Rent The Man Between (1953)

3.5 of 5 from 78 ratings
1h 38min
Rent The Man Between Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
A later collaboration between James Mason and Carol Reed, 'The Man Between' is often considered a companion piece to The Third Man thanks to its atmospheric portrayal of a city struggling to survive in a grim post-war reality of poverty and mistrust The action is transposed to a divided Berlin, and to the beginning of the Cold War. Unlike the devilish Harry Lime, Mason's world-weary dealer Ivo Kern is ultimately still a decent man, compelled by his love for a naive schoolteacher (Claire Bloom) to make one last misguided trip through the Brandenburg Gate, with potentially tragic consequences.
Actors:
, , , , , , Dieter Krause, Hilde Sessak, , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Carol Reed
Writers:
Walter Ebert, Harry Kurnitz, Eric Linklater
Studio:
StudioCanal
Genres:
Classics, Drama, Thrillers
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like: The Miracle of Bern, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: James Mason, The Third Man At 75
BBFC:
Release Date:
02/01/2017
Run Time:
98 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.37:1
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Interview with Claire Bloom
  • Carol Reed: A Gentle Eye Documentary
  • BFI Audio Interview with James Mason (1967)
BBFC:
Release Date:
02/01/2017
Run Time:
102 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.37:1
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Interview with Claire Bloom
  • Carol Reed: A Gentle Eye Documentary
  • BFI Audio Interview with James Mason (1967)

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Reviews (1) of The Man Between

Spy drama. - The Man Between review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
28/05/2023

This is a conspicuous imitation of Carol Reed's own The Third Man, this time set in the ruins of Berlin. And almost inevitably it got lost in the shadows of a legend. The Man Between suffers in comparison in many way, but most obviously the script. There isn't the moral complexity of Graham Greene's story, where the McGuffin of the diluted penicillin is genuinely poignant.

This time there's an East German spy ring kidnapping agents from the west. Claire Bloom is a young English tourist visiting her brother in pre-wall West Berlin. She becomes entangled in the schemes of a former Nazi soldier now working for the Communists, played by James Mason. Her naivety makes it difficult for her to understand how corrupt he is.

And his cynicism makes him utterly unable to comprehend her innocence. Which is an interesting contrast, and the film deepens when they fall in love during a long sequence while he helps her escape from his own comrades. Leading to a classic denouement, trapped between the check points in no mans land.

While this can't match the famous visual imagery of The Third Man, the b&w photography is still gorgeous, particularly of cold war Berlin in the snow. The stars are well cast. There's a fine, moody jazz score. The story is a bit of a muddle. It succeeds most as an atmospheric period piece, a photogenic fantasy of espionage on the edge of a new frontier.

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