10 Feb Ministry of Fear
Ministry of Fear, WWII Movie starring Ray Milland
(1944) I was intrigued by this movie because it was based on a novel by Graham Greene, an English author who met my mother in London when they shared fire guard duty on the roof of their office building. The year was 1944, and they were in the middle of “The Baby Blitz.”
This film’s director was Fritz Lang, a Jewish movie maker who quickly left Germany in the mid-1930’s. By 1936 he was making movies in the U.S., including a couple others I’ve seen. “Man Hunt” was about a hunter who accidentally espies Hitler in the sight of his rifle but does not shoot.
This film noir reminded me of a Hitchcock movie, with plenty of suspense. You knew some of these people were Nazi spies but who? The black and white camera work was excellent. Everything was meaningful.
I enjoyed that the action took place in London with the bombings, the shelter, the asylum, the train, Scotland Yard. The gowns were gorgeous, by Edith Head. This movie came early in the career of Dan Duryea, who became one of Hollywood’s (and my) favorite bad guys.
Ray Milland was silky smooth. I couldn’t believe this quiet man was chasing after Nazi spies all by himself. I was lost during some of the second half, suddenly it all came together and the movie was over. Good guys prevail, and Ray Milland drives off with his girl.
Ministry of Fear [VHS] at amazon.com
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