Man Hunt (1941)

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:

She Was Poor but She Was Honest

A WW II Treasure

I just saw this film on the Fox Movie Channel (DirecTV Satellite, 9 p.m., May 12th) and enjoyed it immensely! As a big WW II movie fan, I'm surprised I hadn't seen it before. Several things struck me about it: Walter Pidgeon's devil-may-care performance, George Saunder's excellent portrayal of the Gestapo leader, and John Carradine's eminently creepy role as the Gestapo agent sent to London to track his prey.

Also interesting were the surprisingly eloquent characterizations of Hitler's regime by the characters. Rather than the usual, emotional propaganda-driven exhortations prevalent in war movies at the time, the writing seemed to make an effort to take a higher, more articulate stab at the regime and those who blindly followed it. The writing overall is superb, as is the direction by Fritz Lang. Even the almost overdone ending matches the story perfectly and leaves us wanting more. I'm surprised they didn't make a serial about it throughout the remainder of the war!

This is a classic, classic WW II propaganda piece that was suspensefull, engaging and a joy to watch. If I could get it in ANY format, it would be a permanent fixture of my collection. If you find it, record it!