A revered actor of the stage and screen, Laughton won an Academy Award for THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII and generated accolades for his versatility in roles like Captain Bligh in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY and Quasimodo in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. In THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, Robert Mitchum plays arguably one of the most terrifying on-screen villains, Reverend Harry Powell, a murdering grifter who marries a widow in order to rob her. Now considered an expressionistic film noir masterpiece, the film was a critical and financial failure upon its release, with the UK Times declaring, “Mr. Laughton is a highly intelligent man, nothing that he does is without interest. THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER is indeed none the less interesting for being a failure.” Laughton was devastated by the reception and never directed another film again.