OLDIE GOLDIES: The Night Of The Hunter (1955)

This week on Oldie Goldies I bring you the 1955 classic - "The Night of the Hunter". This film tells the gripping story of a religious fanatic (played superbly by Robert Mitchum) who relentlessly hounds 2 children for $10,000 that their deceased father had stolen. It's quite a remarkable film from every aspect (cinematography, acting, screenplay) and I was shocked to find out that it never got any Oscar love.

Classic Quote

"Would you like me to tell you the little story of right hand, left hand? The story

of good and evil? H-A-T-E. It was with this left hand that old brother Cain struck

the blow that laid his brother low. L-O-V-E. You see these fingers, dear hearts? These

fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man -- the right hand, friends, the

hand of love."

Classic Scene

The River Boat scene

Classic Character

Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum)

 

Classic Song 

"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms"

Did you know? 

The film's lyric and expressionistic style sets it apart from other Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s, and it has influenced later directors such as David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Jim Jarmusch, the Coen brothers, Rob Zombie, and Spike Lee.