Man Hunt (1941)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Geoffrey Household (novel)
Dudley Nichols (writer)

Release Date:

26 May 1945 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

British hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gunsight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead...

Plot Keywords:

German Agent | Hitler | Cave | Germany | Stowaway

Cast

Walter Pidgeon	...	Captain Alan Thorndike
Joan Bennett	...	Jerry Stokes
George Sanders	...	Quive-Smith
John Carradine	...	Mr. Jones
Roddy McDowall	...	Vaner
Ludwig Stössel	...	Doctor (as Ludwig Stossel)
Heather Thatcher	...	Lady Alice Risborough
Frederick Worlock	...	Lord Gerald Risborough
Roger Imhof	...	Captain Jensen

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Quotes:

Vaner: Have you committed a crime?
Captain Alan Thorndike: No.
Vaner: Was it, um, about a woman?
Captain Alan Thorndike: [smiling] I see you know life.
Vaner: I thought so, sir. They're a dickens of a problem, aren't they?

Movie Connections:

Version of Rogue Male (1976) (TV)

Soundtrack:

God Save the King!

A WW II Treasure

I just saw this film on the Fox Movie Channel (DirecTV Satellite, 9 p.m., May 12th) and enjoyed it immensely! As a big WW II movie fan, I'm surprised I hadn't seen it before. Several things struck me about it: Walter Pidgeon's devil-may-care performance, George Saunder's excellent portrayal of the Gestapo leader, and John Carradine's eminently creepy role as the Gestapo agent sent to London to track his prey.

Also interesting were the surprisingly eloquent characterizations of Hitler's regime by the characters. Rather than the usual, emotional propaganda-driven exhortations prevalent in war movies at the time, the writing seemed to make an effort to take a higher, more articulate stab at the regime and those who blindly followed it. The writing overall is superb, as is the direction by Fritz Lang. Even the almost overdone ending matches the story perfectly and leaves us wanting more. I'm surprised they didn't make a serial about it throughout the remainder of the war!

This is a classic, classic WW II propaganda piece that was suspensefull, engaging and a joy to watch. If I could get it in ANY format, it would be a permanent fixture of my collection. If you find it, record it!