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The 50 greatest debut movies: part six

Yes, it's our choice for the number one first film: Orson Welles fans can direct their complaints to the usual address...

1. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Directed by Charles Laughton
The twisted vision of a tragic genius, never to be repeated
Can a director’s one and only film really be considered a debut? If we made a list of the 50 greatest swansongs, could ‘The Night of the Hunter’ head that list, as well? Frankly, yes. Of all the diverse bodies of directorial work in the long history of cinema, Laughton’s stands as perhaps the most flawless and untouchable: no second-movie jitters, no mid-period slump, no slide into doddery obsolescence. One perfect film, one singular statement, achieving more in 92 minutes than most directors manage in a lifetime.

Much has been made of the film’s originality: the combination of influences, from Grimm fairytales through French romanticism and German expressionism to film noir, all fusing and mutating to form something wholly fresh. Perhaps the best description of the tone comes from François Truffaut – ‘it’s like a horrific news item retold by small children’ – but that’s only one side of the story, there’s much more to ‘The Night of the Hunter’ than just the naïve child’s-eye perspective for which it has become justifiably famous. Laughton may have identified most closely with his pre-pubescent escapees, but there’s no doubt he feels a little something for Robert Mitchum’s Preacher too: loathing, yes, but also respect, admiration, and just a touch of kinship. The film may be about the child in all of us – and the psychological escape routes we hunt for when that child comes under threat – but it’s about the cold-blooded, manipulative, cynical villain in all of us, too. The Preacher may be an archetype, but with his dry wit, self-awareness and dogged single-mindedness he’s one we can relate to.

It’s also interesting to assess the subsequent impact of ‘The Night of the Hunter’: for a film which left very little impression on first release, the tendrils of its influence have snaked into the most unlikely corners, as proven by this month’s BFI season of works related to Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’, of which Laughton’s film is the opener (Radio Raheem recounts Mitchum’s ‘left hand, right hand’ speech in Lee’s movie). It’s hard to imagine modern villainy without the influence of The Preacher: the easy charm, the quick wit, the relentless urge to destroy. Tales of indomitable heroes had been commonplace in movies and serials for years, but this is one of the first examples of an indomitable villain: he’s The Terminator with more personality, Michael Myers with charisma, Freddy Krueger in a different hat (but equally nightmarish).

There are directors who seem to spend much of their careers tilting at ‘The Night of the Hunter’: the queasy fairytale logic of Tim Burton, or the glittering psychic murk of David Lynch, whose ‘The Elephant Man’ is perhaps the closest any director has come to recapturing Laughton’s fragmented dreamscapes. But it’s a hopeless task: ‘The Night of the Hunter’ is a film which can never be, and perhaps should never be repeated, and the passing of time has done nothing to dim its singular, undeniable brilliance. TH

Watch the creepy 'everlasting arms' scene

Read the Time Out review here

Explore the list: 50-41 40-31 30-21 20-11 10-2

Author: Adam Lee Davies, David Jenkins, Tom Huddleston

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User comments on this story

Pixote said...

What about Pixote? Posted on Nov 11 2009 20:48

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Jaycee said...

Adam (re Duel)
That's kind of an arbitrary distinction. Duel is more appropriate for this list than Killer of Sheep which, like Duel, was not intended initially as a cinema release but was a student film. At least Duel was released, with additions, in cinemas in the 1970's and successfully; something which didn't happen with Killer of Sheep until this decade. Duel belongs in the top 50. Posted on Oct 29 2009 19:13

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Adam Lee Davies said...

Jaycee, Spielberg directed 'Duel' for TV - it was an ABC Movie of the Week - so despite it being a lean, mean mother (that was eventually shown in some cinemas) we didn't think it really belonged on this particular list.
Adam Lee Davies. Posted on Oct 28 2009 11:25

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jaycee said...

Where's Duel? Posted on Oct 27 2009 10:32

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woundedduck said...

Night of the Hunter? It was an anachronism the second it was finished. But where the hell is "Ordinary People"? It's a stunning debut which Redford has never come close to surpassing. Posted on Oct 14 2009 22:53

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uzielis said...

I don't really mind that American Beauty and District 9, among others, weren't included, but I'm glad Being John Malkovich isn't on that list. Posted on Sep 25 2009 08:31

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Jesse said...

I can't wait for April 1st, when we'll get to see the "50 greatest Time Out lists played as practical jokes on its readership". I have a feeling this will be in the top five! Posted on Sep 25 2009 06:28

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TJ said...

Good list. Citizen Kane and Maltese Falcon should have been the top 2. Reservoir Dogs should have been top 10 and Prime by Ben Younger should be on this list. But like i said, good list :) Posted on Sep 25 2009 04:32

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sdfklsdf said...

PRIMER???? Good lord, I wasted a Sunday evening trying to figure out who thought a shoestring budget was any excuse for horrible writing. Five years later, I got my answer: YOU!
If it were my list, I'd include Sam Mendes, Jason Reitman, Eli Roth and even David Fincher (Alien 3 was a masterwork of direction and a severely underrated movie, in my opinion). But, it's not my list.
But still, PRIMER??? You must have gone to film school with a whole pile of dudes who learned how to make a movie but didn't know how to write a good script, something you can't learn how to do; you either have it or you don't.
PRIMER??? Posted on Sep 25 2009 04:25

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Stephane said...

BALLAST - Lance Hammer
AMORES PERROS - Alejandro González Iñárritu
Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman
Delicatessen - Jean-Pierre Jeunet
In The Bedroom - Todd Field
Being John Malkovich - Spike Jonze
Half Nelson - Ryan Fleck, Ana Boden
Mean Creek, The Wackness, Frozen River, Thank You For Smoking, District 9, Donnie Darko, American Beauty, Human Nature, Slacker(?), Sex/Lies/Videotape, Following, Sidney, Pi, Citizen Ruth, Beavis&Butthead/Office Space... anything else? Posted on Sep 25 2009 03:29

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Patrick said...

Where is American Beauty? Posted on Sep 24 2009 23:57

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Peter said...

Pi is overrated, it's a mediocre film that shows elements of a great director who revealed himself later. Although American Beauty and Donnie Darko are worthy of the list.
Good list though. Posted on Sep 24 2009 22:28

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Sambo said...

No Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko or Darren Aronofsky's Pi in the top 50 makes this entire list pointless. Posted on Sep 24 2009 20:59

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Matthew Lawrence said...

Simply god awful list. Why? Because Christopher Nolan's Following is not on this list. Why? I have no idea, but just watch it. The movie is fantastic with a turn at the end that is truly unmatched. Plus Darren Aaronofsky's Pi is not on this list. These are obviously the two greatest directorial debuts ever yet they gain no recognition! This is one disgusting list. It basically just gave typical favorites the top spots and left out the true gems of film. Posted on Sep 24 2009 19:54

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David Jenkins said...

eric,
I lobbied to get sex lies and videotape in there, but was over-ruled by my colleagues who all seemed to have some crazed vendetta against it...c'est la vie! Posted on Sep 24 2009 19:38

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