I've been struggling with an idea, and I just can't wrap my head around it enough to present it to you. It has to do with the balance of light and dark - about the balance of positive and negative shapes (positive being the dark spaces, the spaces where somethig IS; negative being the light spaces, the spaces where something ISN'T). There's something about them in this movie.
There's an artistic princial called 'balance.' Balance is when the right side is given roughly the same 'wieght' as the left side, or the top and bottom. There are two kinds of aesthetic balance. There's symmetrical. That's when one side looks like the other - they are, to a large degree - mirror images of one another.
Then there's asymmetrical balance. This is when two sides are balanced, but by different sized shapes.
But even this idea of balance doesn't cover all the bases of what I'm trying to grasp at. I don't know. There's just something about the images of the film. There's almost no gray - it truly is a nearly all black and white movie.
Here's what I would like you to do. Just look at the following images. Take your time.
Now look at the following pairs of images. Most come one right after the other in the film. Again, take your time.
Okay. What's going on here? What's going on in terms of balance, positive and negative space, aesthetic tension vs. dramatic tension? Help me out. We need some theories on the subject...
Here's my quesiton, I guess: How does the visual balance of the film (left and right, up and down, dark and light) help create that idea of good versus evil? This is no easy task, I know. This is a tough one. There are no wrong answers here. I'm not sure I even have an answer myself, but there's SOMETHING going on here.
Here's another way of thinking about it: What meaning or message do each of these images make for us as audience goers? Don't generalize. Discuss one at a time, or discuss one pair at a time. Be SPECIFIC.
Post your response in the comments secion below. The rules of grammar, mechanics, and spelling apply. Be thoughtful and thorough in your response.
And good luck.
As always, feel free to go above and beyond by responding to your peers' comments. (Extra credit is available for thoughtful and insightful extra comments. Please post all of your additional comments under separate posts.)
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ReplyDeleteThe images above show good and evil in many aspects. The black and white color gives a tone to the film and gives off various emotions. A feeling of unease is felt, as well as mystery. Good is typically shown with bright lighting and dark shows evil or fear. These pictures taken from the film tend to look very creepy due to the black and white lighting. The blackness gives off a dark, scary feeling, while the brightness of the white gives off a feeling of surprise or astonishment. The shadows are used with the darkening black tone. It portrays a sense of terror or evil such as when the preacher was in the room with the wife. The second picture becomes darker and the preacher is hiden within the darkness a bit. There is also asymmetrical balance such as in the image of the two houses. The light from one house's window gives off a feeling of good while shadows such as the preacher's is evil. The shadows idicate importance of something within the film and the white color or bright lighting is just a background to let the darker images stand out.
ReplyDeleteThe night of the hunter evokes a chilling terror by being in black and white. The color bleeds out of the pictures and makes you believe that you are there and that black and white evokes a glooming terror. In the background of the photo where their in the barn and he is riding on the horse everything else is white and he is the black figure. It is almost like he is the bad person traped in the good light. In the photos there is always a shadow and the shadow makes you feel like their not alone and someone is watching them. The preacher always ends up finding the kids and is allways in the dark. Litteraly he is standing in the dark and is never in the light. This makes the preacher seem like a bad figure. Each scene provies a darker and darker aspect of how the characters act and how it affects the movie. Overall the aspect of the movie being in black in white makes you feel like the backgroung is speaking not the characters. Leaning leaning safe and secure from all alarm leaning leaning leaning on the everlasting arm.
ReplyDeleteI think that these photos show the confusion between good and evil in the film. Harry Powell in these pictures is usually seen in the light while the kids use the dark as shelter and a hiding spot. The night in most cases is seen as evil but in this movie, even the color of the sky makes it less scary. I think that the light of the night in the last picture shows the contrast between good and evil; the night being good and then Harry Powell being the evil. It also shows how no matter where the children are, his presense will always follow him.
