The Spy in Black (1939)

The greatest movie ever made..!

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This British film is set during WWI...WWII wouldn't begin for another few months after the film's domestic debut in March, 1939. But I am sure it played well during WWII--both because it's darned entertaining and also because the Germans are the baddies in this one.The film begins with a school teacher being abducted by two German agents. Then, a German submarine commander (Conrad Veidt) is sent on a mission to Britain that has everything to do with that school teacher. The woman was being sent to work in Scotland...very near to the British Navy base. So the faux teacher's job is to assist the submarine commander in his mission when he sneaks ashore. How does it all work out? Well, suffice to say exceptionally well...but I won't say more about that.The movie has lots of good things about it. Conrad Veidt was an exceptionally good actor and here he really was at his best. The film also looked great--with an exceptional use of matte paintings, great looking sets and real ships! Additionally, while I hate the use of stock footage, here it's really not bad at all. Nothing to dislike about this tense film.

I first saw this movie on Derby Day 1939 at the then Capitol Cinema in Epsom Surrey UK when I had intended to watch the world famous horse race to be run that day on the nearby Epsom Downs. However, the weather was so wet and windy that I decided to go to a cinema instead. Having just watched the film on television I find that it thrilled me just as much as an octogenarian as it did when I was a teenager in 1939. In my view this is one of the finest of the 1930s British films. The fine quality of the direction and the talent of the principal actors and supporting cast make this a memorable piece of fiction which accurately reflects the narrow attitudes to manners that prevailed in remote parts of Scotland during the time of the first world war.

Here, Conrad Veidt (looking lovely in this) and Valerie Hobson (a little stiff) team for the first time in an unusual war thriller cum romance which uses its locations, script, actors, and pace to great effect. Even if you don't particularly like war films, this has more going on that you'd think, and repays more than one viewing. As an early P&P it does have hints of some of the classics to come - probably a closest link to 49th Parallel. An atmospheric film which dared, on the brink of real-life war, to have a German soldier who you do sympathise with, even if he brings his misfortunes on himself.

This is an entertaining, well-made spy adventure set during World War I. Although made 60 years ago, the film has a sophisticated approach to the relationship between its three main characters. In particular, the natural attraction between the parts played by Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson is portrayed believably. Many of the supporting characters are also interesting; look out for Hay Petrie as the Scottish engineer aboard a ferry and an early appearance by Bernard Miles as a hotel desk clerk. Unlike the majority of British movies of this period, the film doesn't stereotype or make fun of its working-class characters.The story has several good twists and an ironic climax. There are also some improbable coincidences, but no more than the typical James Bond movie.Unlike Bond, however, "The Spy in Black" adopts a quite dark tone in its final 20 minutes. There is an almost tragic dignity and regret in the final scenes.Director Michael Powell composes some interestingly-framed shots that make good use of Vincent Korda's sets. One of his favourite devices is to set a key character in sharp focus in the background while lesser parts stand or move slightly out-of-focus in the foreground. The effect is often quite striking.This film marks Powell's first collaboration with the Hungarian writer Emeric Pressburger. The maturity of the romance between the leads and the snappiness of the dialogue are probably attributable to Pressburger's European upbringing.Despite its age, "The Spy in Black" is well worth seeing just for the simple pleasures of a well-made entertainment executed with a little more care and imagination than usual.