IMDb RATING
7.2/10
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British hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided ... Read allBritish hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided by a young woman.British hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by German agents and aided by a young woman.
- Awards
- 1 win
Ludwig Stössel
- Doctor
- (as Ludwig Stossell)
Charles Bennett
- Costermonger
- (uncredited)
Frank Benson
- Cab Driver
- (uncredited)
Ted Billings
- Newsboy
- (uncredited)
Walter Bonn
- Harbor Policeman
- (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg
- Ship's First Mate
- (uncredited)
Egon Brecher
- Whiskers Pawnbroker
- (uncredited)
Cyril Delevanti
- Cab Driver
- (uncredited)
Carl Ekberg
- Adolf Hitler
- (uncredited)
Herbert Evans
- Reeves
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Geoffrey Household
- Dudley Nichols
- Lamar Trotti(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaVery little indeed remains of Geoffrey Household's original novel in this adaptation, but the author, interviewed about it over 30 years later, conceded that "Fritz Lang made a smashing film out of my book."
- GoofsAs Thorndike is being chased through Ye Olde London town, and we know it is London because some Pearly Kings (with the sort of execrable cockney accents that Dick Van Dyke would later utilize) pass him in a cobbled, foggy street, the pub in the background has bat-wing doors of the sort found in western saloons in the US. No pub in Great Britain has such doors; they have proper doorways that keep out the rain, fog, snow, and general misery.
- Quotes
Captain Alan Thorndike: Every good soldier needs a crest for his cap. And you shall have your pin, set with diamonds if you wish.
- Alternate versionsThe Academy Film Archive preserved Man Hunt (1941) in 2000.
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
- SoundtracksShe Was Poor but She Was Honest
(uncredited)
Music by R.P. Weston
Lyrics by Bert Lee
Sung by the street singers
Featured review
Fine example of why Lang is the equal of Hitchcock.
Fritz Lang's Man Hunt is a remarkable achievement in visual suspense and editing. Lang sustains tension throughout by creating a series of plausible hurdles for the protagonist to deal with giving the viewer little time to catch their breath as he is hunted by the Gestapo from Germany to London.
British officer and renowned big game hunter Alan Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon)literally sets his rifle's sight on Hitler at Berchtesgarten but is foiled by security then tortured by the Gestapo to sign a confession. When he refuses they throw him off of a cliff to cover-up but his fall is broken and he manages to escape back to England on a tramp steamer where Nazi agents (England and Germany were not at war at the moment)continue to pursue him. Enlisting the assistance of a cockney streetwalker (Joan Bennett) he eludes their grasp until cornered in a cave.
Fritz Lang's complete command of the medium in Man Hunt is a master class in film-making. Timing, atmosphere, mise en scene, use of sound and editing deftly create a realistic world that morphs into Kafkaesque nightmare of unrelenting tension and suspense.
Pidgeon's Thorndike has a clumsy James Bond like quality and charm about him as he parries with head nemesis George Sanders Gestapo chief. Sanders is a fascinating villain displaying a fluent bi-lingual authority (another testament to Lang's superb ability at visual story telling) checkmating Thorndike continuously.
Within in this suspenseful framework Lang manages to comment on the English class system, hunting ethics, the enemy within and the need for US involvement in fighting Fascism without missing a beat. The score does some arm twisting but doesn't interfere too much with Lang's magnificent construction and follow through. Man Hunt is precision suspense film making at its best.
British officer and renowned big game hunter Alan Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon)literally sets his rifle's sight on Hitler at Berchtesgarten but is foiled by security then tortured by the Gestapo to sign a confession. When he refuses they throw him off of a cliff to cover-up but his fall is broken and he manages to escape back to England on a tramp steamer where Nazi agents (England and Germany were not at war at the moment)continue to pursue him. Enlisting the assistance of a cockney streetwalker (Joan Bennett) he eludes their grasp until cornered in a cave.
Fritz Lang's complete command of the medium in Man Hunt is a master class in film-making. Timing, atmosphere, mise en scene, use of sound and editing deftly create a realistic world that morphs into Kafkaesque nightmare of unrelenting tension and suspense.
Pidgeon's Thorndike has a clumsy James Bond like quality and charm about him as he parries with head nemesis George Sanders Gestapo chief. Sanders is a fascinating villain displaying a fluent bi-lingual authority (another testament to Lang's superb ability at visual story telling) checkmating Thorndike continuously.
Within in this suspenseful framework Lang manages to comment on the English class system, hunting ethics, the enemy within and the need for US involvement in fighting Fascism without missing a beat. The score does some arm twisting but doesn't interfere too much with Lang's magnificent construction and follow through. Man Hunt is precision suspense film making at its best.
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- st-shot
- Feb 4, 2010
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Rogue Male
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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