Filmmaker reacts to The Night of the Hunter (1955) for the FIRST TIME! 

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!

James, thanks for continuing to include older films in your reactions. It’s appreciated.

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!

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.

The elderly lady was a young starlet in 1916 , Lillian Gish. A star for many years

2:58 I also liked Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear (1962) and The Longest Day (1962).

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.

Great movie from another cinema class I took!

A little known film. Glad you watched it.

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 🙂

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.

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.

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 😂

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.

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.

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.

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)...

that sequence when the kids first escaped the Reverend, his scream, the calm that proceeded, Pearl’s song. beyond visceral, gives me goosebumps everytime

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)!!!

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

One of the best movie ever made imo. Laughton’s only film too. Robert Mitchum is something else in this.

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).

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.

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!

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.

NO WAY! i love this movie! nobody watches this movie, the fuckin cinematography is from the future

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".

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.

Great film! You should check out the film A Face in the Crowd. Fantastic film, and Andy Griffith’s first film!

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.

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.

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.

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.

James this isn't the only time Robert Mitchum played a terrifying character. Check out the original Cape Fear sometime.

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.

have you reacted to or seen 'The Fall' by Tarsem? absolutely one of the most visually gorgeous films ever

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).

Absolute classic my man. I am so sorry it has been so long since I last commented.

"She brought out the shotty ! "

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.

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.

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), ...

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 🙌🎬🎥

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

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

I got emotional just watching your reaction. I will be watching this movie after this. That underwater scene is both beautiful and haunting!

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.

Another film by the same cinematographer is The Magnificent Ambersons (Orson Welles' second film). Definitely worth watching even though it was butchered by the studio.

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.

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!

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.

“What do you say to a man that by his own admission has no soul? Why would you say anything? I’ve thought about it a good deal. But that wasn't nothin' compared to what was comin' down the pike. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. I don't know what them eyes was the windows to and I guess I'd as just as soon as rather not know. But... there is... another... view of the world out there and there are... other... eyes... to see it and that's where my story is goin'. It has done brought me to a place in my life I would not of ever thought possible to come to. Somewhere... out there... is a true and living prophet of destruction and I don't ever want to confront him again. I know he's real... I have seen his work... I walked in front of those eyes... just once... and I wont ever do it again. I wont ever again push my chips forward and stand up and go out there to meet him. It ain't just cuz I’m getting older. I really wish it was. I can’t say that it's even what you are willin' to do in such a situation because I always knew that you had to be willin' to die to even do this job. That was always true. Not to sound glorious about it or nothin' but you do. If you ain't... they'll know it and they'll see it in a heartbeat. I think it is more like what you are willin' to... become... and I think a man would have to put his soul at hazard. And I wont do that... not again... not ever again... and I think that now... certainly I never would.” - Cormac McCarthy, No Country For Old Men

Just noticing, the only person that actually reads the Bible in this film is Rachel Cooper (the lady who takes John and Pearl in), indicating that she knows when someone is just using language associated the the Bible and actual doctrine. This films seems to highlight the difference between innocence and naivety, with characters showing both, either or the opposite.

masterpiece

You are watching some of the coolest movies. This is almost like the Silence Of The Lambs of its day.

This is the movie directed by actor Charles Laughton.

For more Robert Mitchum, checkout Out Of The Past (1947.)

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.

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

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

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.

Why oh why did Charles Laughton never make another movie?

You'r killing it in choice of movies with 2001 and this one!

OH MY GOD this film is so good the visuals re MADDDDD

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!!

Just saw this post up when I opened up the RU-vid 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 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.

I believe this should easily rank within the top 20 films of all time. There's a couple of spots in the film that do miss for me, it feels a tad hokey for more modern sensibilities, but other than that( 2 1/2 minutes of cheese), the rest of it could stand with most of the best of modern cinema in my mind. Lots of dutch angles, stage lighting effects, optical illusion set design, it's almost like walking through a gravity house(an old roadside attraction where gravity would appear strange, distorted, reversed, or inverted). The director was INCREDIBLY AMBITIOUS. Thanks for watching this absolute classic! PS: I was a film major too. Went to UNT. Did nothing with it but watch cool movies. Lmao!

I saw this film once at the revival Theater 80 St. Marks in NY back in the 80s and during the scene where Mitchum is lecturing (abusing) Shelley Winters in their bedroom a woman in the audience got up, muttering loudly, and stormed out, practically tearing the door of the theater off its hinges. She was REALLY triggered by the film. Very powerful filmmaking.

Wow... love this film. Love the reaction. Thank you.

I highly recommend looking into a movie called Hangover Square! It is a breathtakingly beautiful movie with incredible acting and some of the coolest implementation of the score being a "character" in the movie! Just give it a watch and I promise you will not be disappointed!

If you want to watch a movie with incredible cinematography that is also B&W and was only made a few years ago, check out The Eyes of my Mother! It is a psychological horror movie that has some amazing shots that are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen! The story is crazy and the entire movie has this wonderful feeling of "what is going on!"

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.

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.

Worth looking into the screenwriter James Agee, who was an idiosyncratic writer of allegorical southern-Gothic fiction (this), memoir (A Death in the Family), poetic/confessional-cum-socially conscious sociological document (Let Us Now Praise Famous Men), and literarily crafted film criticism (for periodicals like The Nation).

I encourage you to watch some classic silent films… Chaplin, Keaton (the greatest comedians of the period) Films by: Murnau (Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, Faust, Sunrise) Griffith (Intolerance) Lang (Metropolis, Die Nibelungen) Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari…the first horror film ever made that still holds up. Amazing cinematography in all of these classic silent films. Some of them are over 100 years old now.

Spike Lee is a fan of this movie. and paid homage to the love and hate scene in Do The Right Thing.

Heck yeah!!!!! A great movie!!🍿🍿🍿🍿 For amazing Cinematography I suggest El Topo, a masterpiece film but probably not for the channel lol just watch sometime you're in a weird mood

i heard that they are preparing a remake of this movie...They didn t choose the actor yet to play the role of Robert Mitchum..I don t know why they want to redo these movies....It s like the movie ****Casablanca***. Gone with the wind,***Rebel without cause, and other classics....Who can replace Boggart, or James Dean, No matter how good the actor is, it s only going to be a pale copy...Those are classics movies, just don t touch it....make new ones...Thank you for showing us this great movie....

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.

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.

There is a RU-vid of Robert Mitchum singing an amazing one-minute jazzy version of Leaning. Search this on RU-vid, "Robert Mitchum - Leaning (jazzy version)"

Its based on the book by Davis Grubb. The finger tatoos thing has been copied in many films. Film Noir. The scene with Shelly Winters in the water is one that stays with you, very haunting.

Oh, yeah! You're watching classics. One super-interesting detail is this is the only movie the great character actor Charles Laughton ever directed--and he's not in it. And the sensible old lady was played by Lillian Gish--her film career spanned 1912 to 1987. Wow. Sadly, one of those movies was Birth of a Nation!, but In her old age, she said this: “For too long the abhorrent racism of The Birth of a Nation was swept under the rug or dismissed in favor of praise for the film's cinematic innovations. The racism inherent in the film's very conception, its production and its circulation can no longer be ignored."

If you like mitchum in this you really should watch Cape Fear, the i think 1962 one.... the 1991 remake has nothing on it especially if you consider the time it came out..

I know I know, but: Please Check Out Citizen Kane. It's going to blow your mind in terms of storytelling by camera movements.

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.

While less artistic, check out another great, creepy performance by Robert Mitchum in 1962's 'Cape Fear'.