ReplyDeleteThe movie "Night Of The Hunter" being filmed in black and white has a enormous impact of the story. The fact that it is in black and white makes it more tense because it is darker and you don’t know what to expect. In the scene where John and Pearl are floating down the river the black and white film makes you feel tense because you have no idea if the preacher is following them or if something very bad is going to happen. Then, in the part where the kids are at their "mothers" house and the preacher finds them to try and kill them, but the lady comes back out with a shotgun even though she didn’t seem to care when he got there. The black and white gave the film a different taste that made you get Goosebumps during certain parts. These are some of the scenes used to portray the characteristics of southern gothic’s chilling and terrorizing characteristics. Leaning, Leaning, Leaning...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashley that the black and white adds to the mystery. I also agree with Max that the shadow makes you feel like you're not alone and adds to the scariness.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the visual balance in the film shows good or evil in every scene. I think some scenes show the balance of good and evil, like the scene where the upper half of Harry is in a shadow and you can see part of his preacher outfit. This shows the contrast of good and evil by showing the good side of being a preacher, to the dark, shadowy side of Harry Powell. The scene of the parents in the bedroom before Harry kills his wife, she doesn't have a shadow you can see but behind Harry you can see his shadow. Some other scenes, like the one of the river where you can see the two barns and the children getting out of the boat, I think is a wide shot so you can see both the children and the scenery around them, however there is no "Good" or "Bad" happening in this scene. The scene where John wakes up in the barn and sees Harry out in the distance shows good over evil, because whike John is the main focus, Harry is just a small spot in the background.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Danielle and Nick also
ReplyDeleteI do agree somewhat on the fact that good and evil can be depicted by the color of the images here. It seems, in some of the images, that more darker colors appear when some sort of evil appears. For example, when Jon stands in front of the window, there is light on him and we can see his shadow. However, when someone else's shadow shows up, both the person's shadow and Jon’s shadow become black, which may symbolize that evil is present. Same with when Jon's mom and Mr. Powell are in the room, and when the two images show differences of light, which may also symbolize the presences of good and evil, and their differences. The exact same is true with when Jon and Pearl crash at the farm, and when they fall asleep, the light is more present, compared to when Mr. Powell shows up, then the light that was previously shown upon the 2 children changed direction, and more or less began to fade into darkness. These examples are sheer proof that more darkness appears when evil is about, compared to when good is present.
ReplyDeleteI feel that all of the images have a religious feel to them. There are lots of shadows that look like crosses. I think the best example of this is when John is telling a story to his sister and the the preachers had appears under a shadow that looks like a cross. Some of the houses have a church look to them. When the preacher and Willa are in the room, the light makes the room look like the inside of a church. The lighting in the pictures makes religion look scary. The shodows show that something bad is about to happen. When the preachers head showed up in the window it represented that he was about to interfere in the kids lives. Also when he turned off the light on his new wife it represented that their marrige was not going to end well.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between the light and dark represents the theme of good and evil. When a dark shadow appears, it often represents the darker side of an ominous future. On Willa's honeymoon with Harry, he turns off the light, making Willa's figure turn dark, which in its own way is somewhat ominous. The new dark figure that is Willa, somewhat shows the fear and desperation that is overtaking her. The contrast between the light and dark represents the theme of good and evil. When a dark shadow appears, it often represents the darker side of an ominous future. On Willa's honeymoon with Harry, he turns off the light, making Willa's figure turn dark, which in its own way is somewhat ominous. The new dark figure that is Willa, somewhat shows the fear and desperation that is overtaking her. And then, when the children hid out in the dark for the night the dark figure of Harry appeared and caused the little ones to panic, it sort of shows the creepy stalker that Harry really is.
ReplyDeleteI think the black and white aspect of the movie represents terror and mystery. The darkness creates the idea of good against evil in the film, the dark shows a more evil and mysterious aspect of the film. The lightness brings a different aspect a more good feeling. Harry Powell is usually seen in the dark representing and evil side of him. The lightness of the film comes when Harry isn’t around. In one scene in the shop “spoons” where John and Peals mother works its always light in there when Harry is not in there. The black and white shows a confusion between good and evil.
ReplyDeleteI think the mood and how the characters were feeling were reflected with the different shades of black and white. In the beginning of the movie the shade of color is much lighter because nothing bad is going on and none of the characters have any big problems yet. Then when things start getting bad and the children are on the boat in the river the shades of black seem much darker so that makes the scene seem much more gloomy. I think that they chose to do this movie in black and white because black and white resemble how depressing and dark the movie is. If the movie was in color then it wouldn’t seem as dark. It would be lighter so it would make the audience feel like the mood of I it is lighter.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed throughout the film was that as characters talked and their emotions changed, the shade and contrast between black, white, and grey changed also. It went from black to white over the course of a few words. For example, in the images where Willa and Mr. Powell are talking in their room; before he talks to her she is fine and her face is white. After Mr. Powell scolds her for interrupting his prayer and having ‘an appalling behavior’ her face changes to a dark black. The black represents the evil thing Willa has done (even though she did really nothing wrong). In addition, I think that they enhanced color in certain places, and in other places changed the color because depending on if an image is white, grey, or black to create a change in how the viewers perceived certain images. In the picture with John standing and he is all black, there is an image of Mr. Powell on the wall in all black, and John isn’t looking at Mr. Powell, he is looking at his shadow. I think that is an example of the evil in Mr. Powell how he is a dark black.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have a question: In the picture of the two houses that is symmetrical, when it is dark, how can houses reflect onto the water?
