Stunning directorial debut from Charles Laughton which ranks up there with Citizen Kane and American Beauty has great first-time-at-the-bat level. You expect good acting but not the feel for Southern atmosphere, or artistic boldness. It starts with a bang with Lillian Gish's head telling a story then proceeds with constant striking visuals and flamboyance. It's very theatrical in that lots of characters talk to themselves - Robert Mitchum (well, he's talking to God) and Peter Graves and the women. But it all works.
Mitchum has rarely been better in a role he clearly understands - ruthless, charming, insane, charlatan. Shelley Winters is perfect in one of her sad-sack-who-gets-killed parts, and Lilian Gish is very good too. Kudos to the excellent script and source material, plus the divine photography - this definitely wasn't all Laughton but he was obviously a great ring master. The kids are terrific, it's truly horrific, the digs at hypocrisy of the south are enormously effective (e.g. Mitchum's biggest boosters are his most vehement critics at the end) as are those at adults (e.g. none of them believe the kids that this guy is trying to kill them).
The ending was a little odd with a riot in the hardware store and setting up shop in a new town. A gothic fairytale nightmare.
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