Screening of Charles Laughton’s 1955 film “The
Night of the Hunter” as part of Latifa Echakhch’s exhibition “The Mechanical
Garden”Wednesday 3 October 2018, at 7 pm, Nouveau Musée National - Villa Sauber
Charles Laughton’s first, unique film is an adaptation of a
novel in which the main character, played by Robert Mitchum, is a preacher pursuing
two children whose father has recently been imprisoned for murder and robbery.
Before his imprisonment, their father had given them ten million dollars to
hide, and told them not to tell anyone about it. Mercilessly tracked down by
this psychopathic pastor and abandoned to look after themselves, the kids hit
the road.
It is not so much the screenplay nor the quality of the
acting that has led the NMNM to screen this cinematic masterpiece; rather it is
the film’s cinematography. “The Night of the Hunter” has become a reference
point for many contemporary artists, including Latifa Echakhch, and it is
because it expands beyond its simple narrative role and allows images to make a
much larger contribution.
The film is of interest in this context since,
although it was almost entirely shot indoors, nature is everywhere. The
landscapes built both for the needs of the sets and through the architectural
frameworks provide a glimpse of the director’s intent, which has links with Latifa
Echakhch’s own intent for the “Mechanical Garden” exhibition at Villa Sauber:
the truth of nature is never where you expect to find it.
Free entry but places are limited
Information and registration: [email protected]