SILVER

The only film directed by the great actor Charles Laughton has enjoyed cult status across six decades. Blending the frightening mythological power of a Brothers Grimm fable with Southern Gothic creepiness, it’s the story of two children guarding their dead father’s stash of stolen money from an interloping preacher (Robert Mitchum) and the nightmare that descends upon their family when he marries their mother (Shelley Winters). With expressionistic lighting effects and memorably stylized art design, it’s a marvel to look at, and Mitchum, usually the paragon of cool, here gives a flamboyantly over-the-top performance as the psychotic villain. DIR Charles Laughton; SCR James Agee, based on the novel by Davis Grubb; PROD Paul Gregory. U.S., 1955, b&w, 93 min. NOT RATED

AFI Member passes accepted.