Between Two Worlds (1944) User Reviews

"You see my son, you make your heaven and hell for yourselves on earth, you only bring it with you here."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 18 November 2004]

Paul Henreid portrays a character with a pretty young wife, determined to leave the country and desperately needing an exit permit - sound familiar? Perhaps so, but this isn't "Casablanca", it's a relatively obscure film from 1944 deserving of a wider audience. "Between Two Worlds" is a well constructed morality tale that reveals the lot of a handful of souls on the way to their final destination aboard a ship going nowhere.

The wayward passengers come together as the vehicle en route to their trans-Atlantic ship is destroyed by a German World War II air raid bombing in London. Simultaneously, the distraught Henry Bergner (Henreid), unable to obtain passage for his wife Ann (Eleanor Parker) and himself, chooses suicide for both. Interestingly, the Bergner's are the only passengers that know from the beginning that they are dead, having chosen their fate. Their fellow passengers can't seem to remember recent events, complaining of fatigue and dizziness.

As one might expect, the characters are stereotypes - Thomas Prior (John Garfield) is a brash, cynical newspaperman; Maxine "Maxie" Russell (Faye Emerson) is a part time stage actress and full time gold digger. Pete (George Tobias) is heading back to America to be with his wife and yet unseen newborn son, who has already defied the odds by surviving three torpedo attacks as a serviceman. Genevieve (Isobel Elsom) is a snooty socialite with a very high opinion of herself, married to Benjamin (Gilbert Emery), a patient and unassuming man. Sara Allgood is Mrs. Midget, an odd name for a woman whose lot in life finds enjoyment in helping others. Appropriately, there's a religious man aboard, Reverend William (Dennis King), whose ambition is to meet new people, do new things and get a taste of adventure. And then there's Lingley, of Lingley Limited, who never lets you forget that his money can only be rivaled by his own self importance.

Edmund Gwenn is superb as the ship's steward with the unlikely moniker of Scrubby, whose job it is to deftly allow the passengers to understand their fate as they come to realize what happened to them. And on hand to pass final judgment is The Examiner, Sydney Greenstreet in a perfectly cast role.

If any fault is to be found with the film, it would be the early revelation of the passengers' fate; a little more exposition and buildup would have heightened the suspense. However the fates of the individuals are well suited to their demeanor in life, and are cleverly meted out by the astute Examiner.

Souls at sea

[tomsview · 8/10 · 9 November 2016]

I have seen this film on and off over the years starting probably around 1960 when it first appeared on Australian television.

During World War Two, a small group of people sailing on a passenger liner from London find they are heading for an unexpected destination.

This film was made during the war. With the world in arms, audiences of the day would have been only too aware of the imminence of death, if not for themselves then for the ones they loved. I think this film would really have hit home, possibly in a reassuring way in as much as the film accepts that there is life beyond death.

There were a number of films made during the war or shortly after that dealt with death and beyond: "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", "A Guy Named Joe", A Matter Of Life And Death" and "The Horn Blows at Midnight". But "Between Two Worlds" was the most serious of them all. It delivered reassurance of an afterlife, but its premise was that a worthy life is essential for an easy transit to the next world - the quality that all religions from the ancient Egyptians onward stress more than anything else.

Completely studio bound whether on land or at sea, the film shows the influence of the 1923 stage play on which it is based. But that foggy, claustrophobic atmosphere gives the film a mood that is sustained from beginning to end.

"Between Two Worlds" features a couple of iconic stars: John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet. Both give minor variations on their familiar screen personas - Garfield the cynical, street-wise guy whose luck always seemed to be out, and Greenstreet whose rotund affability always masked a deeper agenda.

However Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker give the most effecting performances as Henry and Ann Bergner. There are many lump-in-the-throat moments in the film, but the Bergner's doomed love affair and redemption is an emotional roller coaster.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold only produced 18 film scores in his career, and his work for "Between Two Worlds" was his personal favourite. This sumptuous, soaring score with its chimes and echoing notes cements the film together and directs the mood.

"Between Two Worlds" is a unique film. Thankfully, in Australia, we still have programs like "Bill Collins Golden Years of Hollywood" and "Turner Classic Movies" otherwise movies such as this would disappear from our screens all altogether.

Underrated remake...

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 13 January 2008]

Terrific film, a remake of 1930's "Outward Bound", has a disparate group of people (John Garfield, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet and Eleanor Parker among them) on-board a mysterious ocean-liner, unaware they are actually souls being transported to their final destinations. Solemn fantasy is talky, sometimes heavy, but extremely well-acted and occasionally fascinating. Garfield's moment of reckoning is an amazing bit of dramatic acting, and director Edward Blatt is both subtle and sneaky with this fantastic material (it's a very classy product with no camp overtones). It unfolds slowly, but viewers who stick with it will find this a memorable melodrama. *** from ****

Forgotten film deserves more recognition...

[Doylenf · 9 May 2001]

I finally had an opportunity to see this largely "forgotten" film, one of my favorites dealing in a mystical way with the afterlife. A remake of "Outward Bound" ('30), it was updated to World War II and begins with an air raid in which several people are unable to seek shelter. Afterwards, they find themselves on a strange ship and only gradually come to realize they are all dead--and about to be judged by a man called The Examiner (Sydney Greenstreet). The disparate group of people include some of the dependable Warner contract players: John Garfield, Eleanor Parker, Paul Henried, Faye Emerson, Edmund Gwenn, Isobel Elmson and Sara Allgood.

