Pearl's Song from The Night of the Hunter
Friday, June 5, 2009 at 10:40PM Sounds like a big influence on Björk to me. Love these river scenes, entrancing and very creepy, the music is superb.
From the moment the Pearl's mouth opens, and an adult voice emerges, the creepiness of Night of the Hunter increases exponentially. The strange, horrific fable, the only film Charles Laughton directed, is reminiscent of a nightmare and the music in the river scenes seems so different from anything else of its time. The swirling harp and strings maintain that feeling of horror with the continuing minor key and very little relief from the tension even when daylight comes and the modulations change a little which the children continue to travel down the river. Even the animals sound dark and scary and the lyrics are like lullabies written to induce nightmares. Every time you think it's getting lighter, here comes the theme of Pearl's Song again to chill you. Having never seen the film in the past I was reminded of Björk's Isobel. A relatively simple melody, with a dark and moody undercurrent that repeats and enchants. I hope she's a fan of Pearl's Song.
