"Leaning... leaning... safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning... leaning... leaning on the everlasting arms." -Harry Powell
The Night of the Hunter, a story we all know quite well even if we have not seen the film: a psychopath on a destructive mission who is not afraid to kill someone. But keep in mind that this idea was new for its time; not only in story but mise-en-scène as well. Mise-en-scène are all of the elements outside of the narrative arena that work to improve the viewer's overall experience of the movie. Stanley Cortez, Night of the Hunter's cinematographer, was considered out of the ordinary for the time but the unique manner in which he stylized the film serves specific purposes.
Throughout the film, Cortez, working with director Charles Laughton, employes repetition of framing and lighting to highlight narrative elements. One such example can be seen at many times during Night of the Hunter: the particular lighting of Preacher Harry Powell's (Robert Mitchum) face. This lighting style illuminates one half of his face while leaving the other darkened. Basically, Preacher Powell looks like Two Face from the Batman series in most shots. Typically black and white films from the fifties were heavily lit exposing a woman's beauty or left in shadows to symbolize the evil in said character. The half and half scenario is a little bit of both. To Willa and the other townspeople, Powell is seen as a devout Christian who has “seen the light” (Get it?) while to young John, Powell is a shadowy figure of death thus creating the two faced man. The Director and Cinematographer could have lit Powell in any other way and we, the audience, would still understand his two-sidedness. But the profound separation of light on Powell's face gives us a visual image that portrays the villain's inner emotions. This lighting is the way we usually see him during the day. At night, Powell is almost always lit as a silhouette.
For instance, when Jack and Pearl float down the river and camp for the night, they find refuge in a barn. Jack looks out an open window in the barn out onto the beautiful horizon line of a new day. At first, we see this imagery as sign of hope. That the troubled children have finally escaped the clutches of the devil preacher. Psych! Before long we hear the familiar song of Powell; this is all the introduction that we need. Out of the left side of frame, Powell enters riding a horse, backlit by the horizon line ergo creating a silhouette. This dark figure blocking reassuring light symbolizes that the children's future is still bleak. Powell is an excellent tracker that is, as the Blues Brothers would say, on a mission from God.
Throughout the film, Cortez, working with director Charles Laughton, employes repetition of framing and lighting to highlight narrative elements. One such example can be seen at many times during Night of the Hunter: the particular lighting of Preacher Harry Powell's (Robert Mitchum) face. This lighting style illuminates one half of his face while leaving the other darkened. Basically, Preacher Powell looks like Two Face from the Batman series in most shots. Typically black and white films from the fifties were heavily lit exposing a woman's beauty or left in shadows to symbolize the evil in said character. The half and half scenario is a little bit of both. To Willa and the other townspeople, Powell is seen as a devout Christian who has “seen the light” (Get it?) while to young John, Powell is a shadowy figure of death thus creating the two faced man. The Director and Cinematographer could have lit Powell in any other way and we, the audience, would still understand his two-sidedness. But the profound separation of light on Powell's face gives us a visual image that portrays the villain's inner emotions. This lighting is the way we usually see him during the day. At night, Powell is almost always lit as a silhouette.
For instance, when Jack and Pearl float down the river and camp for the night, they find refuge in a barn. Jack looks out an open window in the barn out onto the beautiful horizon line of a new day. At first, we see this imagery as sign of hope. That the troubled children have finally escaped the clutches of the devil preacher. Psych! Before long we hear the familiar song of Powell; this is all the introduction that we need. Out of the left side of frame, Powell enters riding a horse, backlit by the horizon line ergo creating a silhouette. This dark figure blocking reassuring light symbolizes that the children's future is still bleak. Powell is an excellent tracker that is, as the Blues Brothers would say, on a mission from God.
Stepping away from the repetition of lighting, I will move to the repetition of certain motifs in Night of the Hunter. One, as I mentioned earlier, is Powell's “theme” song: Leaning on Everlasting Arms. This tune is originally used to woo Willa into Powell's arms. I mean, with that sexy of a voice, the women must have thought they were in “everlasting arms.” But soon this innocent tune turns into a signal of Powell's grim appearance through repetition. The way Powell sings the song does not change, but the way we interpret it does. By cueing the “theme music” at times when he is trying to harm John, the filmmakers set an alarm in our subconscious. We think, “hopefully I don't hear that awful song again, I just know something scary is gonna happen soon after.” If you thought this, the creators succeeded. They were able to make you frightened of something that in no way will physically take effect on you.
Another great motif in the film goes along with the half and half light scheme: the tattoos on Powell's hands. On one hand, there is hate; on the other, there is love. These are both extremes on an emotional scale just as dark and light are extremes on the light spectrum. Thus hate should be paired with the dark and love paired with light but, on screen, it is vise versa. Love comes out on top of hate only because of Powell's twisted logic. The townspeople see love prevail because they assume Powell is a good person and will defeat evils. In actuality, his love for the Lord empowers Powell to unleash his hatred on the rest of the world. Wow, what a powerful element mise-en-scène can be.
Another great motif in the film goes along with the half and half light scheme: the tattoos on Powell's hands. On one hand, there is hate; on the other, there is love. These are both extremes on an emotional scale just as dark and light are extremes on the light spectrum. Thus hate should be paired with the dark and love paired with light but, on screen, it is vise versa. Love comes out on top of hate only because of Powell's twisted logic. The townspeople see love prevail because they assume Powell is a good person and will defeat evils. In actuality, his love for the Lord empowers Powell to unleash his hatred on the rest of the world. Wow, what a powerful element mise-en-scène can be.
Works Cited
Looking at Movies by: Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan; Norton Text, 4th Edition;
The Night of the Hunter. Dir. Charles Laughton. Prod. Paul Gregory. By James Agee. Perf. Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, and Peter Graves. United Artists, 1955.
Cover image: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbbBfTXF6z8/UQcYmO8YhbI/AAAAAAAALa8/LCTXNiCA-NA/s320/night-of-the-hunter-trailer-title.jpg
Shot from barn window: http://zombievamp.blogspot.com/2013/04/155-night-of-hunter-charles-laughton.html
Tattoo shot: http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Mitchum,%20Robert/Annex/NRFPT/Annex%20-%20Mitchum,%20Robert%20(Night%20of%20the%20Hunter,%20The)_NRFPT_01.jpg
Looking at Movies by: Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan; Norton Text, 4th Edition;
The Night of the Hunter. Dir. Charles Laughton. Prod. Paul Gregory. By James Agee. Perf. Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, and Peter Graves. United Artists, 1955.
Cover image: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbbBfTXF6z8/UQcYmO8YhbI/AAAAAAAALa8/LCTXNiCA-NA/s320/night-of-the-hunter-trailer-title.jpg
Shot from barn window: http://zombievamp.blogspot.com/2013/04/155-night-of-hunter-charles-laughton.html
Tattoo shot: http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Mitchum,%20Robert/Annex/NRFPT/Annex%20-%20Mitchum,%20Robert%20(Night%20of%20the%20Hunter,%20The)_NRFPT_01.jpg