Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Man Between Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 11, 2020

Carol Reed's "The Man Between" (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include new interview with star Claire Bloom; archival audio interview with James Mason; audio commentary by critic and author Simon Abrams; and vintage documentary. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

We are going to reach the other side -- and we will do it tonight.

I can’t agree with Claire Bloom that the plot of Carol Reed’s film The Man Between is too complicated. The real issue is that large chunks of it are quite unbelievable. The romance and melodrama also pull the film in an entirely different direction, essentially making it impossible for Reed to deliver a post-war spy thriller replicating the atmosphere of The Third Man, which was apparently his intention. (Bloom discusses her contribution to The Man Between and the film's merits in a recent interview that was conducted for StudioCanal).

Berlin, shortly after the end of WWII. Susanne (Bloom) arrives in town to visit her older brother, Martin (Geoffrey Toone), a major, who is stationed there and lives with his German wife, Bettina (Hildegarde Neff). Soon after, Susanne is casually introduced to Ivo (James Mason), an acquaintance of Bettina, who frequently visits East Berlin and he volunteers to show her around. Bettina isn’t pleased with Ivo’s surprising offer but Martin does not object and Susanne accepts. After a trip to the Soviet sector, however, Susanne is mistakenly kidnapped and held hostage by East German secret agents working closely with Soviet agents to capture a high-profile West German nemesis operating in the British sector. The error reveals that Ivo has been assisting the East Germans and then quickly produces a rift between him and his superior after he unceremoniously rejects his plea to have the shocked girl released. While the East Germans begin working on a new strategy to entrap their target, Ivo helps Susanne escape and together they embark on a dangerous journey to the British sector.

The film is broken into two uneven sections and only a portion of the second manages to produce the thrills that make The Third Man so special. In the first, Reed goes to work to build and legitimize a romantic relationship that simplifies Bloom’s visitor in a way that routinely makes her decisions appear very suspicious. Also, this occurs mostly at the expense of the suspense which the film desperately needs in order to appear credible. So, for a while it looks like Reed not only struggles to balance the romance and suspense, but actually favors the former. This is the exact reason why some of the loose ends of the narrative, where secondary but important relationships are established, leave the impression that the big picture is a bit too complicated.

Once Bloom and Mason’s characters disappear into the thick shadows of East Berlin the film becomes exciting. The chosen locations are truly spectacular and quickly flood the film with the type of tense atmosphere it must have to rival The Third Man. But the journey to freedom is often interrupted by melodramatic material that works against it, so instead of becoming the central attraction the dark alleys and ruins of East Berlin begin to feel like an exotic background for an unexpected but predictably tragic romantic affair.

It is hard to argue that this film is a failure because it produces plenty of memorable visuals from a place that no longer exists, but it is even harder not to agree that a terrific opportunity was missed to produce a sublime Cold War thriller that now would have been considered a genre classic. Reed sees the divided German capital the right way, and even nature appears willing to cooperate, but when all is said and done one is left with the impression that Harry Kurnitz’s script probably did not deliver the proper material for that kind of a film.

*Old reports indicate that Reed was apparently not happy with the quality of Kurnitz’s script and even attempted to have it rewritten once production of the film was initiated. Screenwriter Evelyn Waugh was approached with an offer to redo the script, but he refused.

The Man Between Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Man Between arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This film was digitally remastered before it made its high-definition debut via StudioCanal in the United Kingdom. This release is sourced from the same restored master that was used to produce this Region-B release.

Virtually the entire film looks really good, often even excellent, but there are a few spots with small age-related imperfections. For example, some of these spots reveal extremely light fading, though the overall balance of the visuals remains convincing. Minor density fluctuations can be spotted as well, but they are the type of inherited fluctuations that are either extremely difficult or impossible to address even with the latest digital tools. A few small blemishes and tiny cuts remain as well. The rest looks great. Delineation and clarity are quite wonderful and plenty of the darker footage from the chase boast excellent depth. I also like the grading job. The blacks are solid but balanced properly, plus the ranges of grays and whites look very convincing. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Predictably, the entire film has a very pleasing organic appearance. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Man Between Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and very clear. The upper register is also clean and stable. I had the volume turned up quite a bit and did not detect any weaknesses to report in our review. On the contrary, I was actually somewhat surprised by the nicely rounded and thick sound that was coming out of my speakers.

The Man Between Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Claire Bloom - in this recent video interview, actress Claire Bloom recalls how she was cast to play Susanne, her initial impressions of being around and working with Carol Reed and James Mason, and what it was like to visit Berlin during the Cold War era. Mrs. Bloom also has some very interesting comments about the reception of The Man Between and the evolution of her career. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Carol Reed: A Gentle Eye - this documentary feature takes a closer look at Carol Reed's personal life and career. Included in it are clips from interviews with director John Boorman, family friends Ben Harrison and Andrew Birkin, actor Bryan Forves, and assistant director Guy Hamilton, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (44 min, 1080p).

• Interview with James Mason - in this archival audio interview, James Mason discusses his philosophy of acting, the state of the film business at the time, some of the films he had contributed to, etc. The interview was conducted at the BFI in 1967. In English, not subtitled. (42 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, critic and author Simon Abrams offers a good deconstruction of The Man Between and shares plenty of interesting information about the conception and production of the film as well as the careers of Carol Reed, James Mason, and some of the other actors that helped make the film. It is a good commentary.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailer for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Naked Alibi
  2. Razzia sur la chnouf
  3. It Always Rains on Sunday
  4. 99 River Street

The Man Between Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Less romantic melodrama and a lot more Cold War suspense would have made The Man Between a vastly superior film. I doubt it would have matched the brilliance of The Third Man, but it could have been much closer to the type of film Carol Reed wanted it to be. So as it is, I find The Man Between attractive only because it has some pretty incredible footage from post-war Berlin, which is essential for period spy thrillers from its era, but I also see a lot in it that could have been managed much better. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very nice restored master that was supplied by StudioCanal. RECOMMENDED.