Orson Welles produced and co-wrote the Norman Foster-directed Journey Into Fear, a spy film noir based on the Eric Ambler novel. Warner Archive upgraded the film onto Blu-ray back in October. The 68-minute film is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio with side mattes and a DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio track.

As the book was adapted for the screen, there were changes made because of the war. Rather than a British armaments engineer, the film’s protagonist, Howard Graham’s (Joseph Cotten), is now an American. Unlike 1940, America had joined the war less than a month before production started. The change makes sense, to some extent, in order to appeal to American audiences. The other change they make is moving Graham’s destination from France to the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany occupied France beginning in the summer of 1940. Upon joining the war, America was allied with the Soviet Union. Allying with the Soviet Union was more of a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In any event, Gestapo agents were after Graham.

Most interestingly, RKO cut ties with Welles and Mercury Productions during the post-production process, forcing them off the lot. The editing was somewhat incomplete at this point. Studios ran differently back then. Nowadays, filmmakers have much more input on the editing process than studio executives. Because Mark Robson had a relationship with Welles, he offered to edit Journey Into Fear with Welles’s consent. Only then were they able to finish the film in way that was pleasing to Welles.

Synopsis

Orson Welles’ touches of cinematic brilliance make Journey Into Fear a stunning success. From Welles’ Mercury Theater comes this “imaginative and exciting tale of terror” (NY TIMES). Under the direction of Norman Foster, Joseph Cotten (who also wrote the screenplay, adapted from the novel by Eric Ambler) stars as an American gunnery engineer pursued by Gestapo agents. His adventures make him cross paths with an impressive array of characters portrayed by Dolores Del Rio, Ruth Warrick, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, Hans Conried, and Welles himself, who plays Colonel Haki, head of the Turkish Secret Police. The cinematography by Karl Struss in low-key and stylized, with a reviewer of the era pointing to its “Brilliant atmosphere, the nightmare of pursuit, and when the shock comes it leaps at the eye and ear.” Journey Into Fear is a thriller worthy of the cinematic master Orson Welles.

Bonus Features

• Three Orson Welles Mercury Theater Radio Broadcasts
  • Dracula (7/11/1938)
  • Treasure Island (7/18/1938)
  • A Tale of Two Cities (7/25/1938)

DIRECTOR: Norman Foster
SCREENWRITER: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles (uncredited)
CAST: Joseph Cotten, Dolores del Río, Ruth Warrick, with Agnes Moorehead, Jack Durant, Everett Sloane, Eustace Wyatt, Frank Readick, Edgar Barrier, Jack Moss, Stefan Schnabel, Hans Canried, Robert Meltzer, Richard Bennett, Orson Welles

RKO Radio Pictures released Journey Into Fear in theaters on February 12, 1943.

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