PHarrison
11-11-2009, 01:54 AM
When watched through the eyes of a child, Charles Laughton’s The Night of the Hunter (1955) is a film that is disturbing and frightening. It is disturbing because of the cold and relentless evil that seems to possess the Reverend Harry Powell as he brutally torments the Harper family. And it is frightening, because it symbolizes how our young have been let down by the pillars of authority that help define what is right and wrong in our society, leaving the young to figure things out and fend for themselves in this dog eat dog world. Throughout the film, it was easy to get swept away by the sinister Reverend Harry Powell and his devious plan to rob John Harper of his stolen inheritance. If looked at carefully, I suggest that this movie is more about the character of John Harper, than it is about Harry Powell.
When the movie begins, we see an image of Rachel Cooper, a matronly looking older woman played by Lillian Gish, floating in the stars almost like an angel. As she speaks, she looks directly into the camera, while speaking in tones as if to a child. This image of the audience as a group of children is emphasized by the next shot of five young, happy faces looking intently towards the storyteller. The use of these juxtaposed images emphasizes that viewing this movie through the eyes of John Harper will help in its understanding.
One of the immediate benefits is that it adds to the building tension that grows between young John Harper and Harry Powell. In nearly every shot where we see Powell from John’s point of view, we are looking up at him, giving him all the power. Lighting and shadows are used to make Harry’s image appear larger than life, and looming over John. This technique appears in the scene where John is telling Pearl a story, when suddenly, through the window, the shadow of Powell is cast on the wall behind him by the streetlamp.
When seen through the eyes of John Harper, the world around him is very scary indeed. Every authority figure in John’s life has let him down. First, his father, Ben Harper, fed up with not being able to feed his own family, he robs a bank, kills two men, gets away with $10,000 that he hides, entrusting its secret location only to John and Pearl and is then caught and executed. Then there is the preacher, representing religious authority, who uses his religion to justify his evil actions to both himself and to others. And finally, John’s mother lets him down twice. First, she did not believe John when he told her about Powell’s interest in the hidden money. Then, she didn’t do anything to help John and Pearl upon learning the truth, leaving them to defend themselves against Powell on their own. John was even let down by his Uncle Bernie, who was passed out drunk, instead of ready to help John when he needed it, like he had promised earlier in the film. This could be a significant theme within the film, casting shadows onto the authority structure of our society. With little faith in government, religion and family ours is a difficult world to navigate.
For John and Pearl, the river represents their freedom. When all else failed, John felt a confidence that there would be safety for him and his sister on the river. After managing to escape to the river, the movie suddenly drifts into a surreal dream like sequence that is set to the haunting lullaby being sung by Pearl. Long shots of the boat drifting downstream are accentuated by symbolic details, such as an overhead shot of the boat drifting downstream seen through a spider’s web. This could be symbolic of the two children getting away from the web being spun for them by Powell. The image of the boat drifting through the river wildlife, beneath a bright, starlit sky with weeping willows and rolling hills in the distance, creates a dark, nightmarish fairy tale setting.
However, though this film is like a child’s dark nightmare, there is a feeling of optimism. In one edit, we see the skiff floating across the screen, Pearl curled up at the front of the boat, and John lying on a bench near the back, like two seeds, they floated on the surface of the river. Immediately this scene dissolves into the silouette of cattail stalks in front of a setting sun, its pollen stirred, billowing and floating off with the wind. The combination of these two images cut together so directly superimposed upon each other, indicates a sense that these two children are the seeds of our future. This idea is reinforced again through the biblical references to Moses. Just like Moses washed up in the reeds to be saved, so too does John and Pearl. Thankfully, they meet Mrs. Cooper, who not only takes them into her home, but is the only adult in the film who sees Powell for who he is and stands up against him for the sake of the children. This optimism at the end is also tied to the beginning of the film where Mrs. Cooper says that no good fruit can come from a bad seed, and likewise no bad fruit can come from a good seed. So one can tell the difference between good and evil by the fruits they bear. As the film ends the audience gets the feeling that John is going to be a good person, because he literally, by bringing an apple to Mrs. Cooper, bears good fruit.
When the movie begins, we see an image of Rachel Cooper, a matronly looking older woman played by Lillian Gish, floating in the stars almost like an angel. As she speaks, she looks directly into the camera, while speaking in tones as if to a child. This image of the audience as a group of children is emphasized by the next shot of five young, happy faces looking intently towards the storyteller. The use of these juxtaposed images emphasizes that viewing this movie through the eyes of John Harper will help in its understanding.
One of the immediate benefits is that it adds to the building tension that grows between young John Harper and Harry Powell. In nearly every shot where we see Powell from John’s point of view, we are looking up at him, giving him all the power. Lighting and shadows are used to make Harry’s image appear larger than life, and looming over John. This technique appears in the scene where John is telling Pearl a story, when suddenly, through the window, the shadow of Powell is cast on the wall behind him by the streetlamp.
When seen through the eyes of John Harper, the world around him is very scary indeed. Every authority figure in John’s life has let him down. First, his father, Ben Harper, fed up with not being able to feed his own family, he robs a bank, kills two men, gets away with $10,000 that he hides, entrusting its secret location only to John and Pearl and is then caught and executed. Then there is the preacher, representing religious authority, who uses his religion to justify his evil actions to both himself and to others. And finally, John’s mother lets him down twice. First, she did not believe John when he told her about Powell’s interest in the hidden money. Then, she didn’t do anything to help John and Pearl upon learning the truth, leaving them to defend themselves against Powell on their own. John was even let down by his Uncle Bernie, who was passed out drunk, instead of ready to help John when he needed it, like he had promised earlier in the film. This could be a significant theme within the film, casting shadows onto the authority structure of our society. With little faith in government, religion and family ours is a difficult world to navigate.
For John and Pearl, the river represents their freedom. When all else failed, John felt a confidence that there would be safety for him and his sister on the river. After managing to escape to the river, the movie suddenly drifts into a surreal dream like sequence that is set to the haunting lullaby being sung by Pearl. Long shots of the boat drifting downstream are accentuated by symbolic details, such as an overhead shot of the boat drifting downstream seen through a spider’s web. This could be symbolic of the two children getting away from the web being spun for them by Powell. The image of the boat drifting through the river wildlife, beneath a bright, starlit sky with weeping willows and rolling hills in the distance, creates a dark, nightmarish fairy tale setting.
However, though this film is like a child’s dark nightmare, there is a feeling of optimism. In one edit, we see the skiff floating across the screen, Pearl curled up at the front of the boat, and John lying on a bench near the back, like two seeds, they floated on the surface of the river. Immediately this scene dissolves into the silouette of cattail stalks in front of a setting sun, its pollen stirred, billowing and floating off with the wind. The combination of these two images cut together so directly superimposed upon each other, indicates a sense that these two children are the seeds of our future. This idea is reinforced again through the biblical references to Moses. Just like Moses washed up in the reeds to be saved, so too does John and Pearl. Thankfully, they meet Mrs. Cooper, who not only takes them into her home, but is the only adult in the film who sees Powell for who he is and stands up against him for the sake of the children. This optimism at the end is also tied to the beginning of the film where Mrs. Cooper says that no good fruit can come from a bad seed, and likewise no bad fruit can come from a good seed. So one can tell the difference between good and evil by the fruits they bear. As the film ends the audience gets the feeling that John is going to be a good person, because he literally, by bringing an apple to Mrs. Cooper, bears good fruit.