Night of the Hunter…(Pardon me, boys, while I butt-in. I told Mr. "Moviereviews4fun" that I would "join the ranks" in order to add a female perspective, so here we go…) Ah, yes, another film with a Southern setting. Thanks to Hollywood, it’s no wonder that the rest of humanity has a somewhat distorted view of us "little, ole rebels." Yes, this critique comes to you from a bonafide Southerner. With the likes of Cape Fear, Steel Magnolias, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Long,Hot Summer, and Night of the Hunter, one is left with the impression that Southern men are maniacal, deceitful, silly, spineless woman-haters….Enter Robert Mitchum, the scheming, diabolical John Powell, Hollywood’s perfect example of the Southern "gentleman." I had difficulty accepting Mr. Mitchum in this role. The celluloid images that I hold dear always portray him as a manly, heroic type. I’m not so certain Mitchum was totally comfortable with the role himself--his attempts at "spine tingling" screams and laughter didn’t quite hit the mark. Nonetheless, he did manage to render a despicable character, who, I’m sure, shocked the American public of the time. Mitchum’s nemesis was portrayed by film legend Lillian Gish, who did an outstanding job of capturing my heart-- and my cheers! I feel that her performance was believable and commanding. As I watched her on screen, I marveled at her natural, convincing style. So often, stars of early film have a tendency to overwhelm the screen with emotion, but not Lillian Gish. Had it not been for her delightful performance, the film would have been a total disappoint for me. Night of the Hunter is described as "one of the most frightening films ever made." Truly, the only part of the production that I found frightening was casting Robert Mitchum in a role that would have been better suited for an actor like Richard Widmark.