I first saw BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, a remake of the 1930 OUTWARD BOUND, as a child and was mesmerized by it, even though I realized the characters were stock types and the overall effect was rather cheesy. Now that I have seen it again recently on TMC, my opinion hasn't changed a whit. The movie is mesmerizing even with its stereotypical characters and play-like sets and structure (it started out as a play in the 1920s). Basic plot summary: Several people who died in a war-time bombing find themselves aboard an ocean liner headed for parts unknown. What saves the film from total obscurity is the wonderful acting of a group of WB contract players, including John Garfield as a boozy, cynical reporter, Sara Allgood as a classic Irish matron, George Tobias as a good-natured merchant marine, Edmund Gwenn as the stoic steward, Sidney Greenstreet as the Interviewer, and a very young and very beautiful Eleanor Parker as the utterly devoted wife of Paul Henreid. (Parker and Henreid are the only ones who know they are dead from the outset, by the way.) The score by Eric Korngold is terrific. He also did the score for the 1936 ROBIN HOOD, and was a classical composer as well. In a movie with many great acting moments, make sure you catch veteran actress Isobel Elsom as a snooty society type. Having been condemned to spend eternity in a castle all by herself, while her sweet husband gets to go on to heaven by himself, her character says a merry goodbye to everyone, then turns on Greenstreet and exclaims, "You swine!" Allgood also has an interesting sendoff when she finds she is to accompany Garfield, who turns out to be her long-lost son, something Garfield does not know. Her character has no question she has reached Heaven. A very nice moment.
Review of Between Two Worlds
