Produced in 1955 and directed by veteran English actor, Charles Laughton, this film is poetic in its stance against pure good vs. evil incarnate, depicted in the form of a sinister psychopath (played to perfection by Robert Mitchum) and two children who know a secret they are determined not to tell. When Robert Mitchum was auditioning for the role of Harry Powell, Charles Laughton told him the character he needed was a diabolical s–t. When Mitchum promptly replied “Present!” Laughton gave him the part.
Although a grim and suspenseful thriller, the film retains the sense of a parable. Posing as a preacher with one tattoo on his right hand that reads love and one on the left that reads hate, Harry Powell is an ex con who spent time in jail with the father of the two children he pursues. He marries and then kills their mother (played to perfection by Shelley Winters). The story centers around his quest to find money that his former cellmate told him was buried on the property. The flight of the children from his murderous hands is enthralling and magnifies the concept of evil forces trampling over the good.
Co-starring Lillian Gish and Peter Graves, who both gave stellar performances, James Agee was originally chosen to write the screenplay. Laughton found the script so unacceptable, however, that he fired Agee and rewrote the entire script himself. Mitchum later claimed this to be his favorite of all the movies he made.
Charles Laughton had no tolerance for children and Mitchum himself directed many of the scenes he did with them. Laughton was, in the end, very disappointed with the film’s reception both critically and commercially, and never directed a film again.
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