Night of the Hunter

We continue our Southern Gothic Film Series with, “Night of the Hunter”! The Night of the Hunter (1955) is loosely based on an actual murder story and stars Robert Mitchum as ex-con Rev. Harry Powell, Shelley Winters as Willa Harper, and Lillian Gish as Rachel. Written by Charles Laughton and James Agee, the film is set during the Depression. Producer Paul Gregory channels Hitchcock in shooting this expressionistic film in black and white. And those of you who know Professor Ernie Rehder’s OLLI courses on film noir will enjoy the low-lighted scenes, unexpected camera angles (including underwater shots), close-up and stylized facial portraits, and imagery of relentless stalking and closed space. We are screening The Night of the Hunter not only as an archetypal prologue to later films in the Southern Gothic series but more immediately as (cautionary) preparation for next month’s film: Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s 1991 Cape Fear, their intense remake of the classic 1962 movie that starred Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam—and, of course, Robert Mitchum. Planning to get a tattoo, anyone?

1955 / 93 minutes FSU English Professor Bruce Bickley will place the film in context and lead the discussion afterward. Sunday, February 28 – 1:30 PM. Doors open at 1:00 PM. Free admission!