Paul Henreid portrays a character with a pretty young wife, determined to leave the country and desperately needing an exit permit - sound familiar? Perhaps so, but this isn't "Casablanca", it's a relatively obscure film from 1944 deserving of a wider audience. "Between Two Worlds" is a well constructed morality tale that reveals the lot of a handful of souls on the way to their final destination aboard a ship going nowhere.
The wayward passengers come together as the vehicle en route to their trans-Atlantic ship is destroyed by a German World War II air raid bombing in London. Simultaneously, the distraught Henry Bergner (Henreid), unable to obtain passage for his wife Ann (Eleanor Parker) and himself, chooses suicide for both. Interestingly, the Bergner's are the only passengers that know from the beginning that they are dead, having chosen their fate. Their fellow passengers can't seem to remember recent events, complaining of fatigue and dizziness.
As one might expect, the characters are stereotypes - Thomas Prior (John Garfield) is a brash, cynical newspaperman; Maxine "Maxie" Russell (Faye Emerson) is a part time stage actress and full time gold digger. Pete (George Tobias) is heading back to America to be with his wife and yet unseen newborn son, who has already defied the odds by surviving three torpedo attacks as a serviceman. Genevieve (Isobel Elsom) is a snooty socialite with a very high opinion of herself, married to Benjamin (Gilbert Emery), a patient and unassuming man. Sara Allgood is Mrs. Midget, an odd name for a woman whose lot in life finds enjoyment in helping others. Appropriately, there's a religious man aboard, Reverend William (Dennis King), whose ambition is to meet new people, do new things and get a taste of adventure. And then there's Lingley, of Lingley Limited, who never lets you forget that his money can only be rivaled by his own self importance.
Edmund Gwenn is superb as the ship's steward with the unlikely moniker of Scrubby, whose job it is to deftly allow the passengers to understand their fate as they come to realize what happened to them. And on hand to pass final judgment is The Examiner, Sydney Greenstreet in a perfectly cast role.
If any fault is to be found with the film, it would be the early revelation of the passengers' fate; a little more exposition and buildup would have heightened the suspense. However the fates of the individuals are well suited to their demeanor in life, and are cleverly meted out by the astute Examiner.
The wayward passengers come together as the vehicle en route to their trans-Atlantic ship is destroyed by a German World War II air raid bombing in London. Simultaneously, the distraught Henry Bergner (Henreid), unable to obtain passage for his wife Ann (Eleanor Parker) and himself, chooses suicide for both. Interestingly, the Bergner's are the only passengers that know from the beginning that they are dead, having chosen their fate. Their fellow passengers can't seem to remember recent events, complaining of fatigue and dizziness.
As one might expect, the characters are stereotypes - Thomas Prior (John Garfield) is a brash, cynical newspaperman; Maxine "Maxie" Russell (Faye Emerson) is a part time stage actress and full time gold digger. Pete (George Tobias) is heading back to America to be with his wife and yet unseen newborn son, who has already defied the odds by surviving three torpedo attacks as a serviceman. Genevieve (Isobel Elsom) is a snooty socialite with a very high opinion of herself, married to Benjamin (Gilbert Emery), a patient and unassuming man. Sara Allgood is Mrs. Midget, an odd name for a woman whose lot in life finds enjoyment in helping others. Appropriately, there's a religious man aboard, Reverend William (Dennis King), whose ambition is to meet new people, do new things and get a taste of adventure. And then there's Lingley, of Lingley Limited, who never lets you forget that his money can only be rivaled by his own self importance.
Edmund Gwenn is superb as the ship's steward with the unlikely moniker of Scrubby, whose job it is to deftly allow the passengers to understand their fate as they come to realize what happened to them. And on hand to pass final judgment is The Examiner, Sydney Greenstreet in a perfectly cast role.
If any fault is to be found with the film, it would be the early revelation of the passengers' fate; a little more exposition and buildup would have heightened the suspense. However the fates of the individuals are well suited to their demeanor in life, and are cleverly meted out by the astute Examiner.