Thoughtful and well written (though talky and showing its stage origins), it permits us to examine the passengers one by one as they reveal their fears and foibles--each having substantial roles in a series of vignettes that will lead to their ultimate destination--heaven or hell.

It's fascinating, handsomely produced amid low-key film noir lighting and the performances are all first-rate. John Garfield and Paul Henried give the strongest performances in the meatiest roles but the others are all more than competent, including the lovely Eleanor Parker.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score happens to be one of his personal "favorites" and I can certainly see why. It is melancholy, lyrical and mysterious--in keeping with the "otherworldly" elements of a film about passengers on their way to another world.

An oddly interesting film, thought provoking and well worth viewing. It's a wonder no one has produced a remake since the material lends itself to endless possibilities.

Hypnotic in a corny way

[xredgarnetx · 6/10 · 29 January 2006]

I first saw BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, a remake of the 1930 OUTWARD BOUND, as a child and was mesmerized by it, even though I realized the characters were stock types and the overall effect was rather cheesy. Now that I have seen it again recently on TMC, my opinion hasn't changed a whit. The movie is mesmerizing even with its stereotypical characters and play-like sets and structure (it started out as a play in the 1920s). Basic plot summary: Several people who died in a war-time bombing find themselves aboard an ocean liner headed for parts unknown. What saves the film from total obscurity is the wonderful acting of a group of WB contract players, including John Garfield as a boozy, cynical reporter, Sara Allgood as a classic Irish matron, George Tobias as a good-natured merchant marine, Edmund Gwenn as the stoic steward, Sidney Greenstreet as the Interviewer, and a very young and very beautiful Eleanor Parker as the utterly devoted wife of Paul Henreid. (Parker and Henreid are the only ones who know they are dead from the outset, by the way.) The score by Eric Korngold is terrific. He also did the score for the 1936 ROBIN HOOD, and was a classical composer as well. In a movie with many great acting moments, make sure you catch veteran actress Isobel Elsom as a snooty society type. Having been condemned to spend eternity in a castle all by herself, while her sweet husband gets to go on to heaven by himself, her character says a merry goodbye to everyone, then turns on Greenstreet and exclaims, "You swine!" Allgood also has an interesting sendoff when she finds she is to accompany Garfield, who turns out to be her long-lost son, something Garfield does not know. Her character has no question she has reached Heaven. A very nice moment.

Overall, MUCH superior to its original version

[critic-2 · 9/10 · 27 June 2000]

This is a remake of the 1930 early-talkie "Outward Bound", which was based on the hit 1925 stage play. This version updates the period from the 1920's to the 1940's, and incorporates WW II elements into the story---a totally unnecessary tactic; the original play was quite good on its own and didn't need to have topical elements awkwardly sandwiched in. In fact,one of its strengths was that the entire unworldly experience seemed to take place in an unspecified time.

But this film has a very realistic beginning to it, and a war-related incident sets the plot in motion. The film's only serious blunder---though one that does not fatally affect it----is that we are tipped off as to what is really going on much too early in the film, in comparison to the 1930 film version, in which the characters realized their true situation at the same time as the audience did.

Aside from those objections, though, this is one of the few remakes which tops the original in nearly every department. Without exception, the actors in this version outdo the stiff, primitive early-talkie performances of their predecessors, and this may well be the only film in which Paul Henreid, normally not the most charismatic actor, gives a finer performance than the then-awkward Douglas Fairbanks,Jr. did in the same role in the 1930 film.

Especially outstanding are Edmund Gwenn as the ship's steward, Isobel Elsom as a rich, elderly, bitchy woman, Sydney Greenstreet as a mysterious character whose identity will not be revealed here, and Sara Allgood in one of the most sensitive performances of her career (she acts rings around Beryl Mercer from the 1930 version). George Coulouris, a reliable villain in those days (he was Orson Welles' nasty guardian in "Citizen Kane") is sinister and pompous as a greedy tycoon. And John Garfield is excellent in the Leslie Howard role, altered some to fit Garfield's tough, bitter on-screen persona rather than Howard's ultra-sophisticated, debonair one. (Garfield,though,does not go as berserk when he finds out the truth as Howard so hilariously did in the 1930 version.)

Although much of the dialogue in the first half has been changed and perhaps made slightly less "literary", the second half,which features Sydney Greensteet, is quite faithful to the earlier film and the stage play. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's music runs through nearly every scene, and, although verging toward the bombastic and melodramatic at times, lends plenty of atmosphere to the story.

One unfortunate aspect is that the photography in this version never becomes as eerie as that in the 1930 version, with its striking light and darkness effects. But none of these faults should keep you away from this film, which deserves far better than its relative obscurity in comparison to the other great Warner Bros. classics as well as other films dealing with the afterlife.

The Great Examiner Holds Court Again

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 27 March 2008]

Sutton Vane's play Outward Bound was expanded and souped up considerably in this second screen version of the play, Between Two Worlds. The basic ideas of the play and first film have been extended and accommodated to World War II. Several new characters were introduced into the screenplay.

Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker play a young couple who decide to take their own lives via a gas stove. Earlier in the day they saw several people killed when a bomb hits a bus during the Blitz. Parker and Henreid then find themselves on a fog enclosed ship with those same people they saw and a steward played by Edmund Gwenn.

