August 17th: THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Charles Laughton, 1955)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A serial killer disguised as a preacher pursues two young children who know the location of stolen money.
British actor Charles Laughton was one of England and Hollywood's most respected stage and screen actors, playing a wide range of roles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to King Henry VIII. After a stint directing Broadway plays produced by his friend Paul Gregory, the two decided to team up behind the camera for Laughton's debut feature film.
Based on a 1953 bestseller and National Book Award finalist by Davis Grubb, the screenplay was adapted by journalist and film critic-turned screenwriter James Agee (The African Queen). Laughton had half of the script edited out and envisioned something more atmospheric, with various dialogue-free passages.
Several big names for the male lead were bandied about, including Gary Cooper and Laurence Olivier, but the role went to notorious "bad boy" Robert Mitchum. He is joined by Shelly Winters (A Place In The Sun), silent film legend Lillian Gish (Broken Blossoms, The Birth of a Nation), and Peter Graves (Airplane, TV's Mission Impossible).
The cinematographer was Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons, Shock Corridor), who helped to realize Laughton's intention to replicate the visuals of early German expressionist films, with high contrast lighting and forced perspectives. Laughton requested sketches from Grubb to better reproduce what the author imagined in his head when writing the novel.
Lacking the budget to shoot on location, the film was made on the studio lot and on a ranch in the San Fernando Valley, with Laughton better able to control the distinct lighting designs. Laughton worked intensely with all the actors, knowing that unlike the theatre the roles could only be developed one time.
The film was dismissed by critics and the audience, and Laughton never directed another film. Its reputation has grown steadily over the years, and it is now regarded as a singular work and one of the best films of the 1950s, as well as containing Mitchum's finest and most favorite performance.
Running time is approx. 90 minutes.
A serial killer disguised as a preacher pursues two young children who know the location of stolen money.
British actor Charles Laughton was one of England and Hollywood's most respected stage and screen actors, playing a wide range of roles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame to King Henry VIII. After a stint directing Broadway plays produced by his friend Paul Gregory, the two decided to team up behind the camera for Laughton's debut feature film.
Based on a 1953 bestseller and National Book Award finalist by Davis Grubb, the screenplay was adapted by journalist and film critic-turned screenwriter James Agee (The African Queen). Laughton had half of the script edited out and envisioned something more atmospheric, with various dialogue-free passages.
Several big names for the male lead were bandied about, including Gary Cooper and Laurence Olivier, but the role went to notorious "bad boy" Robert Mitchum. He is joined by Shelly Winters (A Place In The Sun), silent film legend Lillian Gish (Broken Blossoms, The Birth of a Nation), and Peter Graves (Airplane, TV's Mission Impossible).
The cinematographer was Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons, Shock Corridor), who helped to realize Laughton's intention to replicate the visuals of early German expressionist films, with high contrast lighting and forced perspectives. Laughton requested sketches from Grubb to better reproduce what the author imagined in his head when writing the novel.
Lacking the budget to shoot on location, the film was made on the studio lot and on a ranch in the San Fernando Valley, with Laughton better able to control the distinct lighting designs. Laughton worked intensely with all the actors, knowing that unlike the theatre the roles could only be developed one time.
The film was dismissed by critics and the audience, and Laughton never directed another film. Its reputation has grown steadily over the years, and it is now regarded as a singular work and one of the best films of the 1950s, as well as containing Mitchum's finest and most favorite performance.
Running time is approx. 90 minutes.
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