Fifteen seconds into this clip comes one of my favorite lines from one of the best films of the last century, Night of the Hunter (1955). The other eight and half minutes is just a bonus 🙂
BEN HARPER: “What religion you profess, preacher?”
HARRY POWELL: “The religion the Almighty and me worked out betwixt us.”
I could go on all day about this film, it is a masterpiece on so many levels. But I’ll spare you the verbiage (at least for now), and encourage anyone who hasn’t yet seen it to get it, and anyone who has to watch it once again. It never disappoints.
As a side note: Interesting how the annotations for this YouTube video were used to let the viewer know that Part 1 of of the film was taken down.
Agreed. This is one of the greatest, and most disturbing movies ever made. I return to it whenever I can.
So many terrific images, like the giant preacher’s shadow looking across the landscape, while he croons/snarls “Leannnnnnning…. on the armmmmmmmmmmmmmm….” Or that stunning opening scene, with the dead body popping up in small-town America.
Above all that sinister vision, more dystopian than noir, of a cheerful small town willingly collaborating in the destruction of two children.
The sweetness of the ending seems false in isolation, but is *so* merited!