Roger Ebert called this iconic actor the soul of the film noir genre

The big picture

• Roger Ebert hailed Robert Mitchum as the ultimate star of black cinema.
• Mitchum's portrayal of complex anti-heroes and dark characters marks him out as a timeless cinematic legend.
• Ebert's analysis of Mitchum's nuanced performance showcases the actor's ability to capture the essence of film noir.

Among all the opinions on cinema, the voice of Roger Ebert replaced everything. No critic resonated with a mainstream audience as much as Ebert, as his ability to connect cinema as an art form and personal expression resonated with moviegoers in general. It was more than half a pair of inches apart Gene Siskel. He understood the power of cinema and how it can change people's lives. As a spokesperson for the casual moviegoer, Ebert challenged his readers and viewers on Siskel and Ebert to broaden their horizons, believing deep down that everyone can find value in something deemed “artistic”. One of his best reviews came from a retrospective of one of his favorite actors, Robert Mitchum, describing him as “the soul of film noir”.

Many actors are synonymous with the classic film noir genre, including Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Sterling Hayden, Barbara StanwyckAnd Lake Véronique, but according to Ebert, the one who stood above it all was Robert Mitchum. Renowned for his portrayals of anti-heroes, Mitchum brought a dark and sinister twist to the movie star archetype in films such as the hunter's night And Cape Fear. His sleepy eyes and laconic voice made him the ideal protagonist of film noir, illustrated in Out of the past, Angel FaceAnd Friends of Eddie Coyle. Mitchum's expressive eyes were complemented by an aura altered from his physique. Everyone always says that people looked much older than their stated age at the time, and nowhere is this more applicable than in Mitchum. His natural on-screen presence suggests a tired malaisewhich is suitable for black haze and discomfort.

Robert Mitchum was a 'tougher, wiser, darker' movie star

Roger Ebert praised Mitchum in his essay“Darkness and Light”, written after his death in July 1997. The story was a reaction to the fact that his death was overshadowed by the passing of another Hollywood legend, Jimmy Stewart, who died just a day after Mitchum. Ebert, who recounted his meeting with the actor in his moving memoir, Life itself, called Mitchum his favorite movie star. Where Stewart received all the glowing praise for playing the role of serious and well-off ordinary people in It's a wonderful life And Mr. Smith goes to Washington, Mitchum represented the other side of the coin. “He embodied a completely different type of character on screen: tougher, wiser, darker,” Ebert wrote of Mitchum, also citing that his grizzled side acted as a foil to Stewart's boyish charm. The disparity in commemoration between Stewart and Mitchum is comparable to the type of movie stars we idealize. Stewart represented fantasy, while Mitchum tapped into a dark truth of the human soul.

The essay summarizes why Ebert was the preeminent voice in cinema – a voice that extends beyond his lifetime through the preservation of all of his works. By identifying Mitchum's nuances in his smoking and drinking habits on screen, Ebert understands the importance of subtle gestures in acting, especially on the part of a movie star. The old Chicago Sun-Times The critic could seamlessly interpret an aspect of a film in a macro reading of the art form, writing in this essay that the actor represented, “the impenetrable mystery of cinema.” No genre was more inscrutable than film noir, as Ebert credits Mitchum with evolving Bogart's image as a tough detective and establishing noir iconography for modern times. From the way he wore a fedora, puffed on his cigarette, and got into graceless fights with other people, Mitchum embodied the soul of film noir.

Robert Michtum Defined Modern Blacks With “Out of the Past” and “The Night of the Hunter”

Robert Mitchum's melancholy energy was magnificently displayed in Out of the pastTHE Jacques Tourneur noir about the quiet life of a gas station owner turned upside down after being recognized by a former criminal associate. In his portrayal of Jeff Bailey, Mitchum seeks a quiet life, but the look in his eyes suggests that the past will never be done with him, even if his former associate, Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas), never meet him. THE the fatalistic themes and brooding tone of the film are expressed solely through his face. If Ebert was right about one thing, it's that Mitchum's ability to make a cigarette hanging from his mouth look like an artistic talent is unprecedented.

The most outstanding film Mitchum starred in, the hunter's night, pushed the boundaries in its depiction of evil through the lens of a charismatic antagonist in Harry Powell, a serial killer posing as a preacher who pursues two children to obtain a hidden stash of $10,000 of their late father. The movie was Charles LaughtonThe first and last directorial effort of, and honestly, it might have been wise never to direct again, as it would have been difficult to match the visual brilliance and harrowing examination of greed and violence of its sole effort of realization. Film noir reaches new levels of fright, with the subject of two children pushing the emotional stakes to a frightening degree. With this film, Mitchum established another indelible image: his tattooed knuckles, one reading “LOVE” and the other “HATE”; Spike Lee paid tribute to this in Do the right thing with Radio Raheem's brass knuckles displaying the same contrasting message. Part of his “Grands Films” collectionEbert's review described Mitchum as “strangely right” for the role of the preacher, thanks to his “long face, deep voice, and silky tones of a snake oil salesman”. Mitchum depicts evil of the highest order, but it is perversely captivating.. the hunter's night strikes a poetic balance between cynicism and childlike innocence, a juxtaposition symbolized by Mitchum's knuckles.

Robert Mitchum combined hard-edge and vulnerability

On the outside, Mitchum's expressive eyes and aged age suit him to wear a fedora, smoke a pipe, drink bourbon in a seedy bar, and play all the traits expected of a film noir. While he played Philip Marlowe in the 1970s adaptation of The big sleep, Mitchum created his own distinct black iconography that extended beyond his appearance. Beneath his gruff character, the actor's vulnerability extracted poignancy from the genre. Black characters, on both sides of the law, attempt to maintain control amid the frenzy of an enigmatic and convoluted plot. With Mitchum, his tired malaise evokes the feeling that he has relinquished control while expressing a desire to make it out alive. This feeling is reflected in Friends of Eddie Coylea jaded petty crook who finds no glamor in the gangster life.

As film noir had become a genre in its own right in classic Hollywood, Robert Mitchum arrived and redefined the public's notions of the criminal underworld for modern times. We understand that morality is not a story of good versus evil – supporters of the law share the same angst as infamous criminals. With his expressive features and transparent soul, Mitchum embodied film noir.

the hunter's night is currently available to stream on Prime Video in the United States

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO