Man Hunt (1941)

Directed by Fritz Lang; produced by Kenneth Macgowan (associate producer)

Big-game hunter Alan Thorndyke (Walter Pidgeon) has penetrated to within five hundred yards of Hitler’s Bavarian retreat and has the dictator in the sights of his precision rifle. He pulls the trigger on an empty chamber, then slips a live cartridge into the weapon. At that moment, he is discovered. After being tortured, he escapes, but even his return to England brings no safety, as German assassins dog his every step.

Man Hunt doesn’t preserve much beyond the general plot of Geoffrey Household’s 1939 novel Rogue Male, but it nonetheless creates an entertaining adventure, one that deals subtly with its characters in ways not always seen in light thrillers. It is, in fact, the people who make the movie, more than the plot.

Initially, there seems to be confusion as to Thorndyke’s motivation in ‘hunting’ Hitler, yet the reason for this is logical, for Thorndyke himself is confused or, perhaps, dishonest in his thinking. This contributes to the story later on. But there is also truth in the conversations that Thorndyke has with the German Air Force officer who later calls himself Quive-Smith (George Sanders).

Thorndyke’s personality is an interesting one for a hunter, as he is a hunter now only in spirit: he contends that he has become so good at hunting and shooting that to kill has become cruelty. His success is a ‘mathematical certainty’, and therefore his skills give the quarry no chance. Consequently, he has ceased killing and engages only in ‘sporting stalks’ - tracking his prey as if to kill it, but confining himself to the knowledge that such a kill can be achieved, without actually achieving it. Does this apply too to his ‘sporting stalk’ of the German dictator?

There is also the interesting character of Lord Risborough, Thorndyke’s influential older brother, a diplomatist who, it’s implied, was part of the negotiations that led the débâcle of the Munich Crisis. He is dismissed by Quive-Smith as superficial and idiotic. Indeed, the viewer may infer the same when he first meets Risborough. But when he and his sibling discuss the situation, we learn that the older gentleman knows very well what the Nazis are and how they work. As a diplomatist, however, he must present quite a different picture.

Something should be mentioned about Jerry Stokes (Joan Bennett), the Cockney girl who aids and falls for Thorndyke. She manages to convey a vulnerability along with a resourcefulness and forthright nature that is quite credible.

Naturally, all of these characters must be portrayed well enough to make the audience accept them as real, and the actors are up to the challenge. Pidgeon is very good in the lead role, and appears in an extended sequence with Roddy McDowall, with whom he worked in the same year’s How Green Was My Valley. (That’s McDowall’s sister, Virginia, in a tiny bit as the postmistress’s daughter.) And Sanders offers one of his best performances as the air force officer (obviously seconded to a security section) who relentlessly pursues Thorndyke. He makes Quive-Smith charming and almost likeable - as Sanders frequently does with his villains - but also believable. He is as committed to supporting evil as Thorndyke is to fighting it.

The script is less stellar but certainly well-devised. While Thorndyke and Jerry’s interaction is good, the number of times they take leave of each other becomes a bit tiresome. The ending, which is not the usual definitive finale that thrillers usually have, may be reflective of the uncertainty of war, in the midst of which this film was made.

Some disadvantages include the unconvincing Cockney accents on some bit players (Bennett’s is fine) and a few of the scenes set in the East End of London. The reconstruction of an underground station in very convincing, however.

Over all, though, Man Hunt is a superior action movie with more thought than average put into the characters. This, and the actors involved, make the film an enjoyable experience.