Α totally absurd, irrational and impossible movie with exquisite, incredible, almost excellent and perfect theatrical performances by a whole bunch of great distinguished actors.
The film's theme is Death under the historical conditions of the World War II and the psychologial consequences of the Final Judgment for the wicked & weak and the virtuous & strong.
The allegorical film has a mysterious, supernatural, fantastical plot that is based on the movie OUTWARD BOUND (1930, starring Leslie Howard & Douglas Fairbanks Jr., directed by the screenwriter and director Robert Milton, who was born in Russia in 1885 but left to the West after 1907 and also produced the play for the Broadway stage in 1924, were it became a smash hit, also starring Leslie Howard whose way to a cinema carrer this film opened wide): its script was based on the 1923 theatrical play and on the 1929 novel OUTWARD BOUND, both written by the Εnglish actor, writer and playwright Sutton Vane (Vane Hunt Sutton-Vane, he fought in 1914 in the World War I, suffered by shell-shock and his war experiences marked the whole of his work).
OUTWARD BOUND has a totally unbeliavable plot but its main characters -the Examiner, the priest, the journalist, the businessman, the careerist- are full recognised as symbols of human characters. The film was considered "so unusual in its subject matter as a fantasy-drama that no producer would go near it". Anyway, it was played for more than 80 years in Broadway and the cinemas (as a remake or adaptation). Some critics note that BETWEEN TWO WORLDS has some similarities with Fritz Lang's 1921 movie DESTINY/BEHIND THE WALL (Der müde Tod: ein deutsches Volkslied in sechs Versen or Weary Death: A German Folk Story in Six Verses) that is based on ancient Indian legends... and nobody can ignore the meaning of the name Sutton Vane = Satan is Vain or Satan's Vein.
Sutton Vane's play was adapted for the wide screen by the American teacher, author, novelist, essayist and screenwriter Daniel Fuchs (of Jewish descent).
The movie was finally produced by the American journalist, theater critic, writer and producer Mark Hellinger (of Jewish descent, he was a war correspondent during 1943-45 and he knew personally Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel and Dutch Schultz) & the Canadian executive of Warner Bros, Jack L. Warner (Jacob Warner, of Polish-Jewish descent, he was a great adversary of fascism and communism, became American and fought for the U.S. Army in World War II).
The movie was directed in Warner Bros. studios in Burbank (California) by the theatrical and film producer, director and playwright Edward Blatt (of Polish-Russian descent, let's note that his name does sign "End the Art of Blood").
THE GREAT STAR of the film is PAUL HENREID (the double or doppelganger of the philosopher Albert Camus) who co-operates here once again with Eleanor Parker (after HUMAN BONDAGE, also filmed in 1944).
Music by the Austrian-Moravian composer and conductor Erich Wolfgang Korngold (of Jewish descent, he left Vienna in 1939 after its invasion by the Nazis and he became an American in 1943).