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ReplyDeleteThe black and white aspect of the film heightens my viewing experience of the film. It heightens my viewing experience as an audience member because the dark and light makes confusion between the good and evil. That makes this film even more southern gothic because confusion between good and evil is an aspect of southern gothic. There is confusion because one would think a dark shade would symbolize evil, but in this film many times the children and Willa are shown in a dark light, which is then confusion between good and evil. I think the dark versus light aspect is symbolism. Black as a dark color symbolizes death, and white as a light color symbolizes purity. The fact that Harry Powell is shown in light at times, is exactly why this film is especially southern gothic.
ReplyDeleteIn the image of the barn with the children climbing down the ladder, it is dark on the left side and lighter on the right side. I think the dark represents the good and the light represents the evil. The image where Harry and the children’s mother are in the bedroom and Harry is going to get his knife, it is light and not dark. I think this symbolizes evil because this is the scene where he is about to kill his wife. These images make us, the audience, feel like he is an evil man. When the children’s mother is standing in front of the mirror by herself, in the dark, I think this represents good because every time she is with Harry, the pictures are usually lighter, and Harry is an evil man. In the image of the shadow of Harry and John, Harry is bigger, and I think this represents the fact that Harry is bigger, tougher and evil, whereas John is small, defenseless, and good. In the picture above the one with Harry’s big shadow, it shows John and his shadow. His shadow is much smaller than Harry. In the majority of the pictures Harry is in, he is on the right side. Every time he is on the right side, it seems as though he is about to yell or do something because he is angry. When he is in the bedroom about to get his knife, he is on the right side. When he is in the bedroom telling yelling at the children’s mother, he is on the right side, his “HATE” tattoo is also on his right hand, even in the picture where is he just a shadow he is on the right side. This must means that whenever he is on the right, something bad is going to happen, whereas when he is on the left, he seems like he is a good man, when he really is not. In general, I think the lighter spots are evil and the dark spots are good. It is also like this for bigger and smaller and left and right. Bigger is bad and small is good, and left is good and small is bad.
ReplyDeleteThe black and white aspect of the film adds to the mystery and horror portrayed within the story. The visual balance creates the idea of good against evil in the film, the dark represents evil and the light represents good. In the frame of the pictures the value is very distinct with the balance of lightness and darkness. The dark is used as more mysterious and terrifying, while the light is used as a guide the children away from Harry Powell. The children also use the dark to hide from Harry and he uses the light to find them. Dark shadows show that there are places for the children to hide and the light gives them hope to get away from Mr. Harry Powell.
ReplyDeleteI also second Jamie's question, I think its a good point.
ReplyDeleteThe night of the hunter makes the viewer feel a chill without even seeing anything very scary. The light and the dark make the movie into something more than just a movie. In some of the scenes, the characters are in a specific place. For example, Harry is in dark areas to show his dark side. He wears a black suit for most of the movie. Black is used to represent evil in the movie. Willa is wearing white when she gets killed. Black makes the viewer tenser and makes the setting scarier. A person can sense something is going to happen when it gets dark and gloomy. Color can play a huge role in a movie.
ReplyDeleteHi Mr. Cowlin. I already posted my comment to the blog but it didn't post. So I refreshed my page to see if it was there but it wasn't. When I went to try and post my blog again, my comment was deleted. Ms. Berger felt very sorry for what had happened. She told me that I had to write my comment again but I don't remember anything that I typed. So here I am trying writing this note to you feeling so agravated that my comment got erased.
ReplyDeleteIn The Night of the Hunter, the idea of good versus evil is created by the visual images in the film. The balance of light and dark resembles good and evil; the light represents good, and the dark represents evil. In the film, there is practically no gray, so everything in the film is either good or bad. The images of the barn are a perfect example of good and evil. First, when nobody has entered the barn, and nobody is around it either, the barn is lit up. When the boy is climbing the ladder to get up, the image seems darker because of a shadow. If you look closer into the image, you will see that Harry Powell, the preacher, is in the background. If you compare these two images together, you will see that one is darker than the other. This means that Harry Powell is evil, because once he enters the scene, the images have a dark tint to them. These images can give off a chilling terror and gloom to teh audience.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that light and dark has anything to do with good and evil in The Night of the Hunter, but more with importance and significance. I think that in the mostly dark scenes, the light objects are important and in a light scene the darker pieces are important. For example, in the scene where John and Pearl wake up in the barn, significance plays a key role in understanding what’s happening. The inside of the barn is dark because it is where Pearl and John are sleeping after riding in a boat all night. Outside is all light, except for Mr. Powell’s figure on a horse riding along the road. That is an important scene because the darkness, ironically, highlights the fact that Pearl and John are in the barn and Preacher Powell is searching for them nearby, so they have to leave as soon as possible. Also when Pearl and John find a stable home with Mrs. Cooper and Preacher Powell finds out he shows up and we can tell immediately because his dark shadow shows behind the light window drapes. The light and dark contrast of major objects in the scenes help the major concepts pop out at you.
