The Man in Search of His Murderer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Man in Search of His Murderer Blu-ray Movie Review

The Man in Search of His Murderer is a German production with early cinematic contributions from filmmakers who would later go on to have illustrious Hollywood careers (including the great Billy Wilder). The black comedy is based on the play by Ernst Neubach. Produced by Erich Pommer (Metropolis, The Last Laugh), The Man in Search of His Murderer is worth a watch.

Hans Herfort (Heinz Ruhmann) is going through a rough-patch: he decides he wants to be murdered and hires a petty criminal to murder him during a burglary. However, Hans soon finds that life is looking up for the better – and he decides he doesn't want to be murdered anymore. Attempting to prevent his orchestrated murder from taking place after all, Hans attempts to end the contract with the murderer before its too late. Can Hans stop his own contracted murder?

The performance by Heinz Ruhmann is one of the elements that makes The Man in Search of His Murderer so effective. The actor plays the role with a genuine goofiness that is appropriate for a genuinely off-the-wall storyline (like this one). The performance plays to the comedy of the film (providing ample situational-comedy). The end result is a performance that helps to carry the film through to the end.

The production has some compelling elements. The art direction by Robert Herlth (Looping the Loop, Waltz War) and Walter Rohrig (The Wedding Journey, The Temporary Widow) is effective and never struggles to help the filmmaking excel. There is also exceptional cinematography by Otto Baecker (Gold, A Blonde Dream) and Konstantin Irmen-Tschet (Woman in the Moon, Murder for Sale) to enhance the film: the black-and-white cinematography is superb. There's even an effective score by Friedrich Hollaender (Born Yesterday, A Foreign Affair).

Edited by Viktor Gertler (Changed Man, Battle in Peace), The Man in Search of His Murderer is a well edited production through-and-through. The film never seems over-long or over-bearing. At less than an hour long, The Man in Search of His Murderer is well-paced. The story never lingers too long and much of this is due to the effective editing. Gertler did a great job of making sure the film flowed with vitality. An impressive effort in the editorial department.

The screenplay by Ludwig Hirschfeld (Two Happy Hearts, A Bit of Love), Curt Siodmak (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, The Invisible Man Returns), and Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity) is one of the strengths of the film. The Man in Search of His Murderer is a sly and decidedly dark comedy that has fun with its offbeat premise. As an early effort of the great Billy Wilder, who would go on to become one of the greatest of all Hollywood filmmakers, The Man in Search of His Murderer is a must- see for Wilder fans. The script showcases some of Wilder's classic trademarks and manages to shine.

Robert Siodmak (The Killers, Portrait of a Sinner) would go on to become a successful Hollywood director. In the directors chair on The Man in Search of His Murderer, Siodmak delivered some impressive visual sequences and a nice filmmaking approach that worked. While not an outright classic, The Man in Search of His Murderer is entertaining and well worth checking out (especially for fans of Siodmak and Wilder).

The Man in Search of His Murderer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, The Man in Search of His Murderer is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the theatrical aspect ratio of 1.18:1 full frame. The picture-quality is generally quite good throughout the entire presentation. The scan showcases the great black-and-white cinematography. The transfer has occasional print wear – including scratches – and also some contrast fluctuations that are a minor eye-sore. However, the encode is generally solid throughout and this is a pleasing enough high-definition presentation. The image is crisp and sharp.

The Man in Search of His Murderer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in German uncompressed PCM mono. The lossless audio track is a little thin sounding. The track sometimes sounds a bit scratchy. While not a pristine audio restoration, this is a serviceable audio track that sounds good given the age of the film elements. The track is certainly a listenable one.

English and English SDH subtitles (for the deaf and hard of hearing) are provided.

The Man in Search of His Murderer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Josh Nelson

The Man in Search of His Murderer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Man in Search of His Murderer is entertaining and worth checking out. The film features a strong performance by Heinz Ruhmann. The production features some early cinematic contributions of both Billy Wilder and Robert Siodmak. Classic film enthusiasts will want to check it out as an early work from some Hollywood heavyweights. Recommended.