The Saint in London (1939)

The greatest movie ever made..!

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Best movie ever!

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Although it stars George Sanders rather than Louis Hayward in the title role (as in the previous "The Saint In New York"), this light-hearted romp through the imaginary underworld of 1930s London is equally silly. Unfortunately, the wisecracks and cameos are no substitute for the poor script, bland plot and unbelievable characters. It appears too to have been made on a shoestring budget.Three things should stand out for the 21st Century viewer: the obvious back projection in the car scenes, the paucity of telephones, and the ubiquity of cigarette smoke. David Burns plays Simon Templar's unlikely sidekick, and the love interest is provided by Sally Gray as flibbertigibbet Penny Parker.

No wonder GEORGE SANDERS got tired of being cast as Simon Templar, here in "The Saint in London". Although filmed in London, it has almost no flavor of a bustling city in its screenplay which has him on the trail of a bunch of counterfeiters and looks as if it was filmed on the quick on some strictly low-budget sets. He has David BURNS as his valet and SALLY GRAY as his blonde love interest. Whenever the scene shifts to a car chase outdoors, the process photography is obvious.It's all very ordinary with the usual number of close escapes as The Saint leaves his calling card wherever he goes.Sanders looks young and in good shape but seems almost bored with his role--and in this case, it's understandable. What little plot there is holds almost no surprises and it's all over in a matter of 72 minutes. It has the look and feel of a sub-standard B-film and nothing more than routine story without a spark of imagination.

During the New Year period at the beginning of 2006, BBC2 shown four Saint movies in the mornings and this was one of them.In this one, the Saint is in London and is assigned to investigate a load of forged currency. People involved in this include a woman and Count Duni.George Sanders stars as the Saint and the cast also includes Sally Gray and Henry Oscar.The Saint In London isn't brilliant as it tends to be a little slow moving at times but is certainly worth a look at. Not too bad.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Or my favorite, at least. I like the other Sanders entries, Hugh Sinclair's two shots at the role, and Louis Hayward's SAINT IN NEW YORK, but this one just seems to completely capture the lighthearted and eccentric but adventurous feel of the classic British "thriller" to a tee. The slightly giddy but very beautiful Sally Gray is a wonderful leading lady, and David Burns (a versatile and talented Broadway performer) is easily the Saint's best sidekick; he's tough and smart and not a buffoon in the least. Henry Oscar is also a classic villainous "Mr. Big." The dialog is sharp and witty throughout. Highly recommended.