ReplyDeleteThe black and white in the picture brings mystery and suspense to the pictures, but I noticed that in the last two pictures, the dark and light represents something. Usually the light means good and dark is something bad, but in this picture it is the opposite. The dark is where John is , while Harry is in the light space. John is a good kid trying to escape from Harry, who killed John's mom. In the second to last picture John and Pearl were laying on the hay with the wall casting a shadow on them but in the last picture there is light on where they were laying. So this represents that light is bad and the dark is good.
ReplyDeleteThe Night of the Hunter displays various images that show the good and evil by using the colors black and white. Black and white are not just colors, but have so much more meaning to this film. The different shades explain good and evil in a different and creative way. Black is darker, and seems more powerful. It portrays the evilness in this film by overpowering the white. The pictures above prove how black can become a symbol of evil. Yet, dark doesn’t always have to resemblance evil. It can have different meanings, but they all connect to each other in a way. By making some parts of the movie darker, it gives an eerie feeling or a sense that something bad is going to happen. For instance, in one of the pictures the black and white image of the house shows the brightness inside, and how it’s something good rather than “evil”. Black and white changed my whole perspective of The night of the Hunter. It made this movie even more creepier than it was, and gave me a different feeling to the movie. If you notice, in every scene Mr. Powell is always in the dark. Nothing changes the fact that he is a malicious man who terrorizes the children. The movie sends out a message or “clues” throughout Night of the Hunter by changing light or darkness in the film. To tell whether or not something is good or evil can be confusing and difficult, but I couldn’t imagine this movie in color. It wouldn’t be the same because of how strong of a role black and white has in the film.
ReplyDeleteJamie had a very usefull observation that as the characters emotions changed, the color of the film changed. I think Jamie's observation is very true and helpful to understand the concept that they are trying to project about good and evil.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Amy Markoww because one of the big ideas is that the black and white is part of what makes the movie as versatile and mysterious as it is.
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ReplyDeleteI think that good and evil can be depicted by color in some scenes of the movie. I think that whenever the preacher shows up on his horse it gets dark. For example: in the one image with the preachers shadow that is very big, and shows John really small. This shows his innocence and how Mr. Powell is taking advantage of the kids so he can have the $10,000. It is the same when Mr. Powell and John’s mom are in the bedroom. It is really bright when the scene first starts and then when Mr. Powell stabs her and kills her. The scene gets really dark. The shadows indicate some good and evil but does not always indicate good and evil.
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The visual balance of dark and light help create an idea of good and evil. The good is the light, the light tends to be on the good; John and Pearl. The black and white keeps you guessing, you never know what to expect and it makes you focus on the story more. The dark lightning is mostly on Harry, the Preacher. Even when Harry is in or near light, he seems to always look darker than other characters in the scene. In the last picture, Harry is riding the horse in daylight, yet he is completely black. The dark shows an uneasiness, it shows something evil is in the scene. It evokes terror on the audience because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. And it sends chills down your spine. The black and white gives you and idea of who is good and who is evil.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Agatha, the light seems to always represent the good, and the dark always seems to represent the bad.
ReplyDeleteI think black and white in these pictures shows some confusion towards good and evil. In some scenes the person or people who are considered to be good are in the dark and the person or people considered to be evil are in the light, so you are constantly confused about what is going to happen and who is good and who is bad. In the picture when Harry Powell is standing over the bed when he is giving the lecture to his wife, he is directly under the light and you can’t even see the wife. In this scene I feel like you are led to believe that this guy is actually trying to be good by telling his wife what marriage means to him, about how it is a soul connection. He still is mean but he saying marriage is about love and a connection.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene when the kids are climbing up to the barn and Harry Powell is in the background, Harry is in the light on a hose and usually when you think of a man on a horse in the light, you think of a good guy trying to help but he is trying to get the money and kill the kids. So again there is confusion about who is good and who is evil.
