{"product_id":"the-night-of-the-hunter-jeffrey-couchman-9780810125421","title":"The Night of the Hunter: A Biography of a Film","description":"\u003cp\u003eReaching simultaneously into the realms of film and literature, this detailed exploration of \u003ci\u003eThe Night of the Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e examines the genesis and the eclectic form of each work and the process of transformation by which the novel became a motion picture. It provides the first major study of the long-lost first-draft screenplay by James Agee and confronts a fifty-year controversy about the authorship of the film. This is a story of artistic convergence on many levels--of novelist and director, director and actor, and cinematic form and tastes. The novel, a 1953 debut from Davis Grubb, was a popular and critical success, remaining on the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best-seller list for four months. Hollywood responded to its atmospheric lyricism, and in the hands of first time director Charles Laughton, the book became a film that is equal parts thriller, allegory, and fever dream, filled with slow, inexorable suspense. On the set, Laughton functioned both as an auteur and a collaborator to create his vision of the book, mixing cinematic flourishes both realistic and abstract in sometimes tense situations. The talents that clashed or came together along the road from book to movie make the final film a product of rich stylistic contradiction and rewarding complexity. Through biography, production history, and critical analysis of the novel and film, author Jeffrey Couchman makes the case that this initially overlooked cinematic gem is a prismatic work that continually reveals new aspects of itself. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jeffrey Couchman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0810125420\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780810125421\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Northwestern University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/01\/2009\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.92lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.50w x 0.64d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChronicle of Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/03\/2009 pg. 16","brand":"Jeffrey Couchman","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43988281164031,"sku":"9780810125421","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6933abd3-6d39-4da6-b162-48dba6a540b0.jpg?v=1683293644","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-night-of-the-hunter-jeffrey-couchman-9780810125421","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}