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Ministry Of Fear [DVD] [1944]
 
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Ministry Of Fear [DVD] [1944]

DVD ~ Ray Milland
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Ministry Of Fear [DVD] [1944]
81% buy the item featured on this page:
Ministry Of Fear [DVD] [1944] 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
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Product details

  • Actors: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, Carl Esmond, Hillary Brooke, Percy Waram
  • Directors: Fritz Lang
  • Writers: Seton I. Miller, Graham Greene
  • Producers: Buddy G. DeSylva, Seton I. Miller
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 3 Sep 2007
  • Run Time: 83 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000RWDYAO
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 28,084 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Synopsis
In Fritz Lang's haunting take on Graham Greene's novel, Ray Milland plays Stephen Neale--a bewildered man just released from an asylum. However, reality proves to be more surreal and perplexing than the asylum itself. Neale wanders through the streets, whimsically stopping off at a rural carnival, where he unwittingly gets involved in a complex and dangerous spy ring that is attempting to smuggle microfilm out of the country. He travels to London and hires a small-time detective to help him decipher the mysterious things that seem to constantly befall him. But things only get more confused from there, leading Stephen to Scotland Yard, where his fate entwines with a Nazi front organization, and a love affair.

Lang paints a rich and complex picture of the double crossings and deceptions of World War II Europe with MINISTRY OF FEAR. Full of seances, back rooms, secret bookstores, and deserted hotels, the film is an atmospheric vision of the War, in which Lang uses expressionist images (a blind man emerging from the fog, beams of light piercing a dark room as gunshots are fired) to articulate the fear and suspicion of Europe in the 1940s.

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Film Noir by Fritz Lang, 26 Dec 2007
By Phoust (Kent, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
"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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good, 28 Dec 2008
By Alex da Silva (Lytham St. Annes, UK) - See all my reviews
I had no idea what to expect when I bought this but I got a result! This film noir begins well and there are some very good scenes. Ray Milland is good in the lead, as always (also see "The Uninvited" from 1944 if you can), and the plot twists and turns so that you suspect different people at different times. The only let-down is Marjorie Reynolds unnecessarily affecting a terrible German accent for the duration of the film - shame! Apart from that, I'm glad I bought it and both my girlfriend and I will be watching it again.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable film noir, 24 May 2009
By Mark Pack (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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. Not helped either by the way that women fall in love with men in such films now looking so hopelessly old fashioned and unrealistic.

But it's a good fun plot that moves along at a nice pace, so there's plenty to enjoy even if you're not into the details of cinematic history.

The DVD is very basic, having the film and the trailer, but no extras.

The back cover of the DVD box gives away a plot twist that is not revealed until well in to the film (as does Amazon's description of the item) so if you're bothered about such things hold off your reading until after watching the film.
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