In the original play these people were all British, but because of the wartime alliance some Americans got in on the act. Cynical reporter John Garfield, charwoman Sara Allgood, millionaire George Coulouris and his traveling companion Faye Emerson who used to have a thing with Garfield, vicar Dennis King, merchant sailor George Tobias, and a proper middle class British couple Gilbert Emery and Isobel Elsom.

It takes a while, but soon the others catch on to what Parker and Henreid know already that they're dead. Gwenn informs them that at the end of the voyage they will meet The Great Examiner.

Taking the place of Dudley Digges who played The Great Examiner on stage and in the first film version of Outward Bound is Sydney Greenstreet. The one guy who's relieved at this turns out to be King who recognizes him as an old chum from seminary. Apparently this is how clergy people are used in the next life.

Leslie Howard played the role John Garfield has on stage and in the first version. It was interesting seeing both films back to back to see how two very different actors interpreted and how the screenplay was adapted to fill John Garfield's rebel persona.

George Couloris's character is fleshed out a great deal more in this than in the original version. On screen Montagu Love played it and the man's sins were strictly mercenary. Here he's accompanied by his tootsie Faye Emerson and there's carnal lust in the mix as well as avarice.

Alison Skipworth played Isobel Elsom's part on screen first and in that version, Mrs. Cliveden-Banks is already a widow. Here her husband is brought into the plot, played by Gilbert Emery and her eternal fate is different from the original.

Daniel Fuchs in adapting and expanding the screenplay did manage to still preserve Sutton Vane's message about your eternal fate hanging in the balance of how you live life. Between Two Worlds is still an entertaining fantasy with a strong moral to it.

Interesting Development of OUTWARD BOUND

[theowinthrop · 10/10 · 27 March 2008]

The basic story stays the same as Sutton Vane created for the stage in the 1920s. A pair of young lovers agree to die together - the young man sealing their apartment and turning on the gas so that death will be relatively painless. Suddenly the couple find themselves on a fog enshrouded ocean liner with a handful of people on board. These include a vicar, a steward, a snobby socialite, a millionaire mover and shaker, a cynical young man, and a kindly little old woman. As the story unfolds we realize these folk are dead - and they are headed for a final destination on that boat. They will, however, like all good travelers, have to be okay-ed or sent to the proper place by a "customs" official. Only the proper place here will be heaven or hell, and it is based on the behavior of the various parties in disembarking. For the custom's official is an agent of God.

People should not think that the concept of a person being measured for a good and benevolent or a bad and malevolent afterlife is only from the early Christians. The Jews and the Greeks did not think much about afterlife - Jewish "Sheol" was sought of vague and colorless at best. Later (I suspect) a day when the Messianic Age would begin was adopted to buck up the Jews in the face of problems on earth - but this was not an original concept with them. In fact, in the book of Samuel of the Old Testament, using a witch to contact the dead was considered a mortal sin for both using a witch and for disturbing the dead. The Greeks pictured a similar drab afterlife where the ghosts of the dead lived - Homer had a chapter about the dead in their afterlife in THE ODYSSEY. You have to go back to ancient Egypt to find a view of the afterlife that had a place for heaven and hell. The heart of the person was weighed on a scale, and if the same as a feather the person went to a happy afterlife (with all the comforts he enjoyed in his social class on earth). But if it weighed down on the scale, the person was doomed, and given over to a monster (a crocodile) to be eaten.

When Sutton Vane wrote his play it was the ruminations of a veteran from the killing fields of World War I, and the seeming collapse of Western values. He found the answer in intense Christian theology. But along came the Second World War, and the story (while still strong) was updated. The deaths of the majority of the passengers is from a German bombing raid. Now George Tobias was added as an American Merchant Seaman as a passenger, and the millionaire (a pompous figure played by Montague Love in the original film) is a ruthless cutthroat in the hands of George Coulouris. Coulouris has a mistress (Faye Emerson) but he is really too self-centered to have a satisfactory relationship with anyone. The lovers in the original were British, but here it is a foreign alien (Paul Henried) and an American girl (Eleanor Parker). Leslie Howard was a soured idealist in the original, while John Garfield was simply a cynic here. Beryl Mercer's relatively restrained performance in the original was matched by Sarah Allgood here. Finally the snobby Alison Skipworth was replaced by Isobel Elsom (similarly demanding and snobby) but Gilbert Emory is her put-upon, gentle husband here.

There are some fine moments in this film - one of my favorites is when Dennis King as the Vicar remembers a prayer from when he was a child and recites it to the other passengers just before their judge comes aboard. He does it without any outlandish emoting (a far cry from some of his weaker moments in his starring role in THE VAGABOND KING fifteen years before). It may have been his best scene in films.

The judge in the original was Dudley Digges, who certainly gets down to business with typical smoothness and care. Here it's Dudley's successor Sidney Greenstreet. Playing a nice fellow here (which is how he is one of God's agents) he has a choice moment or two when dealing with the passengers - making sure that Garfield gets a degree of stunned humility before he enters heaven accompanied by Allgood, but also dealing with the nastier characters in typically effective Greenstreet manner. Whenever Sidney faced George Coulouris one's sympathies were with Greenstreet (Coulouris always was such a contemptible type against Sydney, even in THE VERDICT). Here it reaches the finest moment between them. Coulouris is used to getting his way with everyone because he's "Lingley of Lingley Ltd." He tries that here, figuring the British class system has been grafted into heaven. Greenstreet tells him he knows and to shut up. Then Edmund Gwenn (the steward - a typically good performance too) starts leading Coulouris away to ... err descend the gangplank, Coulouris demands to know what happened to his question and answer period. "You've had it.", says Greenstreet. "When?", demands Coulouris. "When you said you were "Lingley" of "Lingley Ltd.", replies a stern Greenstreet. He then recounts the unscrupulous business career of Coulouris, who actually does try to defend it (he started in poverty and clawed his way up). But he finds nobody to defend him, not even Emerson.

