The Night of the Hunter 1955 Criterion Collection
The great British actor Charles Laughton directed only one film - The Night of the Hunter. It was a commercial and critical failure, but today it is regarded by many as one of the greatest American horror films ever made. Sadly, Laughton was so profoundly disappointed by its poor reception that he never directed again.

The story of the The Night of the Hunter is set during the Great Depression, and it is about the three infamous American obsessions – religion, sex, and money. The great Robert Mitchum plays Harry Powell, a serial killer on the loose, who is arrested for stealing a car and thrown in jail. His cellmate, Ben Harper (Peter Graves, It Conquered the World ), a bank robber and also a killer who is soon to be hanged, shares with him that he has stolen $10,000 and that only his children know where the money is hidden. Harry cannot believe his luck.

A few days after Ben is hanged, Harry is released from jail. Pretending to be a traveling preacher, he heads straight to Ben's home. He immediately befriends his beautiful widow, Willa (Shelley Winters, The Diary of Anne Frank), who shortly after that agrees to marry him. Ben's children, John (Billy Chapin, Tension at Table Rock) and Pearl (Sally Jane Bruce), however, are not as impressed with the preacher as is their mother...

Director: Charles Laughton
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Peter Graves, Don Beddoe, Billy Chapin, Gloria Castillo, Emmett Lynn
Country: USA
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller

2xBD50 + 2xDVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:33:15 | 87 Gb + 15.4 Gb
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

Disc 1

Commentary - a very informative commentary in which second-unit director Terry Sanders, film archivist Robert Gitt, film critic F.X. Feeney, and Preston Neal Jones, author of Heaven and Hell to Play With: The Filming of "The Night of the Hunter" discuss the production history of The Night of the Hunter, its reception and restoration, the film's message, Charles Laughton's fascinating life and career, etc.

The Making of "The Night of the Hunter - an informative documentary that explores the production history of The Night of the Hunter. With the participation of producer Paul Gregory, second-unit director Terry Sanders, and authors Preston Neal Jones, F.X. Feeney, and Jeffrey Couchman. In English, not subtitled. (38 min, 1080i).

Simon Callow on Charles Laughton - in this exclusive interview, shot in 2010 in London, Simon Callow, author of Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor, discusses Charles Laughton's life and career. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

Moving Pictures - a fifteen-minute documentary on The Night of the Hunter, originally broadcast on February 19, 1995, which features interviews with producer Paul Gregory, actors Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish, editor Robert Golden, art director Hilyard Brown, director of photography Stanley Cortez, and second-unit director Terry Sanders. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080i).

The Ed Sullivan Show - an excerpt from an episode of The Ed Sullivan Show, from September 25, 1955, in which Peter Graves and Shelley Winters perform a scene that does not appear in the final version of The Night of the Hunter. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

Stanley Cortez - an interview, shot at the American Society of Cinematographers in 1984, in which director of photography Stanley Cortez discusses his work on The Night of the Hunter. In French and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary, and imposed French subtitles. (13 min, 1080i).

Davis Grubb Sketches - a collection of sketches. (1080p).

Theatrical Trailer - the original trailer for The Night of the Hunter. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

Disc 2

Introduction - a wonderful and illuminating conversation, recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2010, with film archivist Robert Gitt and film critic Leonard Maltin. The two gentlemen discuss the discovery and preservation of the material used to make Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of the Hunter", as well as their first impression of the film when they first saw it years ago. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

Charles Laughton Directs "The Night of the Hunter" - a fascinating, two-and-a-half-hour film that contains an enormous amount of outtakes and behind the scenes footage from the production of The Night of the Hunter. The film also contains plenty of information about Charles Laughton's life and career. In English, not subtitled. (159 min, 1080p).

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