THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER Appreciation Thread

[David]

"The Night of the Hunter" seems to me deliberately theatrical; even more, I think its meaning is in its theatricality, & in the way it plays variations on theatrical conventions & schools. I've always loved the production design & the extravagant & stagey sets, which appear in isolated instances among the visual realism of the rest of the picture. I think "Hunter" influenced Spike Lee (in movies like "He Got Game" & "Do the Right Thing"). Plus, I think you can draw connections from Dieterle's great "The Devil & Daniel Webster" & Sam Wood's "Our Town" to "Hunter." In terms of look & sound, these movies combine midwestern & southern theater traditions (the "starkness" of the American rural andscape) with American music (particularly hymns & folksongs) & the grating, unnatural comedy of European absurdists like Ionesco (Mitchum's yelps & rangy movements).



This thread is dedicated to Romy.

[Serrart]

Originally Posted by David

"The Night of the Hunter" seems to me deliberately theatrical; even more, I think its meaning is in its theatricality, & in the way it plays variations on theatrical conventions & schools. I've always loved the production design & the extravagant & stagey sets, which appear in isolated instances among the visual realism of the rest of the picture. I think "Hunter" influenced Spike Lee (in movies like "He Got Game" & "Do the Right Thing"). Plus, I think you can draw connections from Dieterle's great "The Devil & Daniel Webster" & Sam Wood's "Our Town" to "Hunter." In terms of look & sound, these movies combine midwestern & southern theater traditions (the "starkness" of the American rural andscape) with American music (particularly hymns & folksongs) & the grating, unnatural comedy of European absurdists like Ionesco (Mitchum's yelps & rangy movements).



This thread is dedicated to Romy.

Thanks David, that's really sweet. I love The Night of the Hunter, I agree about the connections with Dieterle and Ionesco. I'd add also Murnau, the children in the film remember me a lot the point of view of the wife in Sunrise when the husband becomes a menace, but in general some shot seem very close to the atmospheres that Murnau built around the 'victims'. The German expressionists, IMO had definitely a huge influence on Laughton. By the way, it's incredible how the movie keeps being such a treasure of emotions and inspiration. Among the others, Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese especially keep stealing from it.

Romy