Image from Night of the Hunter (1955)
Still from The Night of the Hunter (1955).
Image from Night of the Hunter (1955)
Still from The Night of the Hunter (1955).
The Night of the Hunter
Directed by Charles Laughton (USA, 1955, 93 min.). 35mm.
Following the death of their father, siblings John and Pearl are faced with another catastrophe: the arrival of a black-clad preacher named Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), who is hell-bent on marrying their mother and stealing their father’s fortune. What follows is a timeless struggle between good and evil rendered in striking black and white, with dramatic lights and darks to illustrate the moral extremes of human nature. Some of the most stunning scenes take place in the dark of night, when the children are most in peril. As they float in the moonlight in a shoddy skiff down the ink-black Ohio river, shadows loom on the riverbanks, threatening to materialize into Mitchum’s hulking reverend. Famed for its sumptuous cinematography and iconic villain, The Night of the Hunter has been referenced by films from the Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona (1987) to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989).
35mm restored print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Restoration funding provided by The Film Foundation.
Wheelchair accessible
Ticket Information
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