''Man Hunt'' is a 1941 American political thriller film, directed by

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

and starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett. It is based on the 1939 novel '' Rogue Male'' by Geoffrey Household and is set in Europe just prior to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Lang had fled Germany into exile in 1933 and this was the first of his four anti-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

films, which include '' Ministry of Fear'', '' Hangmen Also Die!'', and ''

Cloak and Dagger "Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common by the time of the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery. Over ...

''. It was

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was a British-American actor whose career spanned over 270 screen and stage roles across over 60 years. Born in London, he began his acting career as a child in his n ...

's first Hollywood film after escaping London following

the Blitz The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War. Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...

. ''Man Hunt'' was one of many films released in 1941 that were considered so pro-British that they influenced neutral members of the U.S. public to sympathize with the British side in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The film portrays Britain's pre-war policy of appeasement with Germany in its willingness to extradite one of its own citizens without any defense, and its depiction of Nazi agents freely walking about London, impersonating police, and terrorizing civilians. The story was filmed again under its original title, '' Rogue Male'' (1976), by the BBC in a version starring Peter O'Toole.

Plot

On July 29, 1939, renowned British big-game hunter Captain Alan Thorndike slips through the forest undetected near the Berghof,

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's residence near

Berchtesgaden Berchtesgaden () is a municipality in the district Berchtesgadener Land, Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, near the border with Austria, south of Salzburg and southeast of Munich. It lies in the Berchtesgaden Alps. South of the town, the Be ...

. With Hitler in his

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate p ...

, he pulls the trigger on his unloaded rifle and gives a wave. He ponders a moment, then loads a live round, but is discovered at the last second by a guard, and the rifle goes off in their struggle. After being beaten, Thorndike is taken to Major Quive-Smith, who is also a devoted hunter and an admirer. Thorndike explains that he was not trying to kill, but did it just as a "sporting stalk", purely for the thrill of going after the biggest game of all. The major is unsure whether to believe him and insists that he sign a confession that he was working as an assassin for the British government. When Thorndike refuses, he is tortured, but remains steadfast and warns of "questions being asked in high places" if he is killed, as his brother Lord Risborough is a very important diplomat. Quive-Smith arranges to have Thorndike pushed off a cliff to make his death look like suicide. Thorndike survives when his knapsack gets caught in a tree, breaking his fall. He eludes his pursuers and reaches a port. He steals a rowing boat, but is forced to abandon it when a patrol boat comes near. He swims to a nearby ship. British

cabin boy A cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy or young man who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain. The modern merchant navy successor to the cabin boy is the steward's assistant. Duties Cabin boys ...

Vaner helps Thorndike hide aboard. The Germans find Thorndike's coat and passport aboard the rowboat and search the nearby Danish-registered vessel. Though they find nothing, they place an agent on board the London-bound freighter using Thorndike's passport to impersonate him. The agent is met by German confederates in London. Thorndike, mistakenly believing he is safe, casually disembarks and is spotted. He manages to hide in the apartment of a young woman named Jerry Stokes who lends him money so that he can reach his brother. When Lord Risborough tells his brother that the British government, continuing its pre-war policy of appeasement, would have to extradite him if he were found, Thorndike decides to hide in Africa. Jerry tries to refuse a large reward, leading Lady Risborough to assume that it is payment for other services, but Thorndike insists it isn't, and that she take it. He also buys her a new hatpin, as she had lost hers when they first met. She chooses a cheap chromium arrow and insists that Thorndike present it to her. Thorndike likens it to her, saying both are "straight and shiny". By this point, Jerry is in love. Quive-Smith arrives in London to join the hunt. When Thorndike calls on his solicitor, Farnsworthy, the Nazis are once again on his trail. Chased into a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

station, Thorndike struggles with the agent, who is killed when he is thrown onto an electrified rail. The dead man, mutilated beyond recognition by a subsequent train, is identified by his papers as Thorndike; the real Thorndike, identified as the murderer while leaving the station, is then subjected to a manhunt by British police. Thorndike tells Jerry to have Lord Risborough send him a letter in three weeks to the care of the

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis ( ) is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and ...

post office, then flees London for more secure cover. Thorndike hides in a cave, but alarms the local postmistress when he tries to pick up the letter. He grabs it and retreats to his cave, where he finds it is from Quive-Smith, who has followed him to his lair. Quive-Smith seals the only entrance and passes Thorndike the confession and a pen through an airhole, threatening to leave him trapped inside. Quive-Smith slides in Jerry's beret, informing Thorndike that she was thrown out a window to her death when she would not betray him. The Germans found him by using the address that Thorndike had written for her. Badgered by Quive-Smith, Thorndike finally admits that he subconsciously intended to assassinate Hitler. He then agrees to sign the confession. Quive-Smith unblocks the entrance and waits to shoot Thorndike as he crawls out. However, Thorndike uses his belt and a slat from his bed to fabricate a bow, then a stick and the pin from Jerry's hat as a makeshift arrow, and shoots Quive-Smith through the airhole. When Thorndike emerges, Quive-Smith wounds him before dying. By the time Thorndike recovers, the war is well underway. Thorndike joins the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

as a Bomber Command crewman. On a mission over Germany, he parachutes out with his hunting rifle, intending to assassinate Hitler.

