MAN HUNT (1941). Directed by Fritz Lang. Starring Walter Pidgeon, Joan Bennett. Immediately prior to the outbreak of World War II, Capt. Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon), a world-famous British big-game hunter is vacationing in Bavaria. While out hunting, he happens upon Berchtesgaden, Hitler’s well-guarded private estate. Unable to resist the temptation of the ultimate hunt, he commences to explore the possibility of “sport-stalking” Adolf Hitler. He adjusts his sights, lines Hitler up in his crosshairs, and pulls the trigger on an empty chamber. After a moment of pause, however, he loads a bullet into his rifle and appears set to repeat the act for real, but he is caught by a guard before he can complete the deed. His Nazi captors brutalize him in an attempt to force him to sign a spurious confession claiming that he is an assassin sent under the orders of the British government. When their methods fail to have the desired effect on Thorndike’s will, they throw him off of a high cliff, hoping to stage his death as an accident. When they search for his body the next morning, however, it is gone. Thorndike has miraculously survived the fall and made his way to the ocean, where he stows aboard a Danish steamer bound for London. The Nazis follow Thorndike to London, and the hunter becomes the hunted in a desperate quest for survival. One of the things that makes this film interesting and complex is that it was actually made during the war, but just prior to America’s involvement. This is the first in a series of anti-Nazi films directed by Fritz Lang upon his immigration to America, and one can’t help but feel as if there is something personal beyond the quest for art or entertainment at the heart of the film. Fritz Lang, a German-Austrian of Jewish ancestry (although personally of the Roman Catholic faith), deeply disapproved of the Nazi regime and had fled Germany both for his own safety and to avoid being forced to make propaganda films for the Nazis. Ironically, while one might come to the conclusion that, with Man Hunt, Lang decided to make propaganda for America rather than the Germans, the reality is actually much more complicated. Lang had to force the film through the Hays Office, which saw it as a “hate” film that violated America’s neutrality policy at the time. In order to get the film made, Lang had to eliminate any scenes actually depicting Nazi brutality and agree to a number of stipulations regarding who could and could not be involved in the editing process (even if he did not actually abide by them). Having been one of the foremost practitioners of German Expressionist filmmaking prior to his exodus from Germany, Fritz Lang was also crucial in introducing the restrained form of Expressionism that would become the stylistic trademark of film noir to America. This is clearly evident in the earlier and later portions of the film. Unfortunately, this film commits the cardinal sin of vintage Hollywood and introduces a love interest (Joan Bennett) and a romantic subplot halfway into a film that it doesn’t belong in to begin with. For the entirety of the third quarter of the film (approximately a half hour), Man Hunt takes a painful detour from being a taut, dark espionage thriller as it tries to be a romantic comedy. Fortunately, the Nazi’s come back, and the finale is both awesome and ridiculous enough to save the film from being a total disaster. (SPOILER: Trapped in a cave by the lead Gestapo agent on his case, Thorndike escapes by constructing a makeshift bow and arrow out of spare pieces of wood, his belt, and a hat pin and shooting the Nazi through the neck.) Nevertheless, the film continues even after its logical conclusion and becomes pure allied propaganda of the most ridiculous sort. (SPOILER: The film shows actual footage of Hitler invading Poland and France at the outbreak of the war. Seeing his opportunity to avenge his love, Thorndike joins the British military, but when his crew’s airplane flies over Germany, he bails out with his rifle and a parachute without permission and with the intention of stalking and assassinating Hitler for real this time.) Overall, Man Hunt manages to save itself as a decent and mostly taut World War II thriller. The basic premise is a good one and there is a lot to enjoy in the earlier and later portions of the film, as well as a lot to think about, given the film’s historical context. The third quarter is truly unfortunate and entirely unnecessary, however, and makes it so I cant wholeheartedly recommend this film. I would have preferred to have seen more of the Nazis chasing Thorndike around the streets and tunnels of London at night. You might want to fast forward through it. At least it has Nazis and some good cinematography. It’s surprising that Hollywood hadn’t yet realized that Nazis make the best villains. Fortunately, the more propaganda-esque elements of the film that Lang managed to sneak by the Hays Office are ridiculous enough to be enjoyable. I’ve attached a YouTube link to the entire film, although you can also catch it on Netflix. -MOJO HAND https://youtube/watch?v=lGFsIZV7kCM
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 20:25:27 +0000
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