9:45pm – Night Of The Hunter, The (1955) – A bogus preacher marries an outlaw’s widow in search of the man’s hidden loot. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason Dir: Charles Laughton BW-93 mins, TV-PG
Absolutely brilliant chiller anchored by Robert Mitchum’s larger-than-life performance as a psychotic preacher chasing two children for a doll stuffed with money. Equally good is former silent screen star Lillian Gish, as the children’s protector. The testament to her abilities as an actress is the dialogue she gets away with, especially near the end.
How tragic actor Charles Laughton only ever directed this one film. Unfortunately, when released, “Hunter” was not appreciated either by audiences or critics and this closed the door for Laughton to helm again. But it’s his direction and unique sensibility that makes “Hunter” so special. The film’s tone is set just a notch above reality and this allows from some amazing sequences, especially the final confrontation between Mitchum and Gish, but also a surreal trip down a river and the unforgettable, haunting underwater shot of a drowned woman in a car.
In 1962, Mitchum would play the even more sadistic Max Cady in J. Lee Thompson’s striking “Cape Fear,” and with just two roles establish himself as one of the screens most menacing villains. I’ve also read that it was Mitchum who directed the children in “Hunter” because Laughton didn’t have the patience.
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