A curious and compelling film, written by film critic James Agee* (from Davis Grubb novel), Laughton's only film as director.
Based on a promise young Billy Chapin makes to his convict father Peter Graves - don't tell where the money is, and look after your sister (Gloria Castillo) - he holds out as long as he can. But reckons without psychotic murderer Robert Mitchum, in one of his most memorable roles. Shelly Winters great too as their murdered mom, but Lillian Gish steals the film as a quietly determined foster mother.
Journey on the river is strangely like a fairy-tale or folk legend. (Some of this looks studio-set to me. The art director is Hilyard Brown.) The photography of Stanley Cortez is a major asset - I was thinking the way he lights houses at night may have influenced The Exorcist. Music by Walter Schumann, edited by Robert Golden.
Strangest moment is where Mitchum is staking out the house through the night while Gish stands guard... and they start duetting together!
You could take endless screen shots. Here are some:
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| Can something be eerie and lyrical at the same time? |
* As we later learned, his script was unusable and Laughton rewrote it himself.
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