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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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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

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. An immediate local favorite, this film received its initial telecast in Omaha Thursday 18 December 1958 on KETV (Channel 7), followed by Chicago Monday 5 January 1959 on WBBM (Channel 2); it afterwards aired in Milwaukee 29 April 1959 on WITI (Channel 6), in Phoenix 10 May 1959 on KVAR (Channel 12), in Seattle 9 July 1959 on KIRO (Channel 7), in Minneapolis 22 September 1959 on WTCN (Channel 11), in Detroit 11 November 1959 on WJBK (Channel 2), in Pittsburgh 25 November 1959 on KDKA (Channel 2), in Philadelphia 1 January 1960 on WCAU (Channel 10), in St. Louis 28 May 1960 on KMOX (Channel 4), in New York City 19 August 1960 on WCBS (Channel 2), in Los Angeles 7 July 1961 on KNXT (Channel 2), and in San Francisco 16 September 1961 on KPIX (Channel 5). The 2K digital restoration was released on DVD 12 March 2013 as part of the Criterion Collection, and it also now receives an frequent welcome cable television airing on Turner Classic Movies.

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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.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Version of Quinta colonna (1966)

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.