Ministry of Fear (1944)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

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

Release Date:

16 October 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either...

Plot Keywords:

Fire | Fortune Teller | Austrian | Photograph | Book Seller

Cast

Ray Milland	...	Stephen Neale
Marjorie Reynolds	...	Carla Hilfe
Carl Esmond	...	Willi Hilfe
Hillary Brooke	...	Mrs. Bellane #2, spiritualist
Percy Waram	...	Inspector Prentice
Dan Duryea	...	Cost aka Travers the tailor
Alan Napier	...	Dr. Forrester
Erskine Sanford	...	George Rennit, private investigator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Allen	...	Tailor's Delivery Man (uncredited)
Frank Baker	...	Scotland Yard Man (uncredited)
Wilson Benge	...	Air Raid Warden (uncredited)
Evelyn Beresford	...	Fat Lady at Charity Bazaar (uncredited)
Arthur Blake	...	Man (uncredited)
Matthew Boulton	...	Official, Ministry of Home Security (uncredited)
George Broughton	...	Man in Tailor's Shop (uncredited)
Leonard Carey	...	Porter (uncredited)
Bruce Carruthers	...	Police Clerk (uncredited)
David Clyde	...	English Bobby (uncredited)
Anne Curson	...	Lady with Children (uncredited)
Frank Dawson	...	Vicar (uncredited)
Cyril Delevanti	...	Railroad Agent (uncredited)
Aminta Dyne	...	Mrs. Bellane #1, fortune teller (uncredited)
Edward Fielding	...	Ministry Executive (uncredited)
Mary Field	...	Martha Penteel, artist (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Newby, rushing to leave seance (uncredited)
Helena Grant	...	Mrs. Merrick - Hilfe's Secretary (uncredited)
Grayce Hampton	...	Lady with Floppy Hat (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Tailor's Shop Clerk (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	Scotland Yard Man Finding Cake Box (uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Scotland Yard Man (uncredited)
Frank Leigh	...	Man (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	Lady Purchaser of Cake (uncredited)
Thomas Louden	...	Mr. Newland, antiquarian bookseller (uncredited)
Lester Matthews	...	Dr. Norton at asylum (uncredited)
Clive Morgan	...	Man in Tailor's Shop (uncredited)
Ottola Nesmith	...	Woman at Admission Gate (uncredited)
Jessica Newcombe	...	Cake Booth Lady (uncredited)
Hilda Plowright	...	Maid for Mrs. Bellane #2 (uncredited)
Edmond Russell	...	Unspecified Role (uncredited)
Francis Sayles	...	Man Answering Rennit's Knock (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Scotland Yard Man (uncredited)
Eustace Wyatt	...	Blind Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Fritz Lang

Writing credits
Seton I. Miller		(screenplay)
Graham Greene		(novel)

Produced by
Seton I. Miller	....	associate producer
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Victor Young
Miklós Rózsa		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Henry Sharp		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Archie Marshek

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Bertram C. Granger		(as Bertram Granger)

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist
Leonora Sabine	....	hair stylist supervisor (uncredited)

Production Management
Don Robb	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Templeton	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Don Johnson	....	sound recordist
W.C. Smith	....	sound recordist

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Edith Head	....	costumes

Music Department
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Lester Sharpe	....	coach: Austrian accent (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (as Paramount Pictures Inc.)

Distributors

• Kinokuniya (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Paramount Pictures

Runtime:

86 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #9511) | Sweden:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Version of "Quinta colonna" (1966)

Beware Of Blind Men

Ray Milland as Stephen Neale, a person that has just been released from a mental hospital has no idea of what fate has for him. Neale wants to return to England but has time to stop at a small town festival. He wins a cake after the psychic tells him what the weight of it is. Suddenly another man arrives and wants the cake because it seems that he and not Neale was meant for it. A spy ring is operating during WWII and supplying information for the Nazis. Neale takes a train and a blind man appears and rides with him. Unbeknown to Neale, this man is actually a spy and is not blind. Later on, there are false leads for Neale, a murder or murders depending on who Neale speaks to. Finally there are two strange woman, spies or innocent dupes? A fine performance from Milland and well worth the time to watch in this excellent film.