Ministry of Fear (1944)

Stephen Neale has just been released from an asylum during World War 2 in England when he stumbles on a deadly Nazi spy plot by accident, and tries to stop it.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Seton I. Miller (screenplay), Graham Greene (novel)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland	...	Stephen Neale
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Carla Hilfe
Carl Esmond	...	Willi Hilfe
Hillary Brooke	...	Mrs. Bellane #2
Percy Waram	...	Inspector Prentice
Dan Duryea	...	Cost / Travers the Tailor
Alan Napier	...	Dr. JM Forrester
Erskine Sanford	...	George Rennit

Storyline

Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either. On his way back to London to rejoin civilization, he stumbles across a murderous spy ring and doesn't quite know who to turn to.

---

Plot Keywords:

train | bomb | conspiracy | on the run | spy | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1945 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Espions sur la Tamise

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Fritz Lang was disappointed in "Ministry of Fear" because the producer and the screenwriter, Seton I. Miller, were the same person, and Miller the producer wouldn't let Lang rewrite Miller the writer's script, which Lang said "had practically none of the quality of the Graham Greene book."

---

Goofs

The way that cake box was flung around and handled, the cake would have been crumbled and in clumps when he got it out to serve to the blind man on the train. At least, most of the frosting would have been stuck to the inside of the box.

---

Quotes

Willi Hilfe: We thought you'd been killed.
Stephen Neale: Not quite.

---

Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Pain & Gain (2013)

User Reviews

Good Wartime Film Noir

With an interesting story and good atmospheric settings, "Ministry of Fear" is a good film noir that most fans of the genre should find worth watching. Ray Milland is very good as a man battling a recent personal tragedy, who must then also try to sort out a series of mysterious and hazardous events in which he has suddenly become involved.

There are a lot of characters, and the story gets a bit complicated at times, making use of the W.W.II setting while introducing some quirky elements which generally come across pretty well. There are also a couple of good surprises, and for most of the way you have to guess along with Milland's character as to what will happen next. As with most such films, you must occasionally suspend disbelief, but that does not really detract from the atmosphere and tension.

If you enjoy film noir and/or thrillers, give this one a try. It's not one of the best of its genre, but it moves quickly and works well, at least as light entertainment.