Upon viewing Man Hunt, it becomes nearly impossible to not wonder what kind of director Fritz Lang might have become had he not fled Nazi Germany. Apparently not understanding the subtext of M and Metropolis, the Third Reich government offered him the chance to direct propaganda films for them based on the strength of those two films, which are still by and large considered to be Lang’s best; instead, he left the country that very day, making a quick stop in France before making Hollywood films for the rest of his life, none of which ever achieved the legacy that his German films did. Certainly, living in Nazi Germany is more than we could ever really ask from an artist, but it’s a sure bet that whatever he would have made, it would have been a whole lot more interesting than Man Hunt.
The film opens in the year 1939 with Alan Thorndike (Walter Pidgeon) trekking across the mountains of Bavaria with his rifle, finding Hitler in his crosshairs and then getting beaten and captured by German soldiers before he can fire. Once brought in, he is tortured by Quive-Smith (George Sanders), who insists that he sign a document claiming that he was there acting on behalf of the British government, which would naturally precipitate Britain’s entrance into World War II (which had not begun yet, nor does historical evidence indicate that Germany wanted Britain to enter the war, but that’s neither here nor there). He refuses, and then manages to escape first his captors and then the country. But since that wouldn’t make much of a film, the Germans follow him there, continuing to forcefully insist that he sign the document. And since that also wouldn’t make much of a movie, he meets a young woman by the name of Jerry Stokes (Joan Bennett) who also gets wrapped up in the whole mess.
Now this is by no means a bad film. It is competently directed, written and acted by all involved (particularly George Sanders, who very well may be the reason that all action movie villains are required to have European accents). But it is by no means a Fritz Lang film, at least not a Fritz Lang film in the way that his myth would imply. It is not confrontational, stylistically challenging, or even especially offbeat considering it comes from the man who built his career on a movie about a child-murdering pedophile. It’s entirely possible that seeing his country fall into the hands of the exact kind of angry mob he’d been proselytizing against for years would have a very personal effect on him, and that he would be all too happy to make a propaganda film supporting the British against the Nazi regime, but the end result doesn’t feel like that. It has none of the rage, frustration, or pathos that would suggest such a reaction. Instead, it feels like a foreign director trying to accommodate the the whims of the audience of the day and approximate the mood and taste of his adopted country in the way that has muddled the talents of many an experienced filmmaker (Fernando Meirelles and John Woo are two good examples of that). Without inferring too much into Mr. Lang’s psyche, much of this film seems like an attempt to repeat the success of The Thirty-Nine Steps by secretly disguising it as another movie and hoping that filmgoers won’t notice (another thing that happens more than we probably recognize).
DVD Bonus Features
First, we have an audio commentary by Patrick McGilligan (a Lang historian and the author of his biography) which comes across as more of a lecture than a conversation. McGilligan recites history in as dry a tone of voice as could possibly be imagined.
"Rogue Male: The Making of Man Hunt" is a short documentary on the making of the film that relates the production history, what was going on in the world at the time, and Lang’s difficulty in adjusting to Hollywood. The disc also features the trailer, a restoration comparison, a still gallery, an artwork gallery and an advertising gallery.
"Man Hunt" is on sale May 19, 2009 and is rated NR. Thriller. Directed by Fritz Lang. Written by Dudley Nichols. Starring Geoffrey Household, George Sanders, Joan Bennett, John Carradine, Roddy McDowall, Walter Pidgeon.
