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Crossfire was nominated for the 1947 Best Picture Oscar won by Gentleman's Agreement. Gentlemen may propose, if not agree, that Crossfire was better. Like its upscale rival, the film noir raises the specter of anti-Semitism in America: just after World War II, an affable Jew (Sam Levene) is beaten to death by one of several GIs out "crawling." Solving the crime takes all night, but for the audience the killer's identity is scarcely in doubt; Robert Ryan's chilling study in psychopathic bigotry scored him his lone Oscar nomination. He's nearly matched in creepiness by Paul Kelly as an odd nightbird married to sultry Gloria Grahame. Two other worthy Roberts--Young and Mitchum--respectively play the police detective and