I love this movie so much

The acting in this movie is really good.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Some purists would insist that film noir is a uniquely American genre, but in my view the term is equally appropriate to describe a number of British crime and espionage dramas, and indeed some continental European ones, such as Clouzot's "Les Diaboliques". Among the leading British directors who made what can be regarded as films noirs were Robert Hamer, director of "It Always Rains on Sunday" and "The Long Memory", and Carol Reed, whose work in the genre included "Odd Man Out", "The Third Man" and "The Man Between". It is noteworthy that all three of those films contain the word "man" in the title, because noir tended to be a male-dominated genre. There were occasional exceptions, such as "Double Indemnity", in which a female character takes on equal prominence with the male lead, but the general pattern is for a single male character to be at the centre of the film, with the female ones (and subsidiary male ones) defined in terms of their relationship to him. I think that this pattern holds good in "The Man Between", although Claire Bloom's character Suzanne Mallison may have more screen time, it is Ivo Kern, the "man between" himself, who is the real focus of the story.Like "The Third Man", the action takes place in a post-war European capital, in this case Berlin rather than Vienna. (During the Cold War Berlin, the "divided city", was to become a standard setting for any thriller with an espionage theme; "The Man Between" reminded me of another great British noir with an East Berlin setting, "The Spy who Came in from the Cold"; Bloom also appeared in that film). Suzanne files into the city from London to visit her older brother Martin, a doctor with the British Army Medical Corps, and his German wife Bettina. She meets Kern, a rather mysterious acquaintance of Bettina, who now appears to be working for the East German authorities. Despite Bettina's warning that Kern is not to be trusted, the naïve young Suzanne finds herself becoming attracted to him, and allows herself to be caught up in his dubious activities; as a result she is kidnapped and smuggled into East Berlin, leading to a tense finale in which she and Kern have to escape back to the West. (In the early fifties, before the building of the Berlin Wall, the East/West frontier was rather more porous than it was to become in the sixties and seventies, but crossing it was still difficult for anyone who had aroused suspicion or fallen foul of the authorities). A common noir characteristic was an air of moral doubt and uncertainty, and this is certainly present in "The Man Between". Politically, the distinctions are clear-cut; East Germany is an oppressive, Big Brother- style police state, dominated by ubiquitous huge portraits of Stalin and Ulbricht, and those Germans who oppose the Communist system are shown in a heroic light, such as Olaf Kestner, a West Berliner who helps refugees escape from the East. (Kern makes use of Suzanne in a failed attempt to arrest Kestner). The moral ambiguity comes in the portrayal of Kern himself, who is not simply shown as a villain. Kern was formerly an idealistic young lawyer who wished to defend the innocent and the 'rights of man'. His idealism, however, was shattered by the rise of Nazism and by his witnessing, and even being forced to participate in, Nazi atrocities. His faith in human nature gone, he turned to crime and became an associate of the East German secret service, although he has no belief in Communist ideology. He is, however, still capable of remorse, both for his past and for his present actions, and wishes to return to the West, where he hopes to atone for his criminal past. He is a complex, tormented figure, and James Mason here gives one of his finest performances, bringing out the various sides of Kern's nature. Bloom, in only her second film after "Limelight", looks radiant as Suzanne, and Hildegard Knef is good as Bettina, a woman who may also have guilty secrets in her past. Knef was herself German, as indeed were all those actors playing German characters, with the exception of Mason. (This was the second film in 1953 in which Mason played a German; the first had been "The Desert Rats" in which he played General Rommel). American noirs were often marked by dramatic black-and-white photography, and "The Man Between" follows this tradition with some striking shots of the snow-covered, war-ruined city. I would not rate this film quite as highly as "The Third Man", one of the greatest British films of the immediate post-war period, but it is certainly a distinguished effort. More than a mere thriller, it also asks some pertinent questions about human nature and gives us a memorable psychological portrait of a man haunted by guilt. 8/10A goof. Kern declares his belief in trial by jury, implying that it had been abolished by the Nazis. In fact, jury trial had been a feature of the legal system of Wilhelmine Germany but was abolished under the Weimar Republic in 1924, nearly a decade before the Nazis came to power, and has never been restored by any German government since, except for a brief period in Bavaria. It is a common Anglo-Saxon view that jury trial is an essential feature of democracy, but this opinion is not always shared by Continental Europeans.

