REVIEW: Two Living, One Dead (1961)

TWO LIVING, ONE DEAD (1961/US 1964)

This is an Anthony Asquith remake of the 1937 Norwegian film “To levende og en død”, which in turn was adapted from the novel of the same name by author Sigurd Christiansen. 

Patrick McGoohan plays Berger, a quiet postal clerk who aspires to some day take over as the local Post Master.  Berger is happily married with a young son, but admits he has no other friends.  Though the young postal messengers he works with tease him behind his back, when one of them is sent by another clerk, Andersson (Bill Travers), to pick up a large sum of pension money for the very first time, Berger overhears and can tell the boy is afraid of the responsibility.  Berger takes it upon himself to walk part of the way with the boy to help ease his mind. 

The money is 10,000 krona, and that night, Berger is tasked with counting it.  As he works in an office, an off-camera tussle ensues in the next room, resulting in a fatal injury to Kester, next in line for Post Master by seniority, and a head injury to Andersson.  Berger is confronted in the office by one of the masked robbers, who holds him at gunpoint and demands the cash.  Berger weighs his options, thinking of his wife and son, and gives him the money.  Once the robbers are gone, Berger runs into the street for help.

The rest of the film deals with the public’s opinions on what is bravery and what is cowardice.  Andersson claims he was hurt while confronting the robbers, and wears his head bandage for over two weeks, bragging about his bravery to whoever will listen. He is the darling of the media and townsfolk.

Meanwhile, Berger is looked upon as a coward for not somehow protecting the money, or at least physically confronting the robbers.  As far as the Post Office is concerned, since he didn't risk his life for the good of the Postal Service, he isn’t a “company man” anymore and looses the Post Master job to less senior Andersson.  

Kester's wife seems to understand Berger's actions, obviously wishing her husband were still alive.

At first, Berger’s wife (Virginia McKenna) is on his side, but as time goes on, and she sees their son being teased and harassed in school, and her husband shunned by society, she begins to think he did the wrong thing after all.  Their marriage suffers as Berger starts going for nighttime walks, eventually meeting a man named Rogers (Alf Kjellin) who just so happens to live at Andersson’s rooming house.   The two strike up a minor friendship, discussing their problems, though not admitting they are actually their own (they belong to “a friend”).  Berger claims to know the “coward” from the Post Office, and Rogers speaks of a man dying in the hospital (actually his own brother). 

One night, Mrs. Berger sees her husband and Rogers walking outside their home, and asks this stranger inside.  One thing leads to another, and Rogers accidentally discovers Berger really is Berger.  It is now that Berger is finally told that their son has been targeted in school, and things break down even further.

Things come to a head the next night, when Berger visits Rogers, and discovers he and his brother were the robbers.  They learned of the large amount of money being at the Post Office through Andersson, who “talks too much” about work.  Berger asks if Rogers would have shot him to get the money, and gets a reluctant “yes”. 

But the most important thing Berger finds out, is that Andersson did not get injured by being brave fighting off the robbers.  He actually ran into a door frame while trying to escape, and was the real coward that night.  Berger takes Roger’s gun and, hell-bent on revenge, knowing Andersson would be at the Post Office working late on reports, goes to see him. 

Berger claims to be at the Post Office to help Andersson with the reports, and they begin to discuss the night of the robbery.  Berger asks Andersson if, given more time, he would have done things differently.  He begins to loose it as he points the gun at Andersson, and gives him 30 seconds to get 20,000 krone from a vault and give it to him.  If he doesn’t, he’ll get shot.  Andersson fumbles his way to and from the vault, dropping the cash box and money.  Kneeling on the floor, he holds up the messy box-full of cash to Berger, who suddenly calms down, and sits at the office desk.  When asked why he doesn’t take the money, Berger says that he “wanted to prove something… but it doesn’t matter any more…”

Next we see Rogers waiting for Berger, who checks his gun and sees it wasn’t fired.  The two men part, and Rogers walks across the street to the police station to turn himself in.  Berger goes home, where his wife has waited up for him with supper.  The film ends with them embracing.  They do have a future…

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As of early 2020, this film doesn’t appear to be available commercially.  There is a low-quality version which can be found online that looks like it came from an old VHS recording.  Because of the image quality, I can’t really attest to the overall "look" of the film.  This also makes it difficult to tell if Patrick McGoohan is made to look pale and tired with bags under his eyes, which would befit his character, or if it is just… well… not a Blue Ray DVD! 

The film does have a stark feel to it.  There is very little music soundtrack, which makes it even more so at times.  It is also a little confusing having a mainly British cast put in a Swedish setting. At least those actors didn't attempt accents...

In my humble opinion, the best performances are by Alf Kjellin (Rogers) and McGoohan (Berger).  Granted, Bill Travers’ character (Andersson) is basically a big oaf, and you can’t do too much with that in a drama.  Virginia McKenna as McGoohan’s wife is ok, and their son Rolf is played well by John Moulder-Brown. 

The idea of Berger accidentally meeting actual robber Rogers is a bit silly (or did Rogers seek him out?), but the two characters needing to talk to a neutral-party about their problems makes up for it.

McGoohan plays Berger as very quiet, but obviously warm hearted and intelligent.  As the story progresses, and his marriage falls apart, he becomes even more of a lost soul, though he never really gives in and try to change for the sake of others.  He knows who he is and why he did what he did.  But any display of emotion is very low key.  No “Number Six” outburst of anger here.  In fact, the second to last scene, where Berger slowly goes a bit batty as he confronts Andersson at gunpoint, he is actually ever-so-slightly “hammy”, though this may simply be how McGoohan felt a quiet, unassuming man like Berger would behave in that situation.  If a man isn’t prone to loosing his temper, doing so may actually be frightening to himself, and McGoohan’s Berger does indeed seem afraid of what he is doing in that scene.  

I must confess, though, I do feel McGoohan doesn't quite pull off being a loving husband and father.  The viewer knows that is what he is, but I got a sense he wasn't totally comfortable playing such a role.  I got this same feeling when watching his performance in the Disney film "Thomasina".  You would think a happily married father of three daughters would be a natural for such scenes, but there seems to be something missing.  Perhaps I am simply more used to his entirely natural depiction of sly, classy spies and angry or evil men.

The film does, though, give fans a rare "tender" scene showing Berger hugging his wife.

As for the subject matter, and who is in the right, that is up to the viewer.  Most of the cast views Berger as a coward for not risking his life to keep a large amount of money away from two robbers who had already injured two people.  Berger was thinking of his wife and son, but his boss thinks he should have sacrificed his life to the Postal Service.  Andersson could care less about Berger's plight, as long as he is viewed as a hero and in the limelight (hence keeping his head bandage on so long).  The dead man's wife would rather her husband be alive, plain and simple.  The audience is left to ponder just who was right or wrong.

All in all, I did expect a better film.  Perhaps if it were set in Britain and McGoohan gave his Berger a smidge more emotion, it would be a bit more engaging.