Greenstreet also teaches Elsom a lesson about her social snobbery. She is to live in a fine house - only she can't leave it and she'll be all alone. Emory, however, is reunited with his old friends.

One can say that the views of the screen writers was simplistic, but in cases of allegory or religious drama simplicity becomes a virtue. BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, like the earlier OUTWARD BOUND, remains a very worthy film to watch.

Talky, but good

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 25 September 2000]

Interesting little film about a bunch of very diverse people dying and being judged whether to go to Heaven or Hell. The idea isn't new, and the script is way too talky, but the beautiful setting and superb acting more than compensates. With the exception of Garfield, Henreid and Greenstreet, there are no big names in the cast, but everyone is good and they all get their moments to shine. Worth seeing.

Very good and effective drama from Warner Brothers

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 21 September 2006]

The dead victims of a London bombing and two suicides are on a ship headed - well, they're not sure - in "Between Two Worlds," a 1944 film starring John Garfield, Sydney Greenstret, Paul Henried, Eleanor Parker, Edmund Gwenn, Faye Emerson and George Coulouris. The suicides, a married couple played by Henried and Parker, are the only ones at first who realize they're dead, but the others find out soon enough. Then they learn that "The Examiner" will be coming on board to evaluate them and decide their final destination.

The film employs a stark set for the ship, and it works beautifully as the tense passengers wait to learn their individual fates.

The acting is marvelous all around. Eleanor Parker reminded me very much of Gene Tierney - at first, I didn't recognize her until I heard her voice. She and Henried are excellent as the only two people who have chosen their destinies. Parker's role especially is written almost melodramatically so at times, she seems over the top, but the story seems to call for it. Greenstreet, with his powerful presence, makes a good examiner. Faye Emerson is lovely as an actress who made a lot of wrong choices, and John Garfield is strong as a belligerent no-good whose life didn't add up to much.

During World War II, it's not surprising that people were giving a lot of thought to the afterlife. After World War II, there were all kinds of films about people come back to earth and angels walking among us. The view of "Between Two Worlds" is that each of us makes our own heaven and hell on earth, that in the end, we sow what we reap, and that love is stronger than any other force. I loved it.

Last stop...eternity

[joker-scar · 7/10 · 17 September 2018]

I have never seen this film until recently but I had heard about the original version Outward Bound years ago and was intrigued by the premise. After reading up about the film I rightly assumed by the cast, namely headed by Leslie Howard, not one of my favorite actors, and also by the year of release, 1930, that it would look and feel like a filmed play. Reviews did recommend the re-make as being a better film. It is an entertaining film about the fantasy, to some people, to others very real, of being caught between life and death, death being very much on the minds of most people at this time. It held to the early 40's notions of film content/style etc. so it held up to my expectations. Seeing Sidney Greenstreet in any role is always a thrill.

"Another" final voyage.....

[renfield54 · 9/10 · 9 April 2000]

I haven't seen this movie for decades, but I still remember it well. It has a haunting 'twilight zone' twist to it and is very entertaining. I'm surprised, in this in this 'post Titanic megahit' time, that an ocean liner backdrop to an eerie, romantic story has not been recycled as was 'Death Takes a Holiday'. It might even be re-incarnated as a 'Fantasy Island' type TV series with new passengers every week.

You expect justice and good to win out in movies of this era. It's nice they left enough 'wiggle' room to do the right thing. And I think people take a comfort from a good movie showing us going on after death. It's a trip we all hope to take one day....

Afterlife for a Play and a Film

[Cineanalyst · 6/10 · 25 July 2018]

"Between Two Worlds" is a preachy and simplistic moral fantasy film, but it's somewhat interesting, for me at least, to compare it to the film it's a remake of, "Outward Bound" (1930), both of which are based on the original play. I haven't seen the play and, of course, I didn't see it originally in the 1920s. Like the character Scrubby, I've sailed back and forth with these other characters in their (relatively) eternal afterlife of film, but I never knew them in life, or live theatre. And like the films' other suicides, Henry and Ann, we the spectators willingly enter this other world, but we don't belong.

One thing I like about this 1944 remake compared to the 1930 adaptation is that it adds a theatrical act within the film, with the characters performing and being spectators. It's a play-within-a-play. Tom Prior leads the performance to reveal, in his snarky way, to his fellow passengers that they're all dead. Unlike in the 1930 film, which also had no scene like this, the passengers' deaths are no surprise to us spectators of the film. The film is adapted to the then-current WW2, with most of the passengers dying from an air raid and the suicides being given a partially new reason, as well, as resulting from Henry's trauma from the war. Apparently, because of the Hays Code, the young couple are now married, and Tom Prior doesn't actually do much drinking on screen.

