Man Hunt is a 1941 movie directed by Fritz Lang. Its story, setting and hints of revisionist history could have inspired Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.
Man Hunt tells the story of Alan Thorndike, a British big game hunter and adventurist. Thorndike is vacationing in Bavaria when he stumbles upon Adolf Hitler. Thorndike has Hitler in his sights, but doesn’t shoot. He’s then captured by the Nazis. After escaping back to Britain, Thorndike has his identity stolen and is pursued by Gestapo forces.
There are some interesting parallels between Man Hunt and Inglorious Basterds. While the movie isn’t a direct influence on Tarantino’s work, Man Hunt attempts to place a fictional character into the historical space of World War II. Thorndike is swept up into a web of spies – similar to Basterds’ Archie Hickox – as he is pursued by Nazi agent Quive-Smith. The Nazis want Thorndike to sign a confession admitting that he tried to kill Hitler – as this action would draw Britain into the war and validate Germany’s invasion of Europe.
Walter Pidgeon plays Thorndike and is well-suited for the role. He’s a striking 1940’s leading man and possesses a kind of necessary gentle charm. In explaining his actions to Quive-Smith, Thorndike admits to tracking Hitler – but states that it would be cruelty to kill what was such an easy target. There’s little malice in Thorndike’s character – he’s likely a bored adventurer arising from a wealthy and connected background.
Pidgeon is most effective in his scenes with George Sanders’ Quive-Smith: the two subtly duel over intent with the subtext of Hitler’s rise in the background. Later, they match wits as Thorndike is trapped in a cave and has to fashion an escape.
The movie’s early symbolism gets lost as the story shifts to Britain – the evil pageantry of the Nazis is displayed when Thorndike is captured and then beaten. Similarly, the monocled and precise Quive-Smith has the potential to make an exceptional villain. However, he disappears for long stretches of the movie, as the story shifts to a steamboat and then the underground of Britain. During these sequences, Lang shines as he brilliantly uses shadows and lighting to create the tenuous, mysterious feel of a spy thriller.
The remainder of Man Hunt veers into two storylines – one involving the stealth spy Mr. Jones and a romantic entanglement with Joan Bennett’s Jerry. Onboard the steamship, Thorndike has his identity stolen by Jones and later encounters him in an underground tunnel, where the two battle. The fake Thorndike is killed, which leads to the pursuit of the real Thorndike to intensify. This subplot could be intriguing but is largely underplayed. The Jones character is essentially dull, with the exception of the hidden sword in his cane.
Jerry serves as the romantic interlude movies of the the time essentially required. There’s never a physical moment between the two characters and often the relationship has more of a father-daughter feel. Jerry sports an over eager cockney accent and seems to accentuate Thorndike’s debonair manner. He refers to her as “monkey”, while she is obviously falling for him. It’s a sweet dynamic but gets bloated as the movie progresses. They practically repeat the same tender goodbye scene several times. She blindly follows him and later becomes ensnared in the spy game. While the scenes labor, Lang does produce some gorgeous shots.
The final twenty minutes of Man Hunt are its best. Quive-Smith has trapped Thorndike in a cave – his release is conditional on signing a confession that he attempted to kill Hitler. Once Thorndike is presented with evidence of Jerry’s demise at the hands of the Gestapo, he fashions a bow and arrow and strikes Quive-Smith – who is ready with his own pistol. The scene is reminiscent of Shosanna shooting Frederick Zoller, only to be wounded herself. The ending sees a recovering Thorndike dreaming of Jerry before dropping from a parachute into Germany to likely finish the job on Hitler.
The BEST – No Subtitles
I’m not sure of the director’s intent, but I enjoyed the early sequences where we don’t know what the Nazis are saying. This adds to the intrigue of Thorndike’s capture and helps to create mystery regarding the level of villainy on display. Again, it could all be accidental, but such a layer can only aid a spy movie.
The BEST Part 2 – Jerry’s Pin
Thorndike fashioning a weapon from Jerry’s hat pin was classic. Although this scene appeared at the end of the movie, it helped to establish Thorndike’s skill as a hunter – something that was only apparent from the movie’s brief opening scene.
The WORST – Jerry’s Pin
Jerry complaining about losing her original hat pin was painful to watch – or at least hear. Joan Bennett appears to be a classic 1940’s actress, but her accent comes and goes with her level of emotion.
The WORST Part 2 -“Don’t be stubborn. Do you want to be choked again?”
Thorndike brings Jerry home to his family and is clearly playing games with their aristocratic sensibilities. He needs money to pay Jerry and hints at a different kind of relationship the two are pursuing. However, we’re immediately reminded of the time period with this line.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING -3/5
Man Hunt is definitely of its time. It’s a great concept for a movie, features a terrific lead actor and creates some stunning, moody visuals. The story wanders at times – likely thanks to an unnecessary subplot – but is still inventive.
