Night of the Hunter

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Review added by
Michael Campbell

Certificate: 12
Running Time: 93minutes
Retail Price: £13.99
Release Date: 28/10/13
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
Robert Mitchum gives a career-best performance as Harry Powell, a self-appointed preacher with ‘LOVE’ and ‘HATE’ tattooed on his knuckles who travels to a small town in search of his executed cellmate’s stash of cash, under the impression that his two young children know its whereabouts.
But the film’s melodramatic plot plays second fiddle to some of the most extraordinary images ever captured on film. Laughton and cinematographer Stanley Cortez (The Magnificent Ambersons) imbue almost every shot with a luminosity that recalls the great silent masterpieces of F.W. Murnau and Victor Sjöström. A widely misunderstood flop at the time (which put Laughton off ever directing again), it’s now regarded as one of the greatest of all American films.

Special Features:
-New digital transfer made from 35mm film elements restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive in cooperation with MGM Studios, with funding provided by the Film Foundation and Robert B. Strum

-Optional original uncompressed Mono PCM audio & 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

-Isolated Music and Effects Soundtrack

-Charles Laughton Directs “The Night of the Hunter” - A two-and-a-half-hour documentary on the making of the film featuring outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage

-Archival interview with cinematographer Stanley Cortez

-Original theatrical trailer

-Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly artwork by Graham Humphreys

-Booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic and filmmaker David Thompson