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The Night of the Hunter
Series: BFI Film Classics
Brief Description
The Night of the Hunter (1955) was Charles Laughton's only film as director. Part expressionist horror movie, part luminous fairy tale, it contains some of the most haunting images in cinema. Willa (Shelley Winters), her throat cut and hair streaming out like seaweed, sitting upright in...
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The Night of the Hunter
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Description
The Night of the Hunter (1955) was Charles Laughton's only film as director. Part expressionist horror movie, part luminous fairy tale, it contains some of the most haunting images in cinema. Willa (Shelley Winters), her throat cut and hair streaming out like seaweed, sitting upright in a submerged Model-T Ford. Her children, framed by looming animals, in a downriver flight from Preacher (Robert Mitchum). Preacher on horseback, a silhouetted threat on the horizon. Rachel Cooper (Lilian Gish) keeping watch in the darkness.
The Night of the Hunter is revered today, but it failed on its first release, and Laughton never recovered from the disappointment. Simon Callow traces the life cycle of the film: from its roots in Davis Grubb's bestselling novel, through casting, production, and editing, to its ill-fated release and subsequent elevation to classic status. Emphasising Laughton's skill at bringing out the best in a talented cast and crew, and adding his own commentary and interpretive insights, Callow celebrates a unique cinematic achievement.
In his afterword to this new edition, Simon Callow looks back on the film and its continuing influence through references, homages, and remakes.
Series: BFI Film Classics
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Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781839023750
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 October 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: BFI Publishing
Edition: 2nd edition
Illustration: 60 bw illus
Audience: Tertiary education
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 10.0mm
Width: 134.0mm
Height: 188.0mm
Weight: 180g
Pages: 104
About the Author
Simon Callow is one of Britain's foremost stage and film actors. He has written acclaimed biographies of Charles Laughton and Charles Dickens, and a three volume biography of Orson Welles, as well as the memoir Love Is Where It Falls. He has written on acting in Being an Actor and Shooting the Actor, which tackles the subject of acting for the screen. My Life in Pieces, an alternative journalistic autobiography, incorporates some of his widely read journalism with memoir. He has also written several shorter books: Shakespeare on Love, Oscar Wilde and His Circle and Dickens' Christmas. He was awarded CBE for Services to Acting in 1999.
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The Night of the Hunter
This is an examination of The Night of the Hunter, Charles Laughton's only outing as a film director. It looks at the symbolism of the piece, at Willa, her throat cut sitting in the Model-T Ford, and the Preacher, a silhouetted threat on the horizon.PaperbackSold Out
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