The first thing I just have to get off my chest is how awesome the film The Night of The Hunter (1955) truly is! Of course I'm talking about the legit dictionary definition, meaning to inspire an overwhelming feeling of admiration. I must admit, before seeing this movie I really did not think Film Noir would be my cup of tea; boy was I wrong! Stanley Cortez was the cinematographer for this film, and he did nothing but shine. The use of light though out nearly every scene was carefully planned and set-up, to truly take advantage of black and white film. Nowadays the use of shadows are avoided, or ignored altogether since they aren't nearly as noticeable in color. Charles Laughton, the director, and Cortez worked together in order to create an impeccable example of stunning cinematography that preaches a theme good versus evil.
In the establishing shot of Harry Powell as a sociopathic preacher, he prays to God, whilst holding his trusty pocket-knife between his praying hands. We learn he is not your typically holy man, as he actually thanks God for placing him in the same jail cell as a man who has $10,000 stashed somewhere at home. The audience learns that Harry feels no guilt for the multiple murders he has committed, as apparently God "[doesn't] mind the killings, [his] books are full of them. But there are things you do hate Lord." And of course by this Powell means "dirty" women. Now that the audience sees him as a dangerous criminal and not just a preacher, there is a sense of anticipation as to when he is going to commit his next murder. This clever trick is how the filmmakers hook the audience into the story; because now there is a question that must be answered before the audience can feel satisfied with the story.
We have become spoiled by the ease of editing today; forgetting about the original art form of cutting and splicing, and how that tedious process was the only way to edit film at one point. Due to film being rather expensive, filmmakers in the past did not have the option to freely shoot as many takes as they pleased. I chose the image on the right as a perfect example of just how much had to be planned before they could begin shooting. Contrary to the name, black and white film is not just black and white; there are endless tones and shades of gray which make up the remainder of the spectrum. Without careful planning of costuming and set design, this shot of the picnic could have been a muddied blur of the same shade of gray across the screen. Colors were specifically chosen and placed depending on the contrast of their surrounding objects. Another clear example of this clever use of contrast is any shot where Harry Powell is riding his horse. Harry has a consistently dark demeanor, yet rides on a white horse in order to be more aesthetically pleasing on film. Considering the character's general aura, at first a black horse would make more sense; he only wears black, he tends to be more active in the night, he's super evil… But the filmmaking team chose a white horse for the sake of contrast; in order to avoid Mr.Powell blending into the horse and creating some sort of centaur-like blob on film. As you can see, black and white films had an entirely different aspect to costuming and set-design than our modern color films have today.
A brief moment before her murder by Harry Powell, we see Willa lying on the bed with crossed arms, and a light glow around her. The shot is eerily, or purposefully, akin to a religious portrait of the Virgin Mary. This relates back to the theme of the entire movie, which . Harry Powell is, very obviously, the evil end of the deal, while the children are the good team. This theme is emphasized throughout the film by the film itself! The harsh blacks and whites, along with shadows are constantly used to show each characters demeanor and intent. For example, the children are usually shown in bright light, with little to no shadows being cast on their faces. Harry Powell however, nearly always has half of his face covered in a shadow, while the other half is lit; further emphasizing the contrast between good versus evil.
I could not end this blog post without mentioning my personal favorite scene in this film, the haunting song Pearl sings while the children are floating down the river. Pearl's song is about a "pretty fly" who had 2 pretty fly children, but "flew away to the moon". Since this scene take's place pretty soon after Willa's murder, the audience can assume the fly in question is in fact Pearl's mother. This key piece of information transforms the song from a silly lullaby, to a tear-inducing moment where the audience can truly emphasize with the new orphans. The camera follows John & Pearl along the river through this song, showing various animals which all happen to be natural predators of flies. Although the audience may think that the children have escaped the dangerous Harry Powell, the magnified creatures show that they are still being hunted.
Overall, The Night of The Hunter is a beautifully filmed piece of cinema, that will definitely withstand the test of time. Even though movies today are much flashier and more complex than their older counterparts, few come close to the stunning lighting design of this film. It's clear every cinematic element was carefully planned ahead of time, since it wasn't as easy in the past to have various takes of every shot. The brilliant use of shadows and contrast throughout this film add to it's beauty, while symbolizing the contrast of good versus evil.
Works Referenced:
Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking At Movies. 4th ed. New York: W.W Norton &, 2013. Print.
Night of The Hunter. Dir. Charles Laughton. MGM, 1955. DVD.
"The Night of the Hunter." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
All images screen-capped by yours truly.
Works Referenced:
Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking At Movies. 4th ed. New York: W.W Norton &, 2013. Print.
Night of The Hunter. Dir. Charles Laughton. MGM, 1955. DVD.
"The Night of the Hunter." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
All images screen-capped by yours truly.