Between Two Worlds (1944)

London, during the German Blitz. A group of passengers is waiting to board a liner to America and away from the horrors of Total War. Tom (John Garfield), a jaded reporter; Maxine (Faye Emerson), Tom's former girlfriend; Mr. Lingley (George Coulouris), a greedy tycoon; Pete (George Tobias), a sailor on his way home to see his new son for the first time; Mrs. Midget (Sara Allgood), a poor Irish woman; Reverend Duke (Denis King), a meek man of the cloth; Mrs. Cliveden-Banks (Isobel Elsom), a class-conscious social climber; and Mr. Cliveden-Banks (Gilbert Emery), her long-suffering husband. As they are heading to the dock, their car is struck by a bomb , and they are all killed. Later, though, they find themselves on a luxury liner, unaware that they are dead. The only other people on the ship are the steward, Scrubby (Edmund Gwenn) and a couple who committed suicide together - Henry and Ann Bergner (Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker). As the ship sails on and the passengers attempt to amuse themselves, the characters' lives unfold as we expect they will - after all, they are all stereotypes, albeit comfortable ones. One by one, they become aware of their state, and fear and denial are replaced by resignation as the ship nears its final destination and the passengers prepare to meet the Examiner (Sydney Greenstreet). Each will be judged for how they lived their lives and assigned their just deserts, all of which are imaginative and satisfying.

I first saw Between Two Worlds when I was a kid, and it has stuck with me down through the years. I love everything about this film, with the possible exception of the denouement, which I have always felt robbed the story of its impact. But the rest of the film is wonderfully moving - at times funny, at other times poignant, as the characters come to terms with the fact that their mortal lives have ended. I especially enjoy the eternal reward granted to the snooty Mrs. Cliveden-Banks, and the frank dismissal of the grasping, evil Mr. Lingley. If you're feeling the need to be reassured that the wicked are ultimately punished for their crimes, then Between Two Worlds is the feel-good film for you.

Between Two Worlds is rated G and is available in glorious black and white.