My 20 year-old nephew and I had a long running discussion last summer of the worst screen villians. Mitchum in this movie certainly would make my top ten – and now probably my nephew’s after seeing it.

There was a poor “Night of the Hunter” remake with Richard Chamberlin 15 or 20 years ago. I believe it was a made for TV film. It captured none of what made Mitchum’s version a classic.

Anyway, this movie I think demonstrates a lot about how movies have changed over the past 50 years. It is a tragedy that Laughton directed only this movie, because he demonstrates such an artistic eye for atmosphere and staging shots. He lingers over shots in such a leisurely manner that they have time to stay with you. Movies have become so “fast” in the last generation, seemingly afraid to bore youngsters whose attention spans apparently have shrunk to nothingness. All of the older movies take such elegant time to present themselves….its something I miss so much.

I always viewed Mitchum as a one trick pony, but my God that trick was so extraordinary. Someone mentioned in an earlier post somewhere here that the older generation actors seemingly lacked “range”, but its much less satisfying to me to view the “jack of all trades, master of none” type actors in this generation. They seem too often to place the highest regard on how many different roles they can play with mediocrity.