It was a good friend of mine, Yvette of In So Many Words, who first suggested I try The Ministry of Fear (also 1944). As usual, she was right—I absolutely loved it. (And Yvette, if you’re reading this, I miss your classic mystery reviews. I hope you’ll come back to blogging, too.)
In The Ministry of Fear, Milland plays Stephen Neale, a man just released from an asylum after serving two years for the mercy killing of his wife. Over the next hour and twenty-some minutes, poor Neale—through no fault of his own—finds himself tangled in a Nazi spy ring and attending one of the most hauntingly beautiful séance scenes ever filmed.
What amazes me is how Milland pulls it off. Like Rick, Neale carries himself with a sophisticated, debonair air, but underneath I see a fumbling, slightly insecure man doing his best to keep his head above water. He’s burdened with guilt over his wife’s death, and instead of easing back into life after confinement, he’s thrust into danger that would have had me giving up on the train. Honestly, I’d have tossed that cake right back at them the moment the fortune-teller demanded it. (If I intrigued you with that reference, I hope you watch the movie.)
Neale is a man whose instinct is always to do the right thing, even when it puts his life or freedom at risk. He’s quick on his feet, both physically and mentally. He’s protective of those he cares about and willing to sacrifice himself for a woman in distress, a cause he believes in, or a country he feels loyalty to. From the first time I met him on screen, I admired him—and maybe even started to fall for him a little. That feeling has only deepened with each rewatch.
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