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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.
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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
User comments on this story
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- Al said...
- Seeing as it is that I might be lucky enough to get a reply from the team, Amenabar's "Tesis"? Overlook or Spanish quota covered with Almodovar? Thanks;) Posted on Jan 23 2012 15:17
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- boyz said...
- no sign of boyz n the hood!! should be top 5! Posted on Jan 23 2012 14:50
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- Martin Wilson said...
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Two more great debuts. THIS SPORTING LIFE. Raging Bull was plainly influenced by this film's themes, construction and tone.
THE UNINVITED (1944). Lewis Allen's eerie film is also Hollywood's first adult 'haunted house' story. Posted on May 11 2011 10:22 - Report as inappropriate
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- Jack said...
- Citizen Kane should be number 1, but if they had to choose a less obvious choice, well, The Night of the Hunter is the right one. Too bad 12 Angry Men is missing. Posted on Apr 15 2011 03:33
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- Alex said...
- I guess the writer didn't get the irony when insulting James Cameron about all the money he spent on Terminator when in fact The Terminator, a low budget film, is probably the best debut movie of all time! Cameron's 2 days on piranha 2 don't count. Posted on Apr 15 2011 03:11
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- Adam said...
- Speaking of Burton, you forgot Pee Wee's Big Adventure...the REAL number 1 debut. And as others have mentioned, where in the world are Shawshank and 12 Angry Men??? Posted on Apr 14 2011 15:56
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- Dash Sebright said...
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12 Angry Men?
One of the best movies in history, let alone debuts Posted on Apr 14 2011 14:04 - Report as inappropriate
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- Steven McCormick said...
- What about American Graffitti? Posted on Mar 29 2011 17:18
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- Martin Wilson said...
- Was the absence of THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE an oversight or deliberate? Posted on Mar 28 2011 09:29
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- elfonzobonzo said...
- Night of the hunter is a wonderful film. but is it better then Citizen Kane. Hardly! To me it seems that because Citizen kane gets all the the plaudits, somebody always wants to find something to beat it. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But, come on Night of the hunter, like many films, will always be behind Citizen Kane. Also where the f@ck is Donnie Darko?! your telling me it didnt deserve a top 50 place? B@llocks!! Posted on Feb 09 2011 23:14
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- mike said...
- Where is the shawshank redemption? Posted on May 21 2010 08:18
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- Ed said...
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The inclusion of 12 Angry Men and especially Ivan's Childhood is essential. But they're often overlooked, probably because Lumet got his start in television, and because Tarkovsky is so remembered for Andrei Rublev.
Another great debut that was overlooked is Lukas Moodysson's Show Me Love (aka F--king Amal).
Thanks for making a list of real movies and not including fanboy garbage like Pi, Donnie Darko and the phony beyond phony Dances With Wolves. Posted on Jan 09 2010 23:09 - Report as inappropriate
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- Pixote said...
- What about Pixote? Posted on Nov 11 2009 20:48
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- Jaycee said...
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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 - Report as inappropriate
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- Adam Lee Davies said...
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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 - Report as inappropriate
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