micah van hove
8Jan12
do work son
Wall
Displaying wall posts 1 - 30 of 69 in total
Howard Orr
11Feb12
An amazing film that 9 out of 10 times would be a complete train wreck, even in the hands of far more experienced directors than Laughton. His adroit balancing of the fairytale aspects with the more prosaic passages is one of the greatest achievments in cinema. Its probing into Puritanical religion and its implicit critique as to the credence society gives to religious figures remains relevant.
Joseph Hefner
20Jan12
Given the remarkable visuals and intriguing premise, this film could have been excellent. It's just weighed down by poor writing and mediocre direction.
AntioneOscar69
18Jan12
One of the greatest movie ever made... visually stunning, great performances, a haunting story of good and evil. It has some dated moments, and the ending is too storybook, but still a masterpiece of American cinema.
deathproof
18Jan12
Watched it without knowing anything about it and boy, was I spellbound! I've never seen such explicit display of horror in a nightmarish way. And when I understood it to be a fairytale I was blown away. Not a complete noir but it is great in its own way.
skiptracer
16Jan12
I don't know quite why, but I feel as thought it lost its momentum halfway through. Still enjoyed it very much, though. And the scenes of the drowned mother in the lake are amazing.
James
3Jan12
Terrifying. Captures the feeling of a nightmare as well as any Lynch film, but the fire and brimstone undercurrent and Robert Mitchum's ferocious portrayal of the ultimate bogeyman really carry it home.
skiptracer and 4 others like this
Heikan
12Oct11
Given the wrong circumstances, being a kid can, and very frequently is, a terrifyng experience. I believe this is the film that has portrayed more accurately the feeling of helplessness that permeates child abuse. The expressionist visuals are really impressive and help to convey the ambient of opression and danger, but is Robert Mitchum's amazing performance what gives the film it's true terror.
JP. Schmidt
3Sep11
The harsh contrast isn't only in the cinematography, but falls into the story and characters as well, beautiful.
Roger Da Silva João
13Aug11
I don't know man, I don't think this one aged that well. I mean, Mitchum is awesome as the evil crazy preacher, but the whole tale is too innocent. loved the ending though. heartwarming, I almost cried.
Jared Sanders
25Jul11
Expressionism. Religionism. One of the creepiest films ever made. Borderline coming-of-age, borderline absurd, and down right beautiful. Robert Mitchum is insane, but believable. The children are childish, yet so adult. A black nightmare and a white dreamscape. A misunderstood classic.
Christian R.
21Jun11
fantastic movie! Robert Mitchum is riiiiigggghhhht up there with Norman Bates. who knew preachers are so freaking scary?
Dave
20May11
The movie looks spectacular, particularly on the new blu-ray release from Criterion, but even so I still find the actual story and substance to be lacking. I love watching it because of the incredible work of DP Stanley Cortez, but for that reason only.
skiptracer likes this
Matthew_Lucas
14May11
Classic noirish thriller pits the dark side of religion against its best qualities, corruption vs spiritual purity, as a crooked, murderous preacher who marries widows then kills the for their money, pursues 2 children who have something he desperately wants. Charles Laughton's only film as a director is a masterpiece - an eerie, frightening, and ultimately uplifting celebration of the terrors and joys of childhood.
Charles Foster Kane
17Apr11
All fans of this unique masterwork should check out the book, "The Night of the Hunter: A Biography of a Film" by Jeffrey Couchman.
Sheik Yerbouti
7Apr11
Everytime I watch this film I gain a deeper understanding of why it is so highly regarded. A true masterpiece of cinema. It ranked #2 on Cahiers du Cinema list of greatest films ever made. And the French can be harsh critics of American art.
Graveyard Poet
19Mar11
The chiaroscuro cinematography of Stanley Cortez, lingering score of Walter Schumann, menacing performance of Robert Mitchum (his best), and the quintessential children performance(s) create a dark fairy tale unlike any other American film, easily the greatest of its era (the staid 1950s).
EastyBoy
13Mar11
It was interesting the way this film walked the line between arthouse and Hollywood. The visuals were beautiful and almost certainly make it a candidate for the former category. However, I felt that ultimately the Hollywood element dragged it down. Certainly worth watching though, and I actually liked the child actors.