The Man Between

Claire Bloom has just arrived in post-war Berlin to vacation with her brother who is in the British Army and his new German wife (played by Hildegard Knef). Knef shows Bloom all about Berlin--both the Allied and the Russian sectors. In the east, the meet James Mason--a mysterious man who soon begins dating Bloom. However, there's obviously much more to the man than this and he and Knef share some secret. Later, through a strange series of events, Bloom is accidentally kidnapped and it's up to dashing Mason to help her sneak back to West Berlin--all the while pursued with Communists bent on their capture.

The film has a look very similar to director Reed's more famous preceding film, THE THIRD MAN--which was shot in post-war Vienna. However, the camera work in THE THIRD MAN was more daring and novel and the Berlin took far worse damage during the war--and the sheer volume of rubble in 1953 is still very significant and adds to the atmosphere.

Overall, while not a great spy film, it is very good and keeps your interest. I would say, overall, that the second half is a bit more exciting than the first. I especially liked the ending, though some might have preferred something a bit more upbeat.

By the way, James Mason seemed to do a fairly good job with speaking German. I could tell he wasn't exactly a native speaker, but he was pretty adept.

In 1947,James Mason worked with Carol REED,in "Odd man out" (in Belfast).This work was influenced by Marcel Carné's "realisme poétique" and cast Mason as a fugitive.Both "odd man out" and "the man between " have similar endings,except for the female part.

Berlin atmosphere (like Vienna in 'the third man') is well rendering,with the claustrophobia you used to feel during the Wall days. There are plotholes,but the cast easily makes up for that.The couple Mason /Bloom is very endearing:Mason 's character is a man whose ideals have been betrayed and his love for the beautiful English woman he tries to save is touching .Actually ,at the beginning,Mason was not friendly,he was even disturbing,but his moral stature ceaselessly grows towards the end.The two stars get good support from German thespian Hildegarde Kneff,whom we miss in the second part.

This movie might have influenced two sixties work:"the spy who came in from the cold"(Martin Ritt,1965) which featured Claire Bloom again,and "torn curtain" (1966),one of Hitchcock's minor movies in which we find a theater again!FF Coppola in "godfather III" ,like Carol Reed,took advantage of this by using opera music to enhance particular scenes.

Although inferior to 'the third man" (neither Welles nor Karas) "odd man out' or even "fallen idol" (1948),"the man between " deserves to be seen.

I enjoyed this, it is not great, nor very serious, which I like. I'm a bit adverse to serious spy drama, where I have to take all the political shenanigans too seriously, so this was fine for me, being more about the people involved and showing the city. I don't ever recall seeing such pictures of the devastation of Berlin or those simple border controls, many years before the wall. So, here we have Claire Bloom in one of the best performances I have seen from her, the possibly even lovelier but more one note turn from Hildegarde Neff and the more or less ever faithful James Mason. I was a bit concerned about his accent at first but soon got used to it and now understand that it is considered fine in Germany, so thats OK. The tale is fairly simple and predictable but the performances entrance and those streets with and without snow, a revelation. The cinematography and sharp direction make for a visual treat, especially those street scenes, the rooftops and stairwells and a decent level of suspense towards the end.

James Mason gives a tour-de-force performance as a tired clerk who knows not who to trust. Hildegrade Knef is magnificent in a complex supporting role. Carol Reed has directed some great movies and this is among his best. The ending sequence is so poignant, it always brings tears to the eyes.

I wasn't sure if I'd like this film or not. Its British and it stars James Mason and Claire Bloom. So far so good, but its a "spy" drama which I sometimes find tedious. What a surprise! Beautifully filmed amid the bombed out rubble of post war Berlin, Mason and Bloom really shine here. This was an amazing pairing of two excellent actors. Mr Mason, as always, gives an first rate performance. What a pleasure to see him on ice skates. Bloom is lovely as the Englishwoman visiting her brother in Germany and drawn into a tense cat and mouse game where no one can be fully trusted.

Definitely a must see for Mason fans but I think good for anyone who enjoys top-notch drama well acted and directed.