In 1955, the distinguished actor Charles Laughton, considered one of the greatest actors of his time, decided to take up directing and directed The Night of the Hunter in Hollywood.
It’s a film noir that tells the adventures of a serial killer who marries widows and then kills them. In the main role Robert Mitchum.
Upon its release, the film was a commercial and critical flop.
Laughton is deeply hurt and gives up trying to repeat the experience. His career as a director was interrupted just after it began.
When he died in 1962, however, the public rediscovered this film. Little by little, it became cult among moviegoers and critics eventually realized that they were wrong.
The Night of the Hunter is today considered a masterpiece of cinema and one of the best noir films of the era. story.
What could Charles Laughton have done if he had made other films? We’ll never know.