Scene Analysis: The Night Of The Hunter

The scene I will be analyzing is from the 1955 film The Night of the Hunter. The film’s plot is of two young children who are left with a large sum of money from their father who robbed a bank. Their widowed mother, desperate for love, marries Harry Powell (a.k.a. the preacher) who believes he delivers “God’s work” while also killing women on the side. He ends up murdering the children’s mom, and in turn, he becomes their caretaker. He soon finds out that the children know where the money is located and is on a mission to retrieve it. After long weeks of hunting, he finally discovers where the money is hidden; however, the children are able to escape. They leave in the knick of time, heading down the Ohio river in a small boat, and later wash up on the shore of Rachel Cooper’s house. Her sympathy takes over and she rescues the children. She keeps them safe until Harry finds them once again, and this is where the scene begins. …show more content…
Mise-en-scène literally translates “to put on stage”, so here I will be discussing the scenes meaning, as well as the stage setup and the importance in relation to the overall film. One of the most prominent aspects and symbolism is of the owl at the end of the scene. It is obviously intended to represent the children and the preacher, while also showing how life can both be beautiful and evil. Another part that ties into mis-en-scéne, is the trees and the environment. The scenery gives the scene an outdoorsy feel, while almost making it feel like a western style movie. Although these are contradicting, the film has a few amounts of style including: crime, mystery, suspense, and western. The house gives the scene a “real-life” tone, and the trees make the audience aware that the characters are outside in the country-side. All of these specific details are relevant in making sure the tone of the scene and film come across the way the director