I'm fine with doing away with the surprise, which actually wasn't much of one in the 1930 film, either. I suspected as much before Leslie Howard's version of Tom Prior exposed it, but, then, I had the knowledge it was a Hollywood film, so the fantastic mystery wouldn't remain unresolved or obscure surrealism à la Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel" (1962), for instance. Classic Hollywood films such as "Outward Bound" and "Between Two Worlds" are too simple for that, and they're always resolved. Anyways, I wish this remake would've done away with the play's later surprise, too, involving the relationship of two of the passengers, because it felt tacked on and tacky in both films.

Another improvement upon the 1930 version is the evolution of film style since the infancy of talkies from which "Outward Bound" failed to overcome. Thus, "Between Two Worlds" has a brisker pacing, with an average shot length of about 9 seconds compared to about 12.8 for "Outward Bound," despite the 1944 film also featuring several long tracking shots, the first of which references the 1930 film and the play's title on a sign. Another tracking shot I liked was the one involving a mirror, which Maxine--a character absent in the 1930 film and rather superfluous here--uses to examine herself in.

Yet, "Between Two Worlds" remains almost as stage-bound as the former film. For most of it, we're stuck in ship rooms with lots of talking, regardless of the amount of editing and deliberate camera movement. Thus, a lot depends on the acting and the script, neither of which is especially divine here. John Garfield's Tom Prior is remade a journalist for the remake, which, I guess, is the reason for his barrage of rat-a-tat insults as though he's auditioning for "The Front Page" (1931) or "His Girl Friday" (1940). Meanwhile, Sydney Greenstreet turns in another airy yet dignified performance as the Examiner, which would've been just as appropriate had he been judging Humphrey Bogart in a noir setting.

The 1930 film had more foggy and dreamlike atmosphere to it, including an obscured view of some kind of Heaven. The 1944 film, however, relies for atmosphere upon its score--another thing, as with most early talkies, missing from "Outward Bound." Fortunately, it's a rather good score.

Trite, but Somewhat True

[ElenaP-3 · 5/10 · 8 March 2005]

I happened to catch this the other day on Turner Classic Movies. It had some terrific major talent - John Garfield, Sydney Greenstreet, Paul Henreid, Edmund Gwenn, as well as some lesser lights in the acting world. I didn't know that this was a remake of an earlier version. It left me wondering whether or not this was ever a stage play, because it played as terribly theatrical and over-dramatic; rather creaky, really. It is lesson in morality, of course, and the things we supposedly take for granted in this life, but seems thrust at the audience so amateurishly. It is a curio from the best period for Warner Brothers, but not something I'd go out of my way to recommend.

Superbly Acted

[drednm · 15 May 2005]

Between Two Worlds was a 1944 remake of the 1930 Leslie Howard film, Outward Bound, which was a hit on Broadway. This allegorical tale about death was the perfect World War II film and boasted a super ensemble cast--each and every cast member is wonderful. The stars, John Garfield, Paul Henreid, Eleanor Parker, and Sydney Greenstreet, give top-notch performances, but the film also boasts high points in the careers of Isobel Elsom, Faye Emerson, Dennis King, Sara Allgood, Gilbert Emery, and Edmund Gwenn. Each actor gets a share of the spotlight as they slowly discover their fate and face the final judgment. Nicely directed with a good set, although the music picks up bits from Casablanca. Moody and yes maybe talky by today's standards, but very effective and moving. My favorite is haughty Isobel Elsom, the great British actress who came to Hollywood in the mid 30s, after being one of England's biggest silent-film stars. She has the role Alison Skipworth played in the 1930 version, but her imperious demeanor takes on a whole new meaning in 1944, set against the war. This is the kind of film that can't be made any more, and when film-makers try, their efforts sink from view very quickly. Powerful and touching film filled with great moments. This one is a must see.

A remake of Outward Bound (1930), this fantasy drama is worth a look

[jacobs-greenwood · 7/10 · 7 December 2016]

Based on Sutton Vane's play, directed by Edward A. Blatt, with a screenplay by Daniel Fuchs, this above average fantasy drama features an all star cast which includes John Garfield, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, Eleanor Parker, Edmund Gwenn, George Tobias, George Coulouris, Faye Emerson, Sara Allgood, Dennis King, Isobel Elsom, and Gilbert Emery. It's about a number of people on a cruise ship that eventually discover it's their transportation to another world, e.g. Heaven or Hell.

Cynical foreign correspondent Tom Prior (Garfield) and his girlfriend "yet to make it" actress Maxine Russell (Faye Emerson), along with Merchant Marine Pete Musick (Tobias), Reverend Duke (King), Mrs. Midget (Allgood), and the wealthy Mr. & Mrs. Cliveden- Banks (Emery & Elsom) wait for the all clear in World War II ravaged London so that they can board their cruise ship for safe passage to America. Famous opportunistic wartime businessman Lingley (Coulouris) arrives at the terminal, angry that there are no seats for his bodyguards to accompany him on the voyage. Failed pianist Henry Bergner (Henreid) is upset that he cannot get a ticket at all, so he leaves to return to his apartment. Just as an air raid begins, and the passengers are loaded into a bus, Bergner's wife Ann (Parker) rushes to its window, calling Henry's name. But he is not inside, and as the bus pulls away, Ann witnesses it being hit by a bomb. She returns home to find her distraught husband; he'd tried to leave her, ashamed of his own failures, so that she might find happiness without him. She discovers that he's sealed the windows and extinguished the heater's pilot light, so that the room is filling with gas, in order to commit suicide. He pleads with her to leave him, but she refuses to go.

