Movie Review: Night Of The Hunter
Night of the Hunter tells the story of Harry Powell
, a murderous con man who thinks he is doing the lords bidding by ridding women of their sinful desires. Harry spends the bulk of the story wooing a widow, Willa, to find out where her late husband hid ten thousand dollars before died. Willa doesn't know but her two children, John and Pearl, know, and are keeping the secret from Harry. Night of the Hunter is a noirish, nightmare told from a child's perspective, and the entire narrative is told using opposing forces, Love and hate, children and adults, and good and evil. Laughton along with Director of Photography, Stanley Cortez, use their choices in lighting to juxtapose the good and evil forces in a child's nightmare where adults, are either evil, or allow the children to be harmed.
The first scene between John, Pearl, and Powell occurs at night, when John is in bed with Pearl telling her a story. The interior of the bedroom is lit with low-key lighting coming through the bedroom window placing shadows on the room. John stands in the light shining through as if it were a spotlight, when Powell walks in front of the light source casting an ominous shadow into the room as he does into the children's lives. This silhouette coupled with the foreboding score clearly defines the children as good and Powell as evil even though he is a supposed man of god.
The films subject matter deals with stark contrasts, as mentioned above, most specifically, good and evil, and the mise-en-scen mimics this. John, Pearl and Mrs. Cooper are seen as innocent and good, and are portrayed that way, in softer, more naturally looking light, while Powell, who is seen as evil is often seen in harsh, or low key lighting or as a silhouette or shadow.
Mrs. Cooper is the only adult in the film who is purely good, who does not facilitate in some way the children's torture by Powell. When Laughton introduces Mrs. Cooper the camera tilts upward from her shoes to her face. She is shown in more natural key lighting to give the audience a favorable impression of her. The audience is supposed to realize, as are the children that this woman is on their side. During Mrs. Coopers' final confrontation with Powell, the exterior of the house is shot in low-key lighting with Powell again shown only as a silhouette. A cut to the inside of the house shows John is lit with three point lighting in a setting with a pitched roof reminiscent of the murder scene with Willa. This emphasizes the religious themes in the movie and the contrast of good and evil. While Powell thinks himself a man of god, it is the children who are the pure at heart and are portrayed in favorable light, while Powell lurks in shadows the entire film.
As Powell sings a religious hymn outside Mrs. Cooper is inside staying up. She is at first seen in profile as a silhouette but the close up of her shows her in softer, three point lighting while Powell continues to sing being lit by harsh light making only his face barely visible. It is this scene that is perhaps the best example of the contrast of good and evil. While Powell in the shadows sings his song insincerely, Mrs. Cooper, who is films only example of adult goodness sings the alto part of the hymn with the deepest candor.
by: Abhik
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