Man Hunt (1941)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Geoffrey Household (novel)
Dudley Nichols (screenplay)

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 Thorndike
Joan Bennett	...	Jerry
George Sanders	...	Quive-Smith
John Carradine	...	Mr. Jones
Roddy McDowall	...	Vaner
Ludwig Stössel	...	Doctor (as Ludwig Stossell)
Heather Thatcher	...	Lady Risborough
Frederick Worlock	...	Lord Risborough
Roger Imhof	...	Captain Jensen
Egon Brecher	...	Jeweler
Lester Matthews	...	Major
Holmes Herbert	...	Farnsworthy
Eily Malyon	...	Postmistress
Arno Frey	...	Police Lieutenant
Frederick Vogeding	...	Ambassador (as Fredrik Vogeding)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #7219) | Canada:G (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

When Thorndike (Pidgeon) is captured, the George Sanders character inspects his belongings including his rifle, which bears the maker's name of "Hammond and Hammond, Bond Street". There was no such gunsmith in the UK and it seems likely they name is borrowed from a very famous gunsmith called Holland and Holland of Bruton Street, which is situated nearby.

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:

Referenced in Rogue Male: The Making of 'Man Hunt' (2009) (V)

Soundtrack:

God Save the King!

Never trust a man in a monocle

Lang is one of the greatest filmmakers to come out of Europe. Although this might not be his best work, it is fascinating to watch. It is clearly an attack at the Third Reich and all the evil doings that Hitler and his army were doing. Made just before the US entered the war, this film shows how one man stands up to one of the greatest threats the world has ever known. My one knock against the film is that there is too much sappy dialogue that has little to do with the plot. Also, Bennett's British accent is possibly the worst ever recorded on film. She means well but tries too hard. There are some nice looking scenes thanks to the work of Lang and cinematographer Arthur Miller (not the playwright), but I expect that from a Lang picture. Were this film more focused on the real story of survival, this would have been a lot better. Still an enjoyably film.