The Bergners find themselves walking on the deck of a fog shrouded cruise ship. It takes them a moment, but they realize that they are dead when Ann sees the passengers from the bus through a window. The other passengers, other than noticing the dearth of other passengers or any more than one crewman, the bartender Scrubby (Gwenn), are blissfully unaware that they too are dead. Scrubby informs them that they are on their way to another world, their afterlife. He then instructs the Bergners not to inform the other passengers of this fact either, that it's better if they find out in their own time, that the Bergners know only because they died by their own hand(s). The sharp, quick tongued Prior is the first to discover it, but he too is asked by Scrubby, and then Henry (who Scrubby had asked to help him), not to reveal it. Prior is only too happy to keep the secret, and his primary joy seems to be derived from heckling Lingley, who he'd written about and exposed through his writing in "the first world". However, eventually he can no longer resist the temptation, and he delights in telling "his" secret theatrically.

Naturally, each of the passengers has his or her own regrets about the lives they've led or where they were headed before they were killed. Unfortunately for actress Russell, she was heading for her first big chance, a USO tour of the United States, after having made bad choices (e.g. with men) earlier in her career. The Reverend too was making his first big venture, and trip outside of his village, to spread the word of God. Merchant Marine Musick, after surviving three torpedoed boats, was returning home to see his child for the very first time. Lingley insists he has no regrets, though he'd tried to seduce Russell and hire Henry as a bodyguard, and attempts to buy his way out of this fate. Scrubby, who provides a calming influence for everyone, informs him that he cannot escape his destiny and keeps the ship firmly on schedule until the white suited Reverend Tim Thompson (Greenstreet) arrives.

Reverend Thompson, who was known by Reverend Duke in the other world, is the Examiner - judgment day has arrived for the ship's passengers. Greenstreet, like Gwenn, plays his other worldly role to perfection. One by one the passengers are relegated to Heaven or Hell, though those terms are never used. Instead, an indication as to whether they will be going to a paradise or another "place" to account for their sins is strongly suggested. It is then learned that the arrogant, class-conscious Mrs. Cliveden-Banks was cheating on her husband, assuming all along that he didn't know and therefore, since she wasn't hurting him, it was alright. The Examiner, and then Mr. Cliveden- Banks, informs her otherwise. Everyone else, after a their brief meeting, exits on their way to where one would expect until it's Prior's turn.

Prior is saved by Mrs. Midget, who agrees to take care of him and be a good influence, enabling him to begin again as the little boy with big dreams of his future. After he's "left", it is revealed that Mrs. Midget was Prior's birth mother, unable to care for him, she'd had to give him up for adoption such that he never had her mothering influence before, but now will. Henry Bergner will have to stay with Scrubby, also a suicide, to serve future passengers on this ship or one of the many others. Scrubby urges Reverend Thompson to take Ann with him, that she shouldn't be made to stay because it was her love that led her to the fate that her husband had chosen. Henry pleads with Ann to leave, but she will not go. So the happy ending almost anyone could see coming is delivered - the breaking glass Henry keeps hearing is shown to be the window of their apartment, which let the gas escape as fresh air rushes in, so that Henry awakes and revives Ann - and they live happily ever after ... in London!

Between two Warner Brothers...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 3 November 2019]

... in that this film is a remake of the 1930 film "Outward Bound". Usually production code era remakes of precode films may be technically superior but are inferior productions overall because of the absolute just and moral ending the production code required. This film is an exception, although the original is worth watching too since WB managed to get most of the original cast from the play. In 1930 Warner Brothers was just stepping out of its poverty row roots. By 1944 it was in the big leagues with big name stars and directors. It is interesting to see how WB has "grown up".

The film opens with Paul Henreid's character, Henry, desperately trying to get an exit visa so he can get to America. Wait a minute, haven't I seen this movie before? Nope. This is not the brave hero of Casablanca. Henry is a concert pianist who cannot work because his nerves are shot first from fighting with the Free French, and then from all of the bombing raids in London. His hands will not stay steady. He returns home where his wife (Eleanor Parker as Ann), after frantically looking for him, finds him and realizes what he is going to do. She sees the gas turned on she sees the rags stuffed around the window. He says he is no good to anybody, that she should not waste her life on him. Then suddenly, while Ann is pleading with Henry to live, the scene changes. They are aboard a fog bound ship. And strangely enough, all of the characters onboard were being taken to the docks to sail to America. And also strangely enough, they were all blown up in a bombing raid in the car that was taking them there.

The passengers are a cross-section of humanity - a rich ruthless self made businessman (George Coulouris), a snobby socialite and her hen-pecked doormat husband, an older Irish woman traveling alone who is very tight lipped about why she is going to America, an annoyingly happy member of the merchant marine returning home to America to his wife and baby that he has never seen, a broken down cynical reporter (who else could this be but John Garfield?) and his used up girlfriend, and a minister.

So they are all dead but none know the truth except Henry and Ann. So they get to hear all of these people just think they are on a ship to America, some with their dreams to change their fortune, some with plans to go on exactly as they have before, some just wanting to go home, but it is too late for any of these things. The scale is going to be weighed for them - heaven or hell - based on exactly where they were when they died in that raid, and before they leave the ship.

Who does the judging? Sydney Greenstreet, who was the Reverend Tim Thompson in life, and who is one of about a dozen "examiners" in death, amiable but rigid.

