With a screenplay by James Agee, and Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters in the leads, supported by Lillian Gish, James Gleason and others, it’s a film that not only stands the test of time, but demands your attentions over 65 years later.
And for those in the know, it’s photographed by one of the greatest masters of black and white – Stanley Cortez.
Kino’s new 4k release of The Night of the Hunter is typical of the majority of other 4k black and white films coming from MGM. It’s a new 4k scan derived from the original camera negative, and like the others appears sharpened to a point of being able to count the individual silver grains on screen.
As noted in other reviews, this doesn’t work as a viewing experience until you’ve reached a moderate distance from the screen.
What this release adds to the previous Criterion Blu-ray is a new 4k scan and HDR, and that’s both good and bad. You gain a few new extras, but loose the quite exceptional extras on the Criterion.
The problem, as I see it, is that the majority of the other black & white 4k releases of this era, especially as sharpened to the hilt as they tend to be, is that there really isn’t any additional image.
There is nothing in the 4k that probably even reaches 2k, so what’s to be gained other than bragging rights, hopefully a proper 4k archival set of tapes and a new skew for Kino.
The Night of the Hunter is one more 4k that neither needs nor deserves the attempt at resolution.
Interestingly, the main title sequence appears to be derived from a couple of generations away from original.
Image – 3.5 (Dolby Vision)
Audio – 5 (DTS HD-MA 2.0)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors – Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k – 2.5
Worth your attention – 9
Upgrade from Blu-ray – No
The Night of the Hunter is Very Highly Recommended
RAH
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Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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