Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Ministry of Fear Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 29, 2018

Fritz Lang's "Ministry of Fear" (1944) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival Q&A session with director Fritz Lang; new video interview with critic Tony Rayns; gallery of vintage promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, an overview of contemporary critical responses and historic articles on the film, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Shortly after he is released from a mental institution, Stephen Neale (Ray Milland, The Lost Weekend) decides to enter what looks like an exciting village fair to kill some time until his train arrives. While paying for his ticket, he is told that the event is run by an organization called Mothers of the Free Nations. An unusually kind mind reader then reveals to him the exact weight of a cake that will be given to the person that guesses correctly its weight. Without thinking much, Stephen 'wins' the cake and then heads back to the train station. Before he exits the fair a second man accompanied by an elegant woman appears and attempts to reclaim the cake, but Stephen refuses to give it to him.

On the train Stephen is joined by a bubbly blind man. Before they reach London, the blind man hits him on the head with some heavy object, grabs the cake, jumps off the train and disappears into the night. Stephen follows him but at the same time German planes begin dropping bombs and a thick dark smoke quickly covers the area. One of the bombs falls right in front of the man with the cake and kills him. While looking around for a clue that would reveal to him why the man risked his life for a cake, Stephen discovers a small piece from his revolver.

In London, Stephen begins looking for answers. He visits the office of a company run by two Austrian refugees, Willi (Carl Esmond, Address Unknown) and Carla Hilfe (Marjorie Reynolds, Meet Me on Broadway), associated with Mothers of the Free Nations to get the address of the mind reader that told him how to win the cake. Willi takes Stephen to the mind reader, but he is greeted by a different person (the gorgeous Hillary Brooke, Heat Wave). While waiting to speak with her, Stephen joins a séance. Right in the middle of it, while the lights are turned off, someone kills one of the participants. Stephen is immediately accused of murder. In the days ahead, he tries to clear his name and figure out why so many different people wanted the cake he won at the fair.

The script for this early film noir directed by Fritz Lang is a bit uneven. There is this domino effect where one event typically leads to another and then another, but Lang does not always reveal why they occur or what roles the different players in them have. The approach, however, enhances rather well the sense of paranoia that enters the film after the man with the cake is killed.

Ministry of Fear is based on the famous novel by Graham Greene in which the main character suffers amnesia after he is seriously injured. In the second half of the film Stephen is also injured but does not lose his memory. He quickly recuperates and with a little bit of help from one of the two women that confess to him that they love him he uncovers a massive plan to change the course of the war.

Milland’s character isn’t easy to embrace, partially because of the fact that his past remains veiled in secrecy for a rather long period of time, but his struggles to solve the puzzle he has suddenly become a part of are fascinating to behold. Despite her limited time in front of the camera, Brooke, a stunningly beautiful actress, also leaves a lasting impression. In one of the best sequences in the entire film she welcomes Milland to her place and proceeds to seduce him while he carefully attempts to steal a small gun from her purse.

Ministry of Fear was lensed by cinematographer Henry Sharp, who worked on many of Douglas Fairbanks’ best films, such as Albert Parker’s The Black Pirate, Allan Dwan’s The Iron Mask, and Donald Crisp’s Don Q Son of Zorro.

Ministry of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fritz Lang's Ministry of Fear arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release appears to have been sourced from the restored 2K master that Criterion prepared and used for the North American release of Ministry of Fear in 2013. I think that it is a pretty good master. Aside from some minor density fluctuations and some extremely light wear the film has a pretty solid organic appearance, and on a large screen the visuals remain very pleasing. The grading is also convincing. The blacks and whites are solid but nicely balances, while between them there is a very healthy range of gray nuances. There are no traces of digital tinkering. Image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Ministry of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

If you turn up the volume a bit in the background there is some extremely light hiss that occasionally makes its presence felt. I did not find it at all distracting, but this is one of these older films where the music does tend bring up the hiss a bit more. This being said, clarity and overall stability are excellent.

Ministry of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Ministry of Fear. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• The BFI Interview with Fritz Lang - presented here is an archival recording of a Q&A session with Fritz Lang that was conducted by Stanley Reed after a screening of Metropolis at the National Film Theatre in London on January 8, 1962. The iconic director discusses the creative environment in Germany before and after the war as well as in Hollywood, some of the main differences between projects made for TV and the big screen, the different cameramen he worked with over the years, whether professional reviews impact the film business, the use of music, etc. (80 min).

• Commentary - critic Neil Sinyard discusses selected scenes from the film.

• Between Two Worlds - in this new video interview, critic Tony Rayns discusses the interesting personal life and career of director Fritz Lang, the conception of Ministry of Fear, and some of the film's more interesting themes. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Creative Allies - in this new video interview, critic Adrian Wootton discusses Graham Greene's novel, its critical reception, the evolution of the film noir genre after the end of the war, and the production of Ministry of Fear. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Ministry of Fear.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet with a new essay by Neil Sinyard, an overview of contemporary critical responses and historic articles on the film, as well as technical credits.

Ministry of Fear Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I like this release a lot. It is sourced from Criterion's 2K restored master of Ministry of Fear and has a couple of very good bonus features. The archival Q&A session with Fritz Lang, in particular, has a number of very interesting observations about the film industries in Germany and the United States after the end of the war as well as some of the cameramen that the iconic director worked with. Keep in mind that the release is Region-B "locked". VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.