finally getting caught up in a net of his own making.  Your sympathy towards the characters twists and turns when the plot does.

The film alone is worth watching for some great dialogue and intriguing thrills.  This is a good thing as some of the other elements in the film have a lot to be desired.  The direction is steady enough as Aldrich allows the script to do the work and he merely follows the characters around.  It is the acting where things begin to unravel.  Jack Palance as Charles Castle is just about acceptable as the troubled star.  In real life he had a reputation as being awkward to work with and that is reflected in this character.   Ida Lupino as the wife and Shelley Winters as the floozy are a little bland, and Wendell Corey as Smiley the henchman comes out as probably the best thing.  It is with Rod Steiger as the sinister Studio Head Stanley Hoff that things take a turn for the bizarre.  Hoff seems to imbue the eccentricities of Aldrich that he was not allowed to put into his own camera work.  Never one to hold back in a role, Steiger is allowed a little too much room to ham things up and it is not in keeping with the noir feel.  His overacting is almost enough to unsettle the otherwise poignant ending.

‘The Big Knife’ was an Aldrich film that almost managed not to be a little insane.  The script is excellent and the direction has a quiet dignity.  However, this is all undermined by the bigger than life performances that jolt you out of what is a dark and effecting story.  Despite this, the strong script is so good that the film is still worth watching.  The dark side of the Studio System is showed in startling detail and the script smacks like the truth.  Knowing that many of the elements of the film may be based in truth gives it the edge over lesser film noir efforts.

Director:           Robert Aldrich

Year:                1955

Cert:                 15

Starring:            Jack Palance, Rod Steiger et al.

Price:                Amazon uk       £7.93

                        Play.com          £7.99                      

Extras 

Only the trailer as way of extras.