So maybe Warner Brothers took this plot out of moth balls because WWII had the specter of sudden death hanging suddenly over American homes, and certainly over European ones. So people were thinking about the afterlife suddenly being cast upon them more than usual. It is meant to ultimately have a hopeful message, but also one that says that what you do in this life counts, and maybe who and what you consider to be important in this life doesn't count in eternity.

I knocked one star off for over simplification in a few places, and you have to expect over simplification when it comes to production code era films, so maybe I'm being unfair. For one thing, the steward, Stubby, makes it sound like it is a regular thing for the dead to be on this ship and only gradually realize they are dead. But these people were boarding a ship when killed. What happens if you die in the desert or in an auto crash? Won't you immediately wonder, like the young couple, what you are doing on a ship? This ship is adjudicated by Judeo-Christian values. Are there Islamic and Buddhist death ships afloat as well? And then there is the line - ""You see my son, you make your heaven and hell for yourselves on earth, you only bring it with you here." What if you were born blind, or born ugly, or born poor? What if you were born to narcissist parents or abused as a child? Isn't fate somewhat putting a finger on the scale in all of our cases as to whether life is heaven or hell? I guess it is a sign of a good film if it makes me ask such questions.

This one has great performances by many of Warner Brothers' stock company who hold your attention throughout, with a great haunting and hypnotic score by Erich Korngold. I'd recommend it.

Thought Provoking Obscurity

[Cicerosaurus · 7/10 · 26 March 2007]

Several people are killed on their way to board a liner for America during WW II. They are joined by another couple and the steward of the ship, and the movie centres around these people as they gradually come to the realisation that they are indeed no longer alive. This happens to them at various times, with one couple aware very early on, due to the circumstances of their death. The acting is very good- Sydney Greenstreet is suitably overbearing as The Examiner. However, I did find John Garfield grating, and his character totally unlikeable. Edmund Gwenn was his normal gnome like self and Elenoar Parker (she with the lovely voice) suitably noble.

"We have so much to live for..."

[AAdaSC · 9/10 · 21 November 2010]

A group of passengers destined to board a ship to New York are caught in an air raid and their taxi is bombed. At the same time, Henry (Paul Henreid) and Ann (Eleanor Parker) enter a suicide pact in Henry's flat, seal the windows and turn on the gas. We then find the story moves onto a ship where the only passengers are the cast that we have been previously introduced to. Ann realizes that they are all dead. The ship's steward, Scrubby (Edmund Gwenn) asks that Ann and Henry don't tell the other passengers as they haven't yet realized what has happened to them. We find out about the various characters before we are introduced to the Examiner (Sydney Greenstreet) who must send them on to either Heaven or Hell. What will be the fate of the two suicides....?

I like this film a lot. I like the story and I like the cast. The weak link is Paul Henreid who can be too over-dramatic. There are moments that will bring tears to your eyes, eg, the fate of Mrs Midget (Sara Allgood) and the sequence at the end where only Henry and Ann remain on board and what happens next......"This is too cruel"......

The film works because we are given a cast of players, some of whom we like and some of who we don't and we can have fun anticipating what their outcomes will be. You won't guess any of them but they are all satisfying, as is the film's conclusion when only Henry and Ann remain with Scrubby. Definitely worth seeing again.

Interesting in spite of itself

[notmicro · 6/10 · 18 January 2003]

The entire production is very "stagey", contrived, and dated; the dialog is trite; the very interesting and capable actors give performances which are all over the map (Garfield is out of control); the direction is just awful; and the sets look like left-overs from an old version of "Titanic". Never the less it is quite unusual and compulsively watchable, and will keep most people entertained and guessing; its a bit like a 1944 version of "The Twilight Zone". With the right director, it would have been dynamite. The fact that some of the characters know what has happened to them while others do not keeps things interesting. When Sydney Greenstreet appears, you start wondering if Humphrey Bogart is going to pop up next!

If you liked Death Takes a Holiday you'll like this one

[sfdphd · 9/10 · 20 February 2011]

Others have reviewed the plot of this film. I just want to add something that no one else seems to have mentioned. The ending reminded me of the Wizard of Oz. Did they just dream about the ship as Dorothy dreamed about the land of Oz? It doesn't matter, but it was a delightful unexpected ending. I enjoyed the fact that the story kept taking unexpected twists and turns. The first scenes in the port, then the bomb, then the suicide, then the ship scenes, then the Examiner, and finally the ending. Wow, it kept me on the edge of my seat. This film also reminded me of how much I enjoyed the modern film Defending Your Life, with a different kind of Examiner in the afterlife. Check it out if you liked Between Two Worlds.

Garfield great

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 29 August 2020]

A passenger ship is leaving London for New York during dangerous wartime. A group of passenger is at the station waiting to board. After a bombing raid, some of them find themselves mysteriously on an empty ship.

The start has the characters obviously dead from the bombing. It's a little annoying that it does not occur to most of the characters. There is a bit of fun with John Garfield trying to provoke some of the passengers. That's the best part of the movie. He really should be the main character. I don't care that much about Henry and Ann. I'd rather they be minor characters in the group. This has some interesting ideas about death but it is not that groundbreaking. Garfield makes this interesting although the rest is a little boring.

Is there such a place?

[obrofta · 9/10 · 9 November 2006]

I saw this movie for the first time in the 70s. It was, up to that point in my life, one of the few film attempts to tell us what happens to us when we die. Is there a place between our life on planet earth and whatever lies beyond? The point the movie does deliver well is that there is accountability, and people get more than enough chances to do the right thing.

