The Man Between (1953)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 40min
- Crime, Drama
- 02 Nov 1953 (UK)
- Movie
In post-WW2 Berlin, when travel to the East was still possible, the sister of a British officer from West Berlin is abducted by Communist agents and taken into the Soviet sector where her eventual rescue is arranged by a German smuggler.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Award:
- 1 win.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| James Mason | ... |
Ivo
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| Claire Bloom | ... |
Susanne
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| Hildegard Knef | ... |
Bettina
(as Hildegarde Neff)
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| Geoffrey Toone | ... |
Martin
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Aribert Wäscher | ... |
Halendar
(as Aribert Waescher)
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Ernst Schröder | ... |
Kastner
(as Ernst Schroeder)
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Dieter Krause | ... |
Horst
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| Hilde Sessak | ... |
Lizzi
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| Karl John | ... |
Inspector Kleiber
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Ljuba Welitsch | ... |
Salome played and sung by
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Eberhard Fechner | ... |
Minor Role (uncredited)
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| Reinhard Kolldehoff | ... |
Eastern German Police Officer commanding the hunt for Ivo Kern and Susanne Mallison (uncredited)
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Frederick Schiller | ... |
Construction Worker on Generator (uncredited)
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Emile Stemmler | ... |
Waiter in Restaurant (uncredited)
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Robert Brooks Turner | ... |
Man in crowd leaving theatre (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Carol Reed | ||
Written by
| Harry Kurnitz | ... | (screenplay) |
| Walter Ebert | ... | (based on an original story by) |
| Eric Linklater | ... | (screenplay) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Hugh Perceval | ... | associate producer |
| Carol Reed | ... | producer |
Music by
| John Addison | ||
Cinematography by
| Desmond Dickinson | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Bert Bates | ... | (as A.S. Bates) |
Editorial Department
| Bert Rule | ... | assembly cutter (as A.H. Rule) |
| Teddy Mason | ... | assistant editor (uncredited) |
Production Design by
| Andrej Andrejew | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| Andrej Andrejew | ... | (as Andre Andrejew) |
Makeup Department
| Gladys Atkinson | ... | hairdresser |
| Tony Sforzini | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Raymond Anzarut | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Adrian Pryce-Jones | ... | assistant director |
| Jack N. Green | ... | third assistant director (uncredited) |
| Peter Maxwell | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| John Pellatt | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| Ronald Spencer | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| William Hutchinson | ... | assistant art director (as W.E. Hutchinson) |
| Elven Webb | ... | assistant art director |
| Frank Willson | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Buster Ambler | ... | sound recordist (as A.G. Ambler) |
| John Cox | ... | sound supervisor |
| Red Law | ... | sound recordist |
| Alan Blay | ... | sound maintenance (uncredited) |
| Norman Daines | ... | dubbing (uncredited) |
| Jack Davies | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
| J. Hales | ... | sound camera operator (uncredited) |
| Barbara Hopkins | ... | dubbing (uncredited) |
| Bob Jones | ... | dubbing (uncredited) |
| Ken Ritchie | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
| A.E. Rudolph | ... | sound mixer (uncredited) |
| Jim Shields | ... | dubbing editor (uncredited) |
| Derek Tate | ... | sound camera operator (uncredited) |
| Ivor Worsley | ... | sound maintenance (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Denys N. Coop | ... | camera operator (as Denys Coop) |
| Robert Day | ... | camera operator |
| Hans Schneeberger | ... | additional photography |
| Peter Broxup | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
| Eddie Earp | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
| Ray Hearne | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
| Geoff Meldrum | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
| Peter Newbrook | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
| Kenneth J. Withers | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Bridget Sellers | ... | wardrobe |
Music Department
| Muir Mathieson | ... | conductor |
Script and Continuity Department
| Olga Brook | ... | continuity |
| Doreen Merriman | ... | continuity (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Norma Garment | ... | production secretary (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- London Film Productions (present)
- British Lion Film Corporation (produced in association with)
Distributors
- British Lion Film Corporation (1953) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as British Lion Film Corporation Ltd.)
- United Artists (1953) (United States) (theatrical)
- Filmimport A/S (1953) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Wivefilm (1953) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Deutsche London-Film Verleih (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Nederland NV (1954) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- National Telefilm Associates (NTA) (1956) (United States) (tv) (syndication)
- Warner Home Video (1994) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
- Netflix (2021) (Non-US) (video) (VOD) (several territories in Europe)
- Pidax Film (2025) (Germany) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- London Philharmonic Orchestra (music played by)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In post-World War II Berlin, Englishwoman Susanne Mallison travels from London to Berlin to visit her older brother Martin Mallison, a military man who married a German woman named Bettina. Naive Susanne snoops on Bettina and suspects she is hiding something from her brother. When Susanne is introduced by Bettina to her mysterious friend Ivo Kern, he offers to show her Berlin and they have a date. But Ivo meets strange Halendar from East Germany and Susanne takes a cab home alone. Then she dates Ivo again while he meets Olaf Kastner, who is a friend of Martin and Bettina's. Soon Susanne, who has fallen in love with Ivo, learns that he was a former lawyer married to Bettina but with a criminal past during the war. Now he is blackmailed by Halendar to kidnap Kastner and bring him back on the other side of the border. The plan fails and Halender asks his men to abduct Bettina to get Kastner. Susanne, however, is kidnapped by mistake and imprisoned in the basement of a house in East Berlin. Now Ivo plots to rescue Susanne from Halender and help her to cross the border. Will they succeed in their intent? Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Terror! Vice! Violence! He stopped at nothing! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | James Mason commenting on "The Man Between" in 1974: "This film became very big on television in the U.S. In the cinema one demands of a thriller that the narrative thread be ever taut. The American televiewer makes no such demands since continuity is destined to be shattered by commercial interruption. Thus it often happens that what has been hitherto regarded as a failure in the cinemas will be a hit on the Late Late Show and vice versa." See more » |
| Goofs | In East Berlin, there are many political posters with the name "Walter Ulbrich," but the East German Communist leader's name was actually spelled "Ulbricht." See more » |
| Movie Connections | Referenced in Killer's Kiss (1955). See more » |
| Soundtracks | The Man Between Theme See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Opening credits prologue: BERLIN See more » |
| Quotes |
Ivo Kern:
The Germans always had to learn languages - the army never knew where it would be going next. We still learn English in our schools. It might be rather a waste. Who knows? See more » |