The visual balance of the film help creates the idea of good versus evil by black and white and darkness and brightness. The things that are good maybe be highlighted with white and the things that are evil with black. In the pictures the preacher is usually highlighted with black and or darkness while the children are highlighted with white or brightness. In a picture of John he is shown with white and his shadow is black and dark which could mean that John has a good side and an evil side. In the image of John and Pearl escaping the barn while the preacher is outside shows that the preacher may be more evil because he is highlighted in black and the children in brightness.
ReplyDeleteI think the balance helps create a good versus evil effect because it helps set a mood and focus on certain things. In the barn scene, Harry on the horse is black and the surrounding is white. It is almost as if the bad guy in the movie is trapped in the black light. In other scenes, Harry is also in the black light. It gives you the effect that Harry is a bad figure. Although I do think the balance helps create good versus evil, I do think there are some scenes where the balance does not show good versus evil. In the scene where Harry is talking to his wife, both him and his wife are in the light at one point. I do not think this shows any good or evil because there is no good or evil in the scene. It does give a confusion to the audience. The balance also helps you focus on certain things. In the scene where John is in the dark and Harry’s shadow is on the wall, the focus is on Harry’s shadow. John is completely in the dark to get your focus off of him and put it more on the shadow on the wall.
ReplyDeleteIn my perspective, colors more towards black are negative or lean on the antagonist side and light colors that are closer to white are like the protagonist. I say this because I know that Harry is the evil one and that Willa is the good person. In the pictures of Willa and Harry on their honeymoon, Willa is in the light. Her face is made out well and in the back is Harry talking to her about how he is only there to take care of her and her family. In the second picture, the light bulb is turned off, Harry is gone, and Willa’s face is dark. I think that this symbolizes the fact that after Harry tells her off and humiliates her, she is on his side. She specifically said, “God, clean me so that I can be what Harry wants me to be.” After she says that, one can conclude she has moved over to his side; to the negative side; because after their honeymoon, when John tells her about Harry, she doesn’t believe him. Also in the picture when John and Pearl are in the barn, before Harry appears, the scene is light by the ladder, after he is gone; the lighting is pointed towards the area where John and Pearl were resting. I think that good and evil are defined very well in black and white films because of the contrast.
ReplyDeleteThe visual balance of good and evil helps us know which is good and which is evil by the brightness and darkness. Also the contrast helps show the mood of the characters. Like in the movie most of the times preacher Henry powell was always wearing black clothing. Everyone else had brighter clothing. Also the last picture showed both the kids and Henry in the backround. Henry had a white horse and he was in the light when the sun was rising but he was still black. Also in the movie the lady that was taking care of the 5 children was wearing brighter clothing too. Also she was in the lighter backround when she was gaurding the house from Henry Powell.
ReplyDeleteThe visual balance in this movie separates good and evil with the idea of good being closer to us and bad being farther away. In a picture, father away is usually smaller and narrower to the viewer, while an object that is close is usually bigger and wider to the viewer. In the picture where the preacher is watching Willa look at herself in the mirror, the viewer can see that the preacher is farther away and is appearing to be smaller and narrower. Willa is bigger and wider in the picture. This shows that the preacher is like a predator and Willa is like a prey. The predator is always focused on the prey and the prey is a big target. In this picture, Willa is a bigger target. Also, bad appears to be farther away and good seems to be closer, signifying how the villain is running after the good guy. In another picture, this is shown too. The picture in which the preacher is on the horse he stole, he is farther and higher in the picture while John is closer to the viewer and more visible. The preacher is an example of a predator hunting their prey. The preacher is once again the predator and John is the prey. The visual balance in the movie shows bad farther away and good closer to us.
ReplyDeleteThe way the movie portrays the characters using black and white greatly affects the feeling you get while watching it. Black and white made everything creepier. For example, the scene with the preacher riding his horse near the barn. The use of black and white portrays a dark silhouette against a bright white sky behind him, which gives you a feeling that he is bad and something bad is going to happen, like the preacher turns his head and sees the kids. The movie also uses shadows very well. The shadows give you a feeling that there is a bad person near, like the one scene with John, where the preachers head appears on the sheet over the window. Another example for using a dark silhouette of a person is when Willa and the preacher are on their honeymoon. Making him a dark silhouette makes everything creepier, because he is just an outline of a person with no face and you cannot tell if he looks creepy or nice. Whereas when he turns on the light, you are able to see face his and he does not look as creepy. The movie also seems to arrange the scenes so that when there is someone who is the bad guy in the book, he is one the right while the good person s one the left. Some examples of this are the scenes where the preacher and Willa are together, the shadow of the preachers head on the sheet, and the scene with the preacher on the horse and john in the barn. The movie really used black and white, difference between dark and light, and the arrangement of characters to really enhance the experience of watching this movie.