Following the release of his masterpiece 'The Third Man (1949),' a refreshingly-offbeat amalgam of British noir and Ealing-style whimsy, director Carol Reed was heralded as one of the era's most promising filmmakers. Critical admirers anxiously awaited his follow-up effort, which was four years coming. Today, the consensus appears to regard 'The Man Between (1953)' as little but a pale imitation of 'The Third Man.' Certainly, the two films share similar scenarios, both involving a foreigner's espionage-tinged visit to a war-torn city (Vienna and Berlin, respectively) that has been divided by opposing powers. However, despite lacking Graham Greene's wry sense of humour, and particularly the boyish charisma of Orson Welles, Reed's follow-up picture is nonetheless an excellent drama, blending romance and tragedy with the director's usual flair for generating atmosphere and international intrigue. The fine chemistry between stars James Mason and Claire Bloom finds a life of its own amid the rubble-strewn ruins of a city still at war with itself.Young British woman Susanne Mallison (Claire Bloom, whom Chaplin had discovered the previous year for 'Limelight (1952)') arrives in Berlin to visit her brother (Geoffrey Toone), who has married German-born Bettina (Hildegard Knef). Through her sister-in-law, Susanne is introduced to the enigmatic Ivo Kern (James Mason), a professional kidnapper with ambiguous allegiances towards both the Eastern and Western powers. Screenwriter Harry Kurnitz had a talent for illustrating characters with hidden motives and concealed secrets (see 'Witness for the Prosecution (1957),' 'The Web (1947)' or either of his 'Thin Man' features), and his screenplay spends its first half ominously exploring the intentions of Bettina, whose association with Ivo implicitly suggests a family betrayal. Interestingly, the character is effectively abandoned in the film's second half, but to the film's advantage, as Susanne and Ivo are relentlessly hunted in the Eastern Bloc following a botched kidnapping. Here, Reed narrows his dramatic focus, but the doomed romance between Bloom's young idealist and Mason's war-weary criminal remains appropriately understated, inspiring empathy without stooping to melodrama.Despite the absence of Robert Krasker, 'The Man Between' is a beautifully shot film, with director-of-photography Desmond Dickinson capturing, not only the atmosphere, but the foreboding personality of the crumbling German capital. John Addison's musical score is haunting and graceful, certainly a far cry from Anton Karas' zither, but nonetheless effective in its own right. One thing I've noticed about every Carol Reed film I've seen (and the tally currently sits at seven) is that all the performances are perfect – not only the main and supporting stars, but everybody down to the briefest of speaking roles. James Mason sports a convincing German accent, and Claire Bloom is simply adorable in her naive innocence, with a smile that will melt your heart. A particularly important character is young Horst (Dieter Krause), whose love Ivo instinctively rejects, for such a criminal can never allow himself to form attachments to those he must inevitably abandon. Ultimately, and tragically, it is Horst's devotion that results in Ivo's death, the final proof that love and death are never far apart.

Carol Reed's very atmosperhic film shot in Berlin right after the war when the city was partitioned into sectors, about a young woman from England who visits her brother, an officer in the British sector, and his German wife, and gets involved in an intricate plot and a doomed romance, that takes the viewer through marvelously photographed and acted scenes, with James Mason at his finest, and an impressive cast of characters and settings. Can't say enough about the various settings in which the action occurs, the boy with great command of his bicycle on the icy streets, a long scene at an ice skating rink, and as the action builds along with the finale of an opera, and a kidnapping scene with a snow covered Cadillac tailing the innocent young woman down rubble strewned streets, Reed strung together a visually impressive and dark film that reveals a heartfelt tragedy.

Carol Reed;s chestnut that is even more bleak than " The Third man" Mason as Evo Kern is involved with two Women, Neff and Claire Bloom..but he is fateful in his desire for Bloom.All the elements are here with high contrast photography. the little boy( Reed Trademark) and a fine moody cast with a trenchant music score that you will not forget. ( perfect for 1955 ) I think this film gains in stature as the years go by and another testament to a really superb actor who was not appreciated enough..In " Lolita" 1962 Mason shows a vibrant character against type, He is suave mostly, in most of his films..authoritarian , deliberate , calculating and most of all unflappable. In " Lolita" is is totally helpless and seemingly pathetic ...films like " The Man Between" established this personna Mr James Mason C Pope