Fritz Lang was one of the main progenitors of German Expressionism, and perhaps remains best known for films like the massively influential Metropolis (1927) and M (1931). What no one tends to admit is that, as impressive as those films are, watching them can feel a little like an academic exercise – the weight of history on them is so great that it’s sometimes difficult to watch them as entertainment. This isn’t the case with much of his work after he fled Nazi Germany for America in the 30s. Lang’s achievements in Hollywood were as extraordinary as those of Hitchcock and Welles, but perhaps because his films’ pleasures are more complex and his style less overtly distinctive, they are less frequently celebrated.
The increasing availability of his work on UK DVD should encourage more people to give Hollywood Lang a try: having released the wonderful While The City Sleeps (1956) last year, Exposure Cinema are now doing the same with another of his classic film noirs, Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (made the same year).
Beyond A Reasonable Doubt was Lang’s final Hollywood film, and the last in a loosely newspaper-themed trilogy that he began with The Blue Gardenia (1953) and continued with While The City Sleeps. Like many of Lang’s other films – The Woman In The Window (1944), Scarlet Street (1945) – it concerns a series of darkly ironic and deeply troubling coincidences that unfold with the logic of a bad nightmare. Dana Andrews plays Tom Garrett, a novelist with writer’s block who hits upon the idea of getting himself wrongly convicted of murder, then revealing crucial information proving his innocence just before he is due to be executed. However, the second part of his plan doesn’t go as smoothly as anticipated.
Lang’s style by this point in his career had developed from the Expressionism-infused dreamy quality that marked his 30s and 40s work into a harder and colder approach that perfectly fits the relentless pessimism of the story. At 77 minutes, it’s one of Lang’s leanest and least forgiving masterpieces.
The print quality isn’t quite up to the standard of Exposure’s release of While The City Sleeps – it’s considerably dustier and a bit scratched in some places, with cigarette burns – but it’s perfectly watchable, and the sound quality is good. Another slight quibble is that there are no special features to speak of; a little contextual information on the film would have been great, perhaps with a booklet in the style of Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema series. Nevertheless, the very fact that the film has been made available at all should be welcomed. Here’s hoping for UK releases of Lang’s other classics Secret Beyond The Door (1948) and Clash By Night (1952) sometime soon.
Overall Verdict: Essential viewing for fans of Fritz Lang or film noir.
Special Features:
Original trailer
Stills gallery
Collector’s art card
Reviewer: Tom René