Character Relationship Map: Between Two Worlds

Characters

• Henry Bergner (played by Paul Henreid) — supporting

  Henry Bergner is an Austrian pianist who became a Résistance soldier and cannot obtain an exit permit from wartime London. After attempting suicide with Ann, he remains trapped aboard the ship because...

• Reverend Tim Thompson (played by Sydney Greenstreet) — supporting

  Reverend Tim Thompson is deceased and appears as the heavenly judge who evaluates the passengers aboard the ship. He knew Reverend William Duke during life and recognizes Duke's desire to help others,...

• Scrubby (played by Edmund Gwenn) — supporting

  Scrubby is the steward of the fog-shrouded ship carrying the dead passengers. He advises Henry Bergner and Ann Bergner not to reveal the truth before the others understand it themselves, then explains...

• Pete Musick (played by George Tobias) — supporting

  Pete Musick is an American merchant sailor who died among the passengers bound for the United States. He is especially distressed because he had looked forward to seeing his infant child for the first...

• Mr. Lingley (played by George Coulouris) — supporting

  Mr. Lingley is a wealthy and unscrupulous war profiteer who becomes Maxine Russell's preferred companion after she rejects Tom Prior. He expects wealth and intimidation to secure his passage into Heav...

• Maxine Russell (played by Faye Emerson) — supporting

  Maxine Russell is an actress and Tom Prior's companion among the dead passengers. Motivated by wealth, she abandons Prior for the richer war profiteer Mr. Lingley. Later, she regrets the choices that...

• Reverend William Duke (played by Dennis King) — supporting

  Reverend William Duke is a timid Anglican priest who wishes he had done more to help others during life. Aboard the ship, he recognizes Reverend Tim Thompson, whom he knew previously. After judgment,...

• Benjamin Cliveden-Banks (played by Gilbert Emery) — minor

  Benjamin Cliveden-Banks is Genevieve Cliveden-Banks's wealthy husband, whose love endured her infidelities until it finally wore out. When offered the choice of joining her in a castle, he declines an...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Benjamin Cliveden-Banks → Reverend Tim Thompson (Power Judged Soul) — Tim's judgment determines Benjamin's separation and eventual reunion with old friends.

  Benjamin is judged after the Examiner explains that his wife's destination will be separate from his own.

• Maxine Russell → Reverend Tim Thompson (Power Judged Soul) — The Examiner's judgment forces Maxine to confront her past conduct.

  Maxine appears before the Examiner, regrets her life choices, and leaves with hope of redemption.

• Mr. Lingley → Maxine Russell (Romantic Rivalry) — Maxine chooses Lingley because of his wealth and position, exposing their transactional attraction.

  Maxine Russell spurns her companion Thomas Prior in favor of the unscrupulous war profiteer Mr. Lingley.

• Pete Musick → Reverend Tim Thompson (Power Judged Soul) — The Examiner determines Pete's future and consoles him about his family.

  The passengers are judged one by one, and Pete is told that he will eventually be reunited with his family.

• Scrubby → Pete Musick (Professional Steward And Passenger) — Scrubby serves Pete within the ship's unusual afterlife hierarchy.

  Scrubby is identified as the ship's steward, while Pete Musick is one of the passengers seeking guidance about his fate.

• Henry Bergner → Reverend Tim Thompson (Power Judged Soul) — Reverend Tim Thompson holds decisive authority over Henry's afterlife fate.

  As the Examiner, Reverend Tim Thompson determines that Henry, because of his suicide, must remain on the ship for eternity.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Benjamin Cliveden-Banks → Mr. Lingley (Narrative Moral Contrast) — The two men represent contrasting moral responses to wealth and human relationships.

  Benjamin's patient suffering and enduring love are presented alongside Lingley's exploitation and responsibility for others' suffering.

• Mr. Lingley → Reverend Tim Thompson (Conflict Moral Adversary) — Lingley's wealth and intimidation fail against Tim's moral judgment.

  Lingley discovers that he cannot bribe or browbeat the Examiner and must answer for the suffering he caused.

• Reverend William Duke → Reverend Tim Thompson (Social Former Acquaintance) — Their shared past gives Duke a personal connection to the Examiner.

  When the Examiner appears, he is revealed to be the deceased Reverend Tim Thompson, someone Duke knew well in life.

• Scrubby → Reverend Tim Thompson (Conflict Appeal Against Judgment) — Scrubby challenges the Examiner's judgment by advocating for Henry.

  Scrubby, who is also condemned to remain on the ship because of suicide, pleads Henry's case with the Examiner.

• Henry Bergner → Scrubby (Unknown Moral Intermediary) — Scrubby manages Henry's first encounter with the afterlife and its concealed truth.

  Scrubby asks Henry and his companion not to tell the passengers that they are dead, allowing them to discover the truth themselves.

Story Analysis

A wartime suicide attempt becomes a spiritual judgment in which moral responsibility determines whether the characters can move beyond the ship.

Plot Progression

1. Bombs Over London — Henry cannot leave London because he lacks an exit permit. During an air raid, a bombing and a suicide attempt carry the central couple into an uncanny afterlife.
2. The Liner Of The Dead — Henry awakens aboard a fog-shrouded liner with passengers killed in the bombing. Scrubby conceals the truth while the passengers begin to share their hopes and fears.
3. Truth And Judgment — The passengers learn that they are dead and will be judged. The Examiner appears as Reverend Tim Thompson, giving Duke a new opportunity and beginning the moral reckonings.
4. Fates Beyond The Ship — Lingley fails to manipulate the Examiner, while Maxine confronts her regrets and Pete receives consolation about his family. Henry faces a uniquely severe judgment because of suicide.