Cast

* Walter Pidgeon as Captain Thorndike * Joan Bennett as Jerry Stokes *

George Sanders George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous charac ...

as Quive-Smith *

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later J ...

as Mr. Jones *

as Vaner *

Ludwig Stössel Ludwig Stössel (12 February 1883 – 29 January 1973) was an Austrian actor. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses who were forced to flee Germany when the Nazis came to power in 1933. Biography Stössel began performing on the stage ...

as the doctor * Heather Thatcher as Lady Risborough * Frederick Worlock as Lord Risborough * Roger Imhof as Captain Jensen *

Egon Brecher Egon Brecher (18 February 1880 – 12 August 1946) was an Austrian-born American actor and director. He also served as the chief director of Vienna's Stadttheater, before entering the motion picture industry. Early years Brecher was born on 1 ...

as the jeweler * Lester Matthews as the major * Holmes Herbert as Saul Farnsworthy * Eily Malyon as the postmistress * Arno Frey as the police lieutenant * Frederick Vogeding as ambassador * Wilhelm von Brincken as the harbor police chief * Cyril Delevanti as the cab driver (uncredited) * Olaf Hytten as Piel, Saul's law clerk (uncredited)

Production

''Man Hunt'' became the first

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

to attract the attention of the Hays Office in the neutral United States.

Joseph Breen Joseph Ignatius Breen (October 14, 1888 – December 5, 1965) was an American film censor with the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America who applied the Hays Code to film production.Staff report (December 8, 1965). Joseph I. ...

was alarmed by the script, calling it a "hate film".p.58 Glancey, H. Mark ''When Hollywood Loved Britain'' 1999 Manchester University Press Breen felt that in the isolationist atmosphere of the 1941 U.S., the film showed all Germans as evil, unlike other films that depicted both good non-Nazi Germans as well as evil Nazis. Breen insisted that the Germans should not be characterised as being so brutal and that the office would pass the film only if it would "indicate" brutality rather than show it. As a result, Thorndike's torture was not shown, but the idea was made apparent to the audience. Darryl F. Zanuck was also worried about Lang's anti-Nazi enthusiasm and banned him from the editing room. However, Lang and his associate Gene Fowler, Jr. secretly edited the film without Zanuck's approval. Isolationists and Nazi sympathizers took issue with the film, along with '' That Hamilton Woman'' (1941) and others, describing such films as pro-British propaganda to change American public opinion about going to war. The film features an instrumental version of " A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" by

Eric Maschwitz Albert Eric Maschwitz Order of the British Empire, OBE (10 June 1901 – 27 October 1969), sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, editor, broadcaster and broadcasting executive. Life and work Born in Edgbaston, ...

, Manning Sherwin and Jack Strachey as a recurring romantic theme. The score's recurring theme for the Nazis was composed by the film's musical director Alfred Newman.

Response

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

, writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in June 1941, commented that "''Man Hunt'' rates somewhat above the run of ordinary 'chase' films" projecting "certain subtle psychological overtones", but "it doesn't fulfill its possibilities completely". Dave Kehr reviewing a DVD release in the same publication in 2009, commented "as agitprop the film could not be more effective", but "it also has the timeless quality of a work of pure imagination".

Preservation

The Academy Film Archive preserved ''Man Hunt'' in 2000.

Radio adaptation

''Man Hunt'' was presented on '' Philip Morris Playhouse'' July 31, 1942, starring Robert Montgomery.

Notes

External links

* * *
''Man Hunt'' review
at Mystery*File (David L. Vineyard)

''

'', May 15, 2009 ( Dave Kehr) {{Authority control 1940s English-language films 1940s German-language films 1940s multilingual films 1940s political thriller films 1941 films 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films American multilingual films American political thriller films American World War II propaganda films Films about Adolf Hitler Films about assassinations Films about hunting Films about Nazi Germany Films based on British novels Films directed by Fritz Lang Films set in 1939 Films set in Bavaria Films set in London Films with screenplays by Dudley Nichols World War II films made in wartime English-language war films English-language thriller films Films scored by Alfred Newman German-language American films