It is a dark story: Ben Harper (played by Peter Graves) has stolen 10,000 dollars. The script follows the novel fairly closely, with Callow detailing the few changes that were made. Who actually wrote the script remains something of a mystery clearly both Laughton and Agee had a hand in it. James Agee (who had been scenarist of John Huston's The African Queen) died before the film was even released.īut, as Callow says, even of those who continued to work in film: "No one's career was substantially boosted by the film."Ĭallow properly begins with the now largely forgotten book on which the film is based, the bestseller by first-time novelist Donald Grubb.Īgee's original screenplay - a 350-page monstrosity that (so producer Paul Gregory) "Charles never opened" - is unfortunately lost. Laughton did begin work on the film version of Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead, but Raoul Walsh would go to direct it Laughton himself never directed again.Ĭomposer Walter Schumann (who, Callow believes, with his work on The Night of the Hunter "immediately placed himself in the Bernard Herrmann league") died in 1958. Simon Callow's survey follows the making of the film, from novel to screenplay through post-production, and then considers the "Reception", "Aftermath", and "Reputation" of the film.Īt the end he also provides a "Coda", offering "a few personal observations on both form and content in the work."Ĭallow considers the film "a supreme example of the integrated work of a team", and much of his focus is on explaining how the team came and worked together to create this film.įor several of the contributors it was their only or their last involvement in making a film. Not a great success when first released, it is now an acknowledged masterpiece. It starred Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish, and Shelley Winters James Agee wrote the screenplay (or is at least credited with doing so).īased on Donald Grubb's 1953 bestselling novel, it is a dark and powerful (im)morality play. Shot in black and white, the 1955 film is Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort. The Night of the Hunter is a cinematic curiosity. About the 1955 Charles Laughton film, The Night of the Hunterī+ : good overview of an interesting production.General information | review summaries | our review | links | about the author Trying to meet all your book preview and review needs.
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