The Best Films You've Never Seen: Do the Right Thing (1989) & The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Back by popular demand, 'The Best Films You’ve Never Seen' series returns to The Capitol in 2024, featuring films that have earned a spot in Sight and Sound Magazine’s 100 Greatest Films of All Time. 

Our first screening for the year is a powerful pairing to celebrate RMIT O-Week (but is open to all audiences): Spike Lee’s iconic 'Do the Right Thing' (1989) and Charles Laughton’s enduring classic 'The Night of the Hunter' (1955). Ranked #24 and #25 respectively in the Greatest Films list, these extraordinary films were both controversial on initial release, and echo one another in their explorations of morality and violence. 

This unmissable double feature has been curated by RMIT Cinema Studies academic Dr. Alexia Kannas. 

What was the best film you saw at uni?

2:30 pm - Do the Right Thing (1989) 

Spike Lee writes, directs and stars in this story about racial conflict in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. On a scorchingly hot summer day, simmering tensions between the neighbourhood’s African-American residents and the Italian-American owners of its local pizzeria reach boiling point when a violent altercation leads to tragedy. The film's fine ensemble cast also features Rosie Perez in her screen debut, alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Danny Aiello.  

• Language: English 
• Country: USA 
• Year: 1989 
• Duration: 120 mins 
• Format: DCP 

6:00 pm - The Night of the Hunter (1955) 

Charles Laughton’s singular and profoundly influential American thriller stars Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, and screen legend Lillian Gish in the story of two children who must outrun a serial killer posing as a preacher. James Agee's gripping screenplay, based on Davis Grubb's 1953 novel, is brought to life in a film that is equally dark and beautiful, drawing on the styles and themes of film noir, classic fairytales, and German Expressionism of the silent era. Critically derided on its original release, it is now considered one of the greatest American films ever made.  

• Language: English 
• Country: USA 
• Year: 1955 
• Duration: 92 mins 
• Format: DCP 

This is a public screening open to all – come to one or both and enjoy these iconic films on the beautiful Capitol big screen! 

Presented in partnership by RMIT Culture and RMIT Cinema Studies. 

Image credit: Film poster for ‘Do The Right Thing’, NCB Universal, film poster for ‘The Night of the Hunter’, Park Circus.