"night of the hunter"

As for the river sequence, the pure Moses/Homer/Aesop/Brothers Grimm gels there perfectly. It's like a cohesion and perversion of every twisted bit of children's literature. Which also goes to show how perverse the genre is enough that (in my view) censorship is a moot point when we let children read things like that which are just as grotesque. (Which to me is fine - it's the censorship that I'm patronizing.)

(another good thread idea.)

Passion of Joan of Arc got some soft support, Sunrise (my personal guess) nearly came out on top, but in the end we had settled on Night of the Hunter. Now I have to open the question back up among my chums.

There, now destroy that one you ciniphile-nihilist fuckers!

I want to mention another scene from the movie that always sticks in my mind- the boy watching his father (played by Mission Impossible's Peter Graves) get arrested. I couldn't tell you offhand why it works so well, I guess I'll have to go back and watch it again.

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Hunter-Walter-Schumann/dp/B000009NX6

just listened to this & it's pretty great. it's not strictly a soundtrack it's laughton narrating the story of the film over an orchestral background from Walter Schumann with some recordings from the film integrated into the tale.

Once upon a time there was a pretty fly....
he had a pretty wife, this pretty fly...
but one day she flew away, flew awaaaayyyy...

Just saw it, fucking brilliant of course. There's a sprightliness, a mischief in the direction that imbues the film with its timeless, childlike spirit. It's shot completely unlike any other film I've seen. Things come and go with abruptness, without need for rumination. We are subjected to a child's experience.

Three best shots:

1) When we cut to the mother's fiery confession. Like some sort of terrifying Satanic ritual it springs off the screen and envelops us.

2) When the boat comes to rest ashore, little children asleep inside, the camera pans upwards, not to reveal the hunter, but instead to reveal the lovely, hyper-real starlight tableau created with such resonance by the film-makers.

3) John placing the apple on Mrs. Cooper's lap. It's an abiding image of fertility and protection, and done with superb subtlety.

I suspect it to be in black and white, and therefore shit.

(strokes goatee beard)

dude i have seen nothing from you but shitty trolling

You're not reading between the lines.

http://incolor.inebraska.com/sumaree/nebraskafilm/images/foo9.jpg

http://artwells.com/gallery/spacelook.gif

Anyone else notice how the mom's confession in front of a congregation is staged very similarly to the Plainview's confession in There Will Be Blood? I remember noticing that when I saw it, and thinking it was intentional.

Just got to see it remastered at the theater. Pretty great. More technical flaws than I remembered, but killer (no pun intended) performances from many.

More technical flaws than I remembered

if there was ever a film where technical flaws were part of the charm...

Anyone else notice how the mom's confession in front of a congregation is staged very similarly to the Plainview's confession in There Will Be Blood? I remember noticing that when I saw it, and thinking it was intentional.

― Cunga, Monday, July 19, 2010 8:43 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

not possible - night of the hunter came out first iirc

you're thinking of the night of the hunter rmake starring ryan phillipe and tara reid, surely?

and stifler from american pie

oh wait there was a tv remake starring richard chamberlain in the 90s or 80s

sequel starring mark wahlberg

Coming soon as a Criterion, which makes it a banner upcoming year for the company, what with this, "Broadcast News," "Thin Red Line" and "Sweet Smell of Success." Hope nothing falls through.

No mention yet of the extreme long-shot of the preacher in silhouette on horseback. Second to the underwater scene in dropping my jaw when I first saw it.

Coming soon as a Criterion, which makes it a banner upcoming year for the company, what with this, "Broadcast News," "Thin Red Line" and "Sweet Smell of Success." Hope nothing falls through.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, July 20, 2010 10:11 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

ya plus days of heaven BD... leopard BD... was playtime BD this year too? they on a roll.

Don't forget Bigger Than Life!

^^^^^^fucking superb movie

<3 James Mason

not possible - night of the hunter came out first iirc

Sorry, I meant that PTA was recalling the original "Night of the Hunter."

my favorite movie

good choice tbh

Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllldreeennnn.....

I MUST see this movie again! Soon.....

I've never really done too much hard thinking about it, but the ending certainly seems deliberate in its effect--Gish's character is certainly as archetypal as Mitchum's in that respect...

Just found the book Night of the Hunter on a bargain table and read it; it's actually very good and it turns out the movie is a REALLY faithful adaptation.

This is true and was trying to remember it when somebody said something similar on the thread about The Maltese Falcon.