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ReplyDeleteI think that black and white portrays a huge part in the movie, “Night of the Hunter”. The use of black and white makes the movie eerie and allows for the use of light and darkness to become more effective. In many of the scenes the preacher shows up as a shadow or a silhouette which could symbolize evil or the dark side of the preacher. In the scene when the preacher is on the horse in the morning he is surrounded by a whitish background. I think it symbolized that he is the dark or evil figure in the group of good people in the town John lived in. I think that the scene with the two houses shows good and evil because the house with the light on is the house with the nice lady and the kid while the barn, which dark and has no light, shows the dark side because it is where Harry Powell comes running into when the cat scares him. The scene when Willa is seen in the mirror, Mr. Powell and Willa both get darker. This shows that when Willa married him she indirectly helped him get closer to the money.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie night of the hunter, the way light and dark are contrasted is that usually when the preacher (evil) comes in, the light changes to dark, or in some cases, dark to light when a good character is in the scene. In black and white movies such as night of the hunter, light goes on good as dark goes on evil. They also usually use light and dark to symbolize the mood of the scene. For example: in a picture of John, when he is alone you can see him, but when the preacher came all you could see is a silhouette.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the film really takes advantage of using the contrast of black and white to accent on how the audience should feel when watching it. When scenes or specific parts of scenes were darker, usually it would mean something very serious, scary, or important was being said. Such as when Willa was trying to do some “un holy” things, Mr. Powell’s face was dark and so was the room that surrounded him. As he spoke in a very condescending and dark tone, everything was black. Once he spoke with hope and question, the room got brighter and was filled with light. This was when he told Willa to look at herself and see the women inside her. When John was in the room talking to Pearl everything was fine and just showed his shadow. Once things got quiet and Mr. Powell approached them, you could see his shadow in the window instead of John’s. It was large and dark against the white clear wall. This made the scene much scarier and eerie. The black, white, darkness, and light all give the film an extra bit of expression.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the film Night of the Hunter uses lighting to distinguish evil or terror, from good. While the light gives a feeling of safety, the darkness emits a chilling, dark mood. For example, in the photo of when Powell is telling Willa about how the woman’s body is for the sole purpose of giving birth, there is lots of light in the first picture. However, the second picture is completely dark, leaving a resonance of fear from Willa. The photo of the kids spotting Harry riding the horse also demonstrates how light is used for good and evil. The first picture of the pair shows light on the horizon, giving the feeling of safety of daylight. This feeling is instantly interrupted by the dark silhouette of the priest and his horse. In the bright daylight, the dark figure of the priest stands on the horizon depicting evil in the midst of safety. Another example is the picture of John standing in his bedroom with light coming through his window. In the next picture, the shadow of the priest is projected on the wall showing the presence of malice. It gives a feeling of terror and fear as it brings darkness into the room. Light and darkness add on to the story adding a whole new depth to the film.
ReplyDeleteI think that the lighting quality in the film represents good and evil. The white represents good and the black represents evil. There is also a bit of confusion going on the film with good and evil, because sometimes Mr. Powell, the evil person, is shown in the white light, while at other times he’s shown in the dark. Willa is also shown in white light and then she goes in black light. But mostly there is a balance of good and evil throughout the film. The children, the good characters, are usually shown in white light and Mr. Powell is mostly shown in dark light. I also have a theory for why the good characters are sometimes in the dark and the bad ones in the light. It’s kind of hard to explain in words, but I’ll try my best. I think that when the character is doing something good or telling the truth for a moment, they are shown in white light. For example, when the preacher is talking to her and telling her that she is about to commit a horrible sin, he was shown in white light. Then Willa was shown in dark light because she was doing something wrong. Another theory that I have is that the light and dark light could also be showing the mood of the scene. When the scene is dark, then it gives it a scary, suspenseful feeling. When it’s in the light, it gives off a happy, safe feeling.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the way this film uses the positive and negative space helps hint the audience of what is going to happen next or to show that something “bad” is going to happen and moves the story along; the truth is revealed in small bits. In the second picture of Harry Powell, one scene his face is completely hidden in darkness and then he turns the light on and his face is visible. This picture tells me that he was hiding his face, his real face, the real person he is, and then he turns on the lights and there is the fake preacher. Through that one second Willa got the hint that the “real” Harry Powell was a wicked, fake, self-righteous preacher. This is proven by the third picture of Willa. Willa was in shock of what Harry told her in the first picture and then in the second picture Willa realizes that she had married a monster. With the light on, it showed the not really “good” side, but a shocked stage. Then in the second picture where the light is turned off, Willa’s face is hidden by the darkness this is when she realizes that something horrible was waiting for her, the truth was unraveling. This goes the same for the last picture with Harry on the horse in the background. Before he shows up in the background, John and Pearl were safe and resting comfortably in the barn, but the second Harry is seen in the background Pearl and John were in danger again. This gives the audience the element of suspense. The audience is left wondering if John and Pearl are going to be caught by the evil preacher or escape.