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Released by: Twilight Time Releasing
Released on: August 12th, 2014.
Director: Fritz Lang
Cast: George Sanders, Walter Pidgeon, John Carradine, Joan Bennett
Year: 1941
Purchase From Screen Archives
The Movie:
Directed by Fritz Lang in 1941 for Fox and based on the novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household, Man Hunt takes place at the onset of the Second World War. In German a man named Captain Alan Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon), a well-respected gamesman, is out in the woods on a sporting stalk wherein he sets out to catch a target in his sights but not to pull the trigger. His target? Adolph Hitler. While most would pull the trigger without any hesitation, Thorndike is a pacifist and is not interested in killing the man.
Of course, when he explains this to the German soldiers who capture him shortly after, they don't buy it. Major Quive-Smith (George Sanders) and his men give Thorndike the third degree and figure that there has to be more to his story than he is letting on. They attempt to beat him into signing a fake confession but he is steadfast in his testimony and refuses. The Nazi's in turn take him to a cliff and toss him over the side but amazingly enough not only does he survive but he manages to make his way back to his native England thanks to a man named Vaner (Roddy McDowall) who helps him stowaway on a Danish ship headed for London. The Nazi's have sent their man Mr. Jones (John Carradine) across the channel to bring Thorne back but Thorndike falls in with the clever Jerry Stokes (Joan Bennett) who helps to ensure that he stays just out of their grasp. As Jerry starts to have feelings for Thorndike, the Nazi's use her to get to him and see in her the perfect way to get him to sign that confession after all.
Although it is more than a little bit far-fetched and features some obvious plot holes, Man Hunt delivers the shadowy cinematography and noirish suspense that fans expect from Fritz Lang's films of this period and it does so in droves. Once the setup is out of the way and the action moves to England, the Nazi's hot on Thorndike's tale, Lang takes us on a twisting and turning tour of London and keeps us on the edge of our seats throughout. Lots of great locations are used well here, from the opening scene where Hitler is very much in Thorndike's sight to the finale where the Nazi thugs encroach on our hero's hideout and they're all a wonderful mix of shadow and light.
The movie slows down and loses focus when the story focuses on Jerry's obvious love for Thorndike (who somehow remains completely oblivious to this) but the performances are solid across the board. Pidgeon makes for a likeable and noble hero and he carries the film while Sanders and Carradine are a lot of fun as the bad guys. Bennett looks right for the part but her accent comes and goes with varying degrees of thickness. She too is likeable in the part and it's fun to see a young Roddy McDowell pop up in an early supporting part.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Twilight Time brings Man Hunt to Blu-ray in AVC encoded 1080p high definition framed at 1.33.1 fullframe and the transfer is excellent. Some shots look sharper than others but this seems to stem back to the photography and more specifically the lighting, not the elements or the transfer. Detail is very strong here throughout the movie while contrast is, with one or two minor exceptions, pretty much perfect. Black levels are nice and deep and texture is strong. The picture is stable and free of compression artifacts or digital tinkering. This is a big step forward in terms of clarity, depth and detail over previous releases.
The only audio option on the disc is an English DTS-HD Mono track, there are no alternate language options here though removable English closed captioning is offered. While the mono track obviously doesn't offer the listening experience a surround mix would, particularly for the action scenes, it does offer a decent amount of depth. Levels are set properly, dialogue is clean and clear and there's not a trace of hiss or distortion to be found. Effects carry a good amount of weight to them and the score has very good clarity to it. The audio here is strong, to be sure.
The main extra on the disc is a commentary track with Fritz Lang biographer Patrick McGilligan who offers up plenty of insight and historical context alongside a great amount of facts and interesting trivia bits relating to the film. He shares some stories about the production and about the cast and crew involved in the film and also makes some observations about how this film contrasts and compares to other Lang movies, most notably those the director made with an obvious and strong stance against the Nazi party. It's a well-paced screen specific talk that occasionally lapses into telling us what we're seeing happen on the screen as it happens but for the most part, McGilligan does fine work here.
The disc also includes a seventeen minute long featurette entitled Rogue Male: The Making of Man Hunt which brings together film historians and critics Ken Newman, Doctor Drew Casper, Steve Haberman, Paul Jense and McGilligan again to offer their thoughts on the effectiveness of this particular entry in Lang's filmography.
Rounding out the extras on the disc is the film's isolated score in DTS-HD, the film's original theatrical trailer as well as some menus and chapter selection. Inside the Blu-ray case is an insert booklet with some archival materials and an essay from Julie Kirgo who offers up her thoughts on the picture and provides some welcome background information and trivia about the film and just as importantly, on Lang's life and times and how they related to this specific film. It's a good essay well worth reading.
The Final Word:
Fritz Lang's Man Hunt isn't the director's best film but it's a solid thriller that rises above its' somewhat unrealistic premise to provide some solid suspense and a few top quality thrills. The cast do fine work but it's Lang's knack for moody visuals that really shines here, particularly in the excellent high definition transfer as presented on this disc. Throw in a couple of solid extras and this turns out to be a strong release overall.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
Nice observation, but... George Sanders! All kinds of great. I place HOSE BY THE RIVER pretty high too.