A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination
Gloria Castillo
- Ruby
- (as Gloria Castilo)
Corey Allen
- Young Man in Town
- (uncredited)
Oscar Blank
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Paul Bryar
- Bart the Hangman
- (uncredited)
Nora Bush
- Townswoman
- (uncredited)
Cheryl Callaway
- Mary
- (uncredited)
Alexander Campbell
- Judge
- (uncredited)
Michael Chapin
- Ruby's Boyfriend
- (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissell
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Davis Grubb
- James Agee
- Charles Laughton(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe sequence with Powell riding a horse in the distance was actually a dwarf on a pony. It was filmed in false perspective.
- GoofsA man who is sentenced to only thirty days for a misdemeanor would be sent to the county jail, and not the state penitentiary, and thus, would never be sharing a cell with a condemned man on death row.
- Quotes
Rachel Cooper: It's a hard world for little things.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: La monnaie de l'absolu (1999)
- SoundtracksDream, Little One, Dream
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Walter Schumann
Sung by a chorus during the opening credits
Reprised offscreen by an unidentified female when the chldren are on the run
Featured review
Overwhelming
I was lucky enough to see this in a cinema with a restored print. I had previously caught a snatch of it while channel surfing cable TV, and saw enough in about 30 seconds to realise that this was worth watching through if I got the chance.
I could barely speak at the end of the film. Pauline Kael called it one of the scariest movies ever made, and she was absolutely right. Robert Mitchum becomes the embodiment of evil, and his pursuit of the children is so relentless, and so menacing, that it becomes impossible to believe that they can escape. The images are brilliant; there's a depth to black and white that colour somehow lacks, and it is used superbly here to create a sense of brooding terror.
I didn't mind the homily at the end. Like everything else in the film, it is done with utter conviction, and this makes it work. Charles Laughton saw it as the indispensable conclusion to the film, and the strength of his belief makes it indispensable.
The images are so much part of the film that it must lose a great deal on the small screen, although my minimal exposure to it in that environment showed that it was still well worth watching, but if you get a chance to see it in a cinema, jump at it.
I could barely speak at the end of the film. Pauline Kael called it one of the scariest movies ever made, and she was absolutely right. Robert Mitchum becomes the embodiment of evil, and his pursuit of the children is so relentless, and so menacing, that it becomes impossible to believe that they can escape. The images are brilliant; there's a depth to black and white that colour somehow lacks, and it is used superbly here to create a sense of brooding terror.
I didn't mind the homily at the end. Like everything else in the film, it is done with utter conviction, and this makes it work. Charles Laughton saw it as the indispensable conclusion to the film, and the strength of his belief makes it indispensable.
The images are so much part of the film that it must lose a great deal on the small screen, although my minimal exposure to it in that environment showed that it was still well worth watching, but if you get a chance to see it in a cinema, jump at it.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- La noche del cazador
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $795,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $6,030
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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