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, The Night of the Hunter, I don’t think the lighting contrast just represents good and evil. I think it also provides balance between the contrasts in the big ideas in the film more significantly. For example, the darker figures stand out more when it’s bright out, and the lighter parts stand out more when it is dark out. In the provided picture of Harry Powell looking in the basement for the children, the room outside the door shows light seeping through which makes Harry stand out more since he’s wearing his suit which is dark. Lighting wise, I think that the darkness represents evil and the lightness represents good. Harry Powell outfit was a black suit in most of the film, showing that he represented himself as an evil man. Although he had a white blouse, people saw him as a good person inside but, his suit was black that was overpowering white. On the outside in reality, he was an evil person. I also think the light also represented safe and security. In the picture of the John and Pearl looking in the house with the bird, the house was lighted inside but outside it was dark. Showing that inside was really safe and secure but, outside it was a dangerous world out there.
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ReplyDeleteIf Night of the Hunter had been filmed in color, then we would probably not be watching it today. The black and white enhances the film extremely, and is the primary backbone upon which the terror the film evokes resides on. With the addition of color, the film would not be able to evoke the chilling terror that it is able to. The main reason the black and white enhances the film so much is because of the symbolism of the lighting. The shadows created from the lighting represent the evil and darkness within the movie. The scene where John is hiding in the barn, and he sees the shadowy outline of Harry Powell directly in front of the sun is full of symbolism, for example. The light from the rising sun engulfing Powell represents good, and the figure of Harry Powell represents evil. It mirrors Powell’s situation throughout the film - an evil man trying to pretend he is good, but deep down, he is truly an evil man, just like how the majority of the shot is filled with light, but the center of the shot is shadow. The light represents Powell’s façade of being good, and the shadowy figure represents how he truly is, deep down within him. Another example of symbolism using lighting in the film is the scene where Willa is looking at the mirror, and Powell is yelling at her. Powell then goes to bed, Willa vows to try to be the woman Powell wants her to be, and she is engulfed in shadow. This is because, when she was in the light, she was still just trying to do what was best for her kids, and wasn’t trying to really do anything for Powell except be a good wife. Then, when it goes dark over her, it symbolizes that she now will want to be what Powell wants her to be and do what he tells her to do, thus indirectly helping him. Since she has decided to in directly help him (unknowingly, of course), she becomes engulfed with shadow because she is now indirectly helping evil. And, last but not least, another example is the scene where Powell is engulfed with shadow, but when he turns the light on, the scene becomes very bright, and you can see Powell perfectly. Powell is relying on the light to not be in the darkness. The light represents the fake personality Powell has made for himself and the darkness represents Powell’s true personality. Powell has to rely on his fake personality to appear good, and without it he is really an evil man. These examples just further my point – the lighting in the film is filled with symbolism and without it, the film would be far less chilling.
ReplyDeleteI like suge's comment about the black suit representing who he really was - that was a really good point that I had not thought of before. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteRichard's is very good and i agree with you, although it is very long
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Monica. There was a confusion when Mr.Powell was in the white spaces representing good. I think this happened because Mr. Powell acted as a "good" character, but in reality he was a "bad" guy. This helped with the mysterious feel.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures above create the image of good versus evil. The black and white aspect of the film makes it much gloomier and more evil. If the pictures were in color than it wouldn’t create as much of an impact as the black and white does. Also, if a scene is dark rather than light it shows a more murky impact. If it was a lighter image then it would add a more good effect. When you look at those images above and compare the two pairs then you would think that making the picture darker adds a more evil effect. If a scene is lighter then it would be not as gloomy and more good than evil. As well as the light and dark aspect, when there is shadows it creates a more evil and gloomy effect.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast of light and dark throughout Night of the Hunter emphasizes changes in emotions, behavior, and mood that contribute to the idea of good vs. evil. Typically, dark is used to describe “evil”, and white describes “good”, but there are several other aspects, as portrayed in the film. Throughout the film, the background is typically found a light shade contrasting with the dark shades of the characters. This can also occur with the lighter hue standing out against the black. The scene in the barn highlights both of these aspects. Half of the scene is found dark with the protruding lightness of John and Pearl. In the distance, Harry appears dark against the light background. The tone in scenes similar to this one portrays a suspenseful and eerie feeling.The shades of black and white also assist in the development of the characters. For example, Harry Powell is always shown with dark shadows to depict is malicious and fear-provoking character, as shown in the picture with half of his body a dark hue, and the other half a lighter shade. The picture of his shadow reflecting on John proves his ominous character, as well as the larger size of his shadow in the background depicting his eerie, silent approach. The dark shadows of the preacher conveys to the audience of his evil intentions. I also agree with Yunsu with the element of suspense depicted to the audience. In this case, the black and white contrasts created a higher level to the film, than a modern , colored movie could have done.