John Garfield, Sydney Greenstreet and Eleanor Parker and Edmund Gwynn are all excellent in their roles.

It's a little slow aboard ship. but the movie has to weave the subplots, which it does quite well, bringing everything into judgment, as it were. Stick through it, there's a well done ending waiting for you.

No travel insurance needed on this cruise

[thejcowboy22 · 6/10 · 18 July 2017]

The thought of suicide. There were a couple of times the idea crossed my mind. Working for my Father caused me great personal pain. Mental cruelty with the help of his workers made my life unbearable. Each day working at his place of business was like being in jail without the bars. I felt like I couldn't go on another day and saying to myself "I can't go on!" Our story begins in an inner city London Steamship office. Eight passengers all diverse, awaiting the call to embark on a voyage across the Atlantic bound for the U.S.A.. Our ninth member is a frantic, hopeful Henry Bergner (Paul Henreid) Ex-Austrian Resistance fighter and injured handed pianist feels useless to his wife and himself and wants to start his life over in America alone. Henry wants to sail to America and get away from war torn England but lacks an exit permit necessary for departure. Meanwhile his concerned Wife Ann (Eleanore Parker) is looking for her depressed husband and heads for the steamship office. A dejected Henry heads home to his London flat. As Ann approaches the office, air raid sirens go off as Nazi bombs land randomly on buildings. Ann witnesses the passengers leaving the steamship office as they pack into a transport vehicle and drive down the street. A falling bomb hits the car and kills everyone inside as Ann watches in horror. Ann dodges the carnage. With no where else to look, she heads back to her flat where she sees Henry as he turns on the gas from the stove in a suicide attempt. He persuades her to leave but it's to late as the two fall unconscious and awake aboard a deserted steamship. They realize his suicide attempt was cast. Henry and Ann are relieved that they will be together for eternity and Henry's injured hand is restored as he tickles the ivories on the ships piano as the other guests listen and comment on his accompaniment. Ann and Henry meet the kindly steward Scrubby (Edmund Gwenn) as Ann noticed the familiar eight passengers who were killed earlier from a falling bombs. Scrubby emphasizes not to inform the other passengers that they are deceased. The group should find out in time in their own way which makes for a more pleasant voyage. This makes the situation unbearable for Ann and Henry when they interact with the passengers. as the expired quests unsuspecting, tell about how exciting it will be to travel to the United States. As for our guests on this voyage to wherever? You have the timid effeminate Anglican Priest Reverend William Duke (Dennis King) who's goal in life is to meet all peoples of the world. Next the cynical metaphoric newspaperman Tom Prior (John Garfield) with his girl friend along side and wealth seeking actress Maxine Russell (Faye Emerson). Rugged Merchant Marine Pete Musick (George Tobias) eager to see his new born child for the first time with his good luck charm Ho-Ho-Kus in his pocket. Our difficult member of the group is the hyper-fastidious Mr. Lingley (George Coulouris) a self made millionaire who goes to extremes to hurt others for capital gain and is quick with the tipping to get what he wants. Next we have an elderly couple Genevieve and Bejamin Cliveden-Banks played by Isabel Elsom and Gilbert Emery. Mrs. Cliveden-Banks is a superficial social climber who married her husband for his wealth. Mr. Cliveden was taken in by her beauty many years earlier but gave up his free will to accommodate his narcissistic spouse. Finally we have Mrs Midget (Sara Algood) with a heart of gold and pure as the driven snow but we don't really know her intentions for traveling yet she is very much connected and fascinated by the actions of our wise cracking character Tom Prior. Prior over hears Ann and Henry talk about their dilemma. Prior is sort of relieved at this point but demonstrates to the others in a magic show form that the guest are all dead using a loaded pistol given to him by Mr. Lingley. How do our guests react to the news? What about their judgment by the unknown examiner who determines their final destinations? Some questions come to mind... I figured business of death was booming off the charts with millions dead from World War II. I guess it would take away from the script and cast to have thousands of extras aboard the heavenly vessel. Sidney Greenstreet, The Examiner, caries himself with confidence against the petty Mrs. Cliveden -Banks and the self made man Lingley of Lingley limited. Brash and cynic John Garfield steals the scenes with his signature line, "Pick A Card, Pick A Card!" . The troupe plays well against each other in this unorthodox setting for judgment day. Nothing more comforting than Edmund Gwenn preparing you for the after life. Love those movies about the possibility of life after death. Fascinating film. As for me, patience and time freed me from my time with Father as crooked partners forced him out. I found another job and my life moved on..

"What are you talking about?"

[aa56 · 5/10 · 27 September 2005]

For the first 90 minutes of this motion picture, it seems one hears that line of dialog every five minutes, and it grows to be irritating quickly. The last 20 minutes are the most interesting in this talky film with a very low budget for set decoration. The writers offer interesting thoughts on a sort of judgment day, which, of course, are not consistent with any religious doctrine.

The script could have used a much more suspenseful build up to the climax. Instead, it slogs through tedium mingled with that obnoxious "What are you talking about" line spoken every five minutes, or so it seems.

The cast is superb, doing the best they can with this script. John Garfield is in typical form. Eleanor Parker is radiant as the devoted wife Ann. Faye Emerson shines as the hardboiled actress.