December Movie of the Month Discussion: Night of the Hunter

Join us for Movie Club! This month's movie is The Night of the Hunter by Charles Laughton. Here's how it works:

1. We'll start at 7pm at TPK Brewing in SE (map)
2. Grab a drink and spend some time sharing any great movies you've watched recently. Then, we'll discuss the movie of the month (Info and links on this month's movie below. NOTE: Just like a book club, we watch the movie before we meet, streaming links below)
3. Finally, we'll nominate and vote on a movie to watch for next month - think of a movie to nominate and help us decide!

Organizer's note: This is a new venue for us! TPK Brewing just opened last week and it's an awesome space, it's SE Hawthorne and 51st. Also, because of the 4th Wall closure, we're skipping Stroszek, but I'll bring in some talking points if you want to talk Herzog!

Movie of the Month: The Night of the Hunter
The Night of the Hunter is a 1955 American film noir thriller directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and Lillian Gish. The screenplay by James Agee was based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Davis Grubb. The plot involves a man who poses as a preacher and charms an unsuspecting widow to get his hands on stolen money hidden by her husband.

The film’s lyrical and expressionistic style, borrowing techniques from silent film, sets it apart from other Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s, and it has influenced such later directors such as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Robert Altman, and Martin Scorsese. Despite receiving negative reviews upon its original release, it has been positively re-evaluated in later decades and is now considered one of the greatest films ever made. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1992. Roger Ebert called it, "One of the Greatest of All American Films."

Tips:

1. Haven't seen the movie in a while? You're in for a treat - try to watch the movie sometime before we meet (Streaming Options - Also free on YouTube). Just like a book club we don't watch the movie at our meetup, just discuss it. You don't have to watch the movie to join us, but it'll be more fun if you can.
2. I usually take a few notes while I watch to keep from forgetting the most interesting stuff. If you think of some interesting discussion topics while you watch, bring 'em with you!

Movie Resources:

• Letterboxd Page
• Roger Ebert's Review
• AO Scott's Lookback