The Night of the Hunter (BFI Film Classics) [Paperback]

Simon Callow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A comprehensive and attractive study that offers real insight." -- Hotdog

"Simon Callow writes with ease and insight." -- The Observer

"[A] clean, forward-moving account of [The Night of the Hunter's] origins and creation." -- Uncut

About the Author

Simon Callow is one of Britain's foremost stage and film actors. He has written acclaimed biographies of Charles Laughton and Orson Welles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 79 pages
• Publisher: British Film Institute (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851708226
• ISBN-13: 978-0851708225
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Reference

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, October 10, 2004

By 

M. Harris "Mike Harris" (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Night of the Hunter (BFI Film Classics) (Paperback)

A fascinating book about an equally fascinating and very under-rated movie. I don't remember where or when I first saw "The Night of the Hunter," but I do remember being scared, horrified and thrilled all at the same time. As was usually the case when he played a villan, Robert Mitchum was terrifying as he roamed off in the distance as a silhouette on horseback (which, by the way was actually a stand-in midget riding a donkey -- now THAT's creepy!). And the rest of the cast, including the great Lillian Gish and the incomparable Shelley Winters, as well as the two child actors, is absolutly steller; not to mention that this movie was Charles Laughton's one and only (unfortuately) foray into directing. My reason for spending so much time praising the movie is that this book deserves equal praise for bringing the movie back so vividly to the reader. Again, it's a fascinating read -- and in some ways, almost as spooky as the movie. All of the books in the BFI Film Classics series that I've read are wonderful, and this is one of the best. Go get it!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good--but Flawed, June 10, 2008

By 

Terri Fawn Howard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Night of the Hunter (BFI Film Classics) (Paperback)

Simon Callow's "The Night of the Hunter" is a fairly engrossing and respectable addition to the BFI Film Classics series, though I have to admit that it's not without its problems. After a brief introductory section, Callow delves at length into David Grubb's novel in order to illuminate how Laughton's excellent film closely mirrors the novelist's work. Also, we're given information concerning Laughton's acting career. As distinguished and idiosyncratic as it was, this inclusion, like the extensive quoting from the novel, takes up valuable space. And since Laughton does no acting in the film, it's somewhat superfluous. Be that as it may, Callow goes on to provide a thorough recounting of the collaborative process surrounding the making of "The Night of the Hunter", which falls soundly within the realm of pertinence. Unfortunately, there's scant discussion about the actual film itself as a completed entity, which brought to mind Schickel's BFI monograph on "Double Indemnity". The 'Reputation' segment is good, with comments from diverse critics. Callow finally hits his stride in 'Coda: A View', which contains a brief, if more or less in-depth commentary about the film.
Overall, I liked this book. But, for me, it lacks the zest and infectious passion of, say, Jim Kitses' "Gun Crazy", and the analytic ferocity of, for example, David Rudkin's "Vampyr".

3.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Read, December 11, 2011

By 

MadManOut08 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Night of the Hunter (BFI Film Classics) (Paperback)

The book has small font and can be hard to read because of this but has a lot of great information about the movie and reads like a documentary that provides information from many different perspectives.