Journey Into Fear

Summary

“You are a ballistics expert, and you never fired a gun.”

Warner Archive has given Norman Foster’s 1943 film Journey Into Fear a Blu-ray release. The film is notable for its collaboration between Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles both onscreen and on the screenplay. The film was directed by Norman Foster whose original cut of the picture was taken by the studio and butchered. Warner has managed to present the film in as close as possible to the re-edited version which was done by Welles himself for the European market. It is not a perfect representation of Welles’s original vision, but it is likely the closest that we will ever get. The resulting film is not perfect and it is more of a curio for fans of Welles and Cotten than it is a fully realized picture. I watched Journey into Fear the other night.

In Istanbul, after finishing some business with the Turkish Navy, Howard Graham (Joseph Cotten) meets Mr. Kopeikin (Everett Sloane) who claims to be a company representative. He insists that Graham come with him to a club around the corner from the hotel. There Howard meets a dancer named Josette Martel (Dolores Del Rio) and her partner Gogo (Jack Durant.) While seated at their table a magician performs an act and brings Howard onstage. He straps Howard to a large “X” and then gets into a box. The magician’s tiny assistant points a gun to the ceiling. The lights go off. A shot is heard. The magician is in the spot where Graham had been, and he has been shot by an assassin named Banat (Jack Moss.) Graham realizes that the shot was meant for him. Graham is taken to the police headquarters where he meets Colonel Haki (Orson Welles.) Haki explains that the assassination attempt was from Germans and must have been an attempt to stop Graham from helping the Turkish Navy with rearmament. Haki is shown a picture of Banat and explains to Graham that Banat is an assassin working for a German named Muller. Haki secretly puts Graham onto a ship with passage to Batumi with promises that he will keep Graham’s wife Stephanie safe until they can be reunited. Graham soon finds that he is not completely safe on the boat.

There are numerous elements of Journey into Fear that I enjoyed. First and foremost, the picture is well shot. The influence of Welles can be felt in the direction of Norman Foster and the cinematography by Karl Struss. I really enjoyed the look of the film, especially in its well rendered finale. The actors are all well cast with Joseph Cotten turning in a reliably good performance. Unfortunately, the film does not flow properly. The problems seem to lie somewhere between the dialogue that is not up to the standards of other Welles pictures, and the editing which makes the film feel at once convoluted and rushed. The film is 68 minutes long, and I think some additional padding or exposition could have brought it together. As it stands, it is a lesser effort by Welles and his team. I still appreciate Warner Archive for bringing these pictures to Blu-ray so that collectors have a chance to see them warts and all.

Video

Warner Bros. continue to prove themselves as some of the best in quality control with this transfer of Journey Into Fear using an MPEG-4 AVC codec of a new 4K restoration in Black and White. This film has a little bit of softness that is related to its age, but I can’t imagine any fan of the picture being less than thrilled by what Warner has offered. Presented in 1.37:1 ratio, Journey Into Fear especially shines during its excellently shot finale sequence.

Audio

Warner Bros. have provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that sounds good. As a mono mix front speakers are used for the entire mix. The audio has been cleaned up well, but there is some notable hiss at times. I have to admit that I had a little trouble following some of the dialogue and had to employ subtitles, but that might be user error more so than an actual clarity issue.

Supplements:

• Mercury Theater On the Air – three Mercury Theater radio broadcasts narrated by Orson Welles are included. Each run about an hour. This is a nice bonus feature.
  • Dracula – Originally broadcast on July 11, 1938
  • Treasure Island  – Originally broadcast on July 18, 1938
  • A Tale of Two Cities – Originally broadcast on July 25, 1938

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 2.5/5

Overall – 3.5/5

Warner Archive’s release of Journey Into Fear brings one of Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten’s less successful collaborations to Blu-ray with very good technical specs. While the film itself doesn’t quite work, I am happy that Warner has preserved it. The finale of the picture is particularly well shot and worth viewing. Fans of the film will be elated to own Journey Into Fear in such a quality presentation.