ReplyDeleteThe visual balance of the film helps create the idea of good vs. evil in a large way. For example, the photo of Willa and Harry is an ideal example of how up and down and left and right balance helps create the idea of good vs. evil. In the picture, Harry is in the right background and Willa is in the left foreground, in other words, evil is in the right background and good is in the left foreground. In that same picture, Harry is placed in the center of where the light from the light bulb hits, while Willa is placed next to a darker area, making the balance of dark and light produce a suggestion of good vs. evil because good is in the dark, and evil is in the light. The following picture, with Harry and Willa as well, composes another example of how the balance of dark and light, up and down, and left and right forms the idea of good vs. evil. In this screenshot, Harry is once again in the right background with the light on him, while Willa is in the left foreground in the dark. Another observation is how the light bulb is not even on in this picture, it makes it seem like the light is always following Harry, perfectly enclosing his body and the area surrounding. Following up with that idea, there’s one more picture of Harry and the light bulb. The light forms a defined area around his body, making him completely in the light, once more showing how evil is mostly exposed in a lightened area. This also makes the vision of the film really unexpected because viewers probably see dark matching up with evil and light matching up with good.
ReplyDeleteIn the film, The Night of the Hunter, it shows how the difference between dark and light creates a suspenseful mood. In the pictures, the darkness creates a scarier impact then the light. The picture where Mr. Powell is in the room with the light closed and the picture with the light on, creates a different mood. As the viewer I felt shocked at the part where it’s darker. When the light turned on, I felt better and was relaxed thinking nothing will happen. The picture where it’s darker makes it seem as if Harry Powell is going to do something bad. In the picture where it’s lighter, we know that nothing bad is going to happen and we are not shocked. The dark part of the movie builds up a surprising event.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the balance of the black and white in the film portrays a perfect example of what helps explain good versus evil. For example, in the picture with John standing in the pose of Peter Pan, the light is focused on him because it shows how strong he feels and how he is the protagonist. After that picture, appears a dark sheet over John and focuses more on Harry Powell’s shadow. John then is covered with darkness, with only his body outlined, and the image of Harry is bigger and seems stronger than John – also, turning Harry into the antagonist. In conclusion, the dark and the light are both balanced in both pictures between good and evil. In another way of showing the contrast of light shows good versus evil, is in the picture with the children’s mom looking into the mirror and Harry standing beside the bed by the light. In the first picture, the light is white and shows how the mom is listening to Harry scold her. Immediately in the second picture, the surrounding area turns pitch black and shows the frightful expression on the moms face and also expresses how she feels. She feels as though she has sinned or done something wrong, (which she, of course, hasn’t). Those are two very good examples. As a result, the difference between white and black light does very much explain the way it is good versus evil.
ReplyDeleteThe use of visual balance is a movies way to hint the mood or a personality of a person or scene to the audience. Light and shading is probably the most used form of visual balance. Light usually represents goodness and security. In the movie, you could feel a sense of security when John and Pearls boat landed on the riverbank near the old lady. Dark usually represents evil, suspense and danger. When mixed, the colors create new moods like strength in the scene when john was telling the story to pearl. Shading also allows quick changes in attitude such the scene following right after John tells his story about the king and his gold. His shadow displaying courage is swallowed up by a menacing shade of a man instantly changing the bravery into suspense.
ReplyDeleteI thought that with The Night of the Hunter that good vs. evil really stood out. In most movies, light usually represents good & positive feelings , and darkness represents the opposite. Although there is only one evil character,Harry Powell, whenever he is present the lighting usually gets dense and dark. Whenever something wasn't right in the movie , the screen would darken, and the music would have an edge to it, providing suspense. With black & white films such as this one, shadows and shading can be the basis for suspense like when John was reading to Pearl, and the silhouette of Harry appeared in the window.
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