Ministry of Fear (1944) Fritz Lang

Ministry of Fear (1944) Fritz Lang [1:27]

Criterion Collection Blu-ray

Spine #649

The opening shot of Ministry of Fear tells us exactly what we’re getting ourselves into. A clock ticks in a darkened room. A man sits in the shadows, watching nervously, awaiting.... something. Or someone. 

Stephen Neale (Ray Milland) is waiting to be released from a British mental institution where he’s spent the past two years. As he departs and says his goodbyes, we’re not quite sure why he was institutionalized in the first place. He certainly seems sane, even if the outside world isn’t. It’s World War II London, after all, and Neale knows that the city could be bombed at any moment. 

Such thoughts of fear and dread vanish for a few moments as Neale finds himself walking by a local village fair. He enters, buys a ticket to guess the weight of a cake, and has his fortune read by a fortuneteller. Before he knows what’s happening, Neale finds himself on the run, possibly from the Nazis, spies or both.  

Glenn Kenny, in his essay in the Criterion Blu-ray edition of Ministry of Fear, is correct in stating that the film is neither a propaganda film nor a puzzle film; it’s a nightmare film and Milland is up to the task of portraying Neale, a man who may not be 100% mentally steady to begin with. We don’t know much about Neale at the outset of the film, so we’re not really sure whether or not we should root for him. 

Slowly, Neale’s character is revealed, but what about all the other characters he meets while trying to figure out who’s after him? Can he really trust the police? A private detective? The Austrian woman who runs a local charity? The beautiful medium who may have the answers he’s seeking? 

The unpredictable plot is both the great strength and weakness of the film. If Ministry of Fear has a weakness, it is it’s unpredictability combined with the vagueness in its players. Characters often seem to exist only to advance the plot from one point to the next without any revelations to their motivations or a resolution to their fates. 

Perhaps this is largely due to the script by Seton Miller. Because of a technical oversight in his contract, Lang was unable to make any changes to Miller’s script. Lang was, of course, disappointed in not having total control, but author Graham Greene (whose novel the film was based on) was very vocal in his criticism of the film. Esteemed critic Pauline Kael called the film unmemorable. 

So why is Ministry of Fear worth watching? 

First, even with the limitations of a less-than-perfect script, Lang uses noir elements of light and shadow (as well as a war-torn city) to capture the perfect atmosphere of paranoia and distrust. The blacks and grays, the contrasts of light and shadow look wonderful in this new 2K digital restoration. 

Second, what seems a weakness on the surface - the lack of character detail - actually becomes a strength: Neale only knows as much about these characters as we do, heightening his sense of suspicion and paranoia. As the characters pile up, we (and Neale) are never quite sure who to trust. 

And finally, this is Fritz Lang, one of cinema’s great directors. Statements like “Even a minor work from Fritz Lang is better than major works from most directors” sound pretentious, but in this case, the statement fits. Ministry of Fear is not a great film, but it is a good one, the product of an exceptional director who knows how to make the best of the limitations imposed on him. Ministry of Fear may not be a classic, but it is great entertainment. And after all, what else do we expect from the movies?  

4/5