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United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: An innocent man is drawn into a web of espionage when he unwittingly comes into possession of a crucial piece of microfilm in this shadowy, ominous film noir. Fritz Lang's adaptation of Graham Greene's novel is filled with unusual touches, beginning with the fact that protagonist Stephen Neale (Ray Milland) has just been released from a mental asylum. To celebrate his return to the real world, he visits a local carnival, only to accidentally receive a "prize" meant for a Nazi agent. When he discovers the error, he turns for help to a detective, whose investigations only make the matter more complicated. Neale soon winds up on the run from both the Nazis and the police, who mistakenly believe him guilty of murder. Lang's famous expressionistic style is somewhat muted here, but Henry Sharp's crisp black-and-white cinematography sets a suitably unsettling mood, and the twists and double-crosses of Greene's story unfold at an appropriately quick pace. While it does not reach the same level of timeless classic as Carol Reed's adaptation of Greene's The Third Man four years later, Ministry of Fear stands as a well-made, thoroughly gripping and intelligent example of film noir. ...Ministry of Fear
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"The Ministry of Fear" was directed by Fritz Lang in 1944 and was adapted from the Graham Greene novel of the same name. "Ministry" is essentially a spy thriller similar to Alfred Hitchcock's "Foreign Correspondent" (1940). Hitchcock and Lang's career developed at pretty much the same time in the silent 20s and through the 30s although Lang's films suggested a far darker world view. With such classics as "Dr Mabuse: The Gambler"(1922), "Metropolis"(1927), "M"(1931) Lang established himself as a true innovator in German expressionist cinema and its that quality which he would take with him when he moved to Hollywood in the mid 30s. Lang can be credited as a major player in the development of Film Noir where imagery would become a significant part of the story. His first two American films "Fury"(1936) and "You Only Live Once"(1937) are often credited as two of the earliest examples of Film Noir before the 1940s. In 1944 and 1945 he made three classics of Film Noir: "Ministry of Fear", "The Woman in the Window"(1944) and "Scarlett Street"(1945). It can be difficult for younger audiences to appreciate what makes Lang so important because many of his cinematic innovations seem commonplace today but Lang's dark vision of modern metropoli and a deep sense of paranoia and fear was truly original at the time. "Ministry of Fear" has all the popular themes of Film Noir such as labyrinthine plots, femme fatales and the innocent man being sucked into the whirlpool of the Noir world that makes it a brilliantly entertaining genre to watch. Film Noir buffs will not want to miss this.
The Optimum Home Entertainment DVD is of a good standard.
The Optimum Home Entertainment DVD is of a good standard.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Just released from a mental asylum for the mercy killing of his wife, a man (Ray Milland) wins a cake at a carnival by mistake. The cake was intended for a member of a covert Nazi group working in the U.K. but that mistake plunges Milland into a maelstrom of attempted murder, seances, femme fatales and spies. Based on a novel by Graham Greene and directed by Fritz Lang, the film is a rather far fetched if modestly entertaining spy thriller. But the film makers have excised all the darkness and moral ambiguity of Greene's book and put nothing in its place. This is one movie that deserves a remake! One of Lang's least memorable films. It doesn't help that the film is saddled with the pretty but bland Marjorie Reynolds as the heroine when the wickedly elegant "bad girl" Hillary Brooke is so much more intriguing. On the plus side, there's the atmospheric noir like cinematography of Henry Sharp (Vidor's THE CROWD). The workman like score is by Victor Young. With Dan Duryea, Alan Napier, Carl Esmond, Cyril Delevanti and Mary Field.
The B&W transfer from Optimum via Great Britain is a decent transfer.
The B&W transfer from Optimum via Great Britain is a decent transfer.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Steve Neale (Ray Milland) is let out of a psychiatric hospital after finishing his sentence for murdering his wife. However, he is immediately unwittingly dragged into a spy ring's activities when he wins a cake at a fair. The film follows his attempts to understand what is going on around him and why his life is in danger.
The cast all do well and there are some good scenes, eg, the blind man on the train; the seance at Mrs Bellane's (Hillary Brooke) apartment; and the scene at the tailor's shop near the end where Travers (Dan Duryea) casually makes a phone call with an enormous pair of scissors. Carl Esmond is good as Willi Hilfe who befriends Milland, but it's a shame that Marjorie Reynolds chose to affect a German accent as Carla. It's not very good.
There are some rather far-fetched parts to the story - eg, Carla trusting Steve so wholeheartedly from the beginning (no way!), finding a cake that has been blown up (no way!) and someone rushing through a door to make a getaway yet somehow being shot dead through it (no way!) - yet although the film may be confusing at times due to the number of characters involved, it is still fun entertainment.
The cast all do well and there are some good scenes, eg, the blind man on the train; the seance at Mrs Bellane's (Hillary Brooke) apartment; and the scene at the tailor's shop near the end where Travers (Dan Duryea) casually makes a phone call with an enormous pair of scissors. Carl Esmond is good as Willi Hilfe who befriends Milland, but it's a shame that Marjorie Reynolds chose to affect a German accent as Carla. It's not very good.
There are some rather far-fetched parts to the story - eg, Carla trusting Steve so wholeheartedly from the beginning (no way!), finding a cake that has been blown up (no way!) and someone rushing through a door to make a getaway yet somehow being shot dead through it (no way!) - yet although the film may be confusing at times due to the number of characters involved, it is still fun entertainment.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A bit shy of being a classic, but good in its own right
If there ever was a man in movie history to make spy movies, Fritz Lang was that man. He was among the first to lay down the tropes of the genre in Dr. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Gabor Lux
an entertainment
The Ministry of Fear, published in 1943 was always one of my favourite Graham Greene novels. Unconventional and surreal, it was thriller writing with attitude. Read more
Published 5 months ago by tallmanbaby
Don't guess the weight of the cake!
All sorts of pleasures from this film. The idea that Lang really lost his edge when he went to Hollywood just is not true - Scarlet Street, Hangmen Also Die! Read more
Published 11 months ago by Simon
It's Fun to Watch Him Muddle Through
"The Ministry of Fear," (1944) is a black and white British spy story/crime drama/thriller/film noir, based on the book of the same name, The Ministry Of Fear: An Entertainment... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Stephanie DePue
Innocent? Prove it!
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Ministry Of Fear is directed by Fritz Lang & is adapted for the screen by Seton I. Read more
Ministry Of Fear is directed by Fritz Lang & is adapted for the screen by Seton I. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Spike Owen
Enjoyable film noir
Phout's review makes the good point that many of Lang's innovations now seem commonplace, so it can be hard to appreciate just how good he was. Read more
Published on 24 May 2009 by Mark Pack
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