Between Two Worlds (1944)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Sorry, this movie sucks

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I love the fantasy-themed movies from cinema's golden age about life after death, like "A Matter of Life and Death", "It's A Wonderful Life", "Heaven Can Wait" and many more. I likewise love the "time" plays of JB Priestley, like "An Inspector Calls", "Time And The Conways", "I Have Passed This Way Before" etc all of which this 1944 feature put me in mind of. The fact it co-starred possibly my favourite actor of that time, John Garfield, made it even more of a treat.Pretty obviously based on a popular recent stage play, you can almost see the actors lining up their positions and cues on this very studio-bound production, it's a very talky piece as it seeks to rather hammer home it's "do good to others as others would you" message similarly to the afore-mentioned "An Inspector Calls".The disparate characters gathered on the dark, empty ocean liner all pretty much get their just desserts, with the selfish and irredeemable going to bad places, the good or sinned against getting everlasting reward (one is promised endless games of golf with his chums, which sure sounds like heaven to me) which just leaves the borderline cases for special consideration.These include smart-aleck charlatan Garfield and his equally cynical, money-grabbing girlfriend, who both have to look to themselves for their own deliverance, the former assisted in this from an unexpected source. Then there's suicide victim Paul Heinreid and his devoted-'til-death wife who are accordingly considered special cases.Joining them on the journey are their on-board hosts, avuncular steward, Edmund Gwenn and as the heaven or hell decision-maker Sydney Greenstreet, the latter bedecked in an outsize Marty Hopkirk suit.I predicted the ending well in advance but other aspects of the film caught me by surprise. With a surprising lack of special effects, the director does a convincing job of putting across the extraordinary plights of all the individuals concerned.So there you have it, an other-worldly morality tale, meant to send you home thinking hard after viewing it then vowing no doubt to better yourself and help your poorer and downtrodden fellow man and woman and it's easy to see its message as a metaphor for the repudiation of the recent Nazi occupation of Western Europe. Of course you don't need to take it as seriously as all that, but whichever way you do, you'll be entertained.

I have seen this film on and off over the years starting probably around 1960 when it first appeared on Australian television. During World War Two, a small group of people sailing on a passenger liner from London find they are heading for an unexpected destination.This film was made during the war. With the world in arms, audiences of the day would have been only too aware of the imminence of death, if not for themselves then for the ones they loved. I think this film would really have hit home, possibly in a reassuring way in as much as the film accepts that there is life beyond death. There were a number of films made during the war or shortly after that dealt with death and beyond: "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", "A Guy Named Joe", A Matter Of Life And Death" and "The Horn Blows at Midnight". But "Between Two Worlds" was the most serious of them all. It delivered reassurance of an afterlife, but its premise was that a worthy life is essential for an easy transit to the next world - the quality that all religions from the ancient Egyptians onward stress more than anything else. Completely studio bound whether on land or at sea, the film shows the influence of the 1923 stage play on which it is based. But that foggy, claustrophobic atmosphere gives the film a mood that is sustained from beginning to end."Between Two Worlds" features a couple of iconic stars: John Garfield and Sydney Greenstreet. Both give minor variations on their familiar screen personas - Garfield the cynical, street-wise guy whose luck always seemed to be out, and Greenstreet whose rotund affability always masked a deeper agenda. However Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker give the most effecting performances as Henry and Ann Bergner. There are many lump-in-the-throat moments in the film, but the Bergner's doomed love affair and redemption is an emotional roller coaster. Erich Wolfgang Korngold only produced 18 film scores in his career, and his work for "Between Two Worlds" was his personal favourite. This sumptuous, soaring score with its chimes and echoing notes cements the film together and directs the mood. "Between Two Worlds" is a unique film. Thankfully, in Australia, we still have programs like "Bill Collins Golden Years of Hollywood" and "Turner Classic Movies" otherwise movies such as this would disappear from our screens all altogether.

The John Garfield character is buried beside his mother. My burial plot is waiting beside my mother. It's a scary thought but I know I will die.This film makes one 'think,' unless you one is an atheist. Contrary to the IMDb synopsis, not all the 'passengers' go immediately to Heaven or Hell. The couple, Eleanor Parker and Paul Henreid, were never killed in the raid. Edmund Gywnn continues to go on as an 'angel.' What is the most thought-provoking is that one must live with his past; my stance is that we all have regrets about our past. According to the Bible, only one person lived without sin and He did not live on earth long enough to sin. Some say He sinned with Mary Magdalene. I say 'baloney' because there is no God, no Heaven, no Hell and no Father, Son and Holy Ghost. There is no life everafter.

A group of people fleeing a bomb raid during World War II find themselves on a boat.Very early on, they find they never escaped the bombing raid. There is a bit of mystery, but I don't think it's a spoiler to reveal that this. There is some denial at this, but even more denial of what the next world brings.A caretaker figure hosts them on the boat, and prepares them for what is next. The characters are surprised that it isn't nearly as ominous or as magnificent as they thought. Instead, there is an imaginative view of the afterlife which neither placates nor attacks any religion, though it may antagonize the staunchest of fundamentalists in any religion.What we're given is what Rod Serling would have given us years later, only in a condensed, more fluid form.The story is good and imaginative, but hard to carry for more than the length of a Twilight Zone episode and keep our interest. Thus, it is pretty slow paced, a bit melodramatic, but the characters are very three dimensional and adult.A good story, well told, except for the slow pace, but that just makes it better viewing for those who don't stop a movie when they leave the room. Good viewing for while you are doing something else.