Night of the Hunter - concluding response

Initially I was indifferent towards the film, I neither liked nor disliked the film. I have never analyzed a film so in-depth before. I guess this would make me question all movies I've seen. When we discussed in class, it was interesting the contrasts that we found that were so blatant in the first viewing that I hadn't noticed initially. Such as the difference between the use of religion by Powell and Cooper. Yes it's obvious that Powell is "bad" and Cooper is the representation of "good" but it goes beyond that. Powell uses religion to justify the killings, and rationalizes his behavior as an act of god. Cooper uses religion to process the events that are occurring. I focused primarily in my first blog on the children's vulnerability and although it's still an aspect of both Huck Finn and John's situations and the similarities between their situations, that is not the sole observation i should've taken from the film. I didn't focus on the religion that foreshadows events throughout the movie. Additionally I failed to see the contrast of the woman in the movie. You have Willa who is submissive to her new husband, and even as he kills her believes his actions result from God's will. Then you have Cooper who has no male attachment, yet takes care of a number of orphaned children. Then Ms. Spoon who believes that a woman is nothing without a husband, saying specifically that it takes both a man and a woman to raise a child. Woman play such differing roles in this film. During this time woman had the right to vote, established in the 1920's, but the social views had not significantly changed which evident in this film. I also didn't focus much attention on the importance of stories. The stories foreshadow, but also act as an emphasis on the importance of religion for these characters. The allegorical nature of stories makes us question our initial observations, especially in this film. Looking at the surface is not giving yourself the full experience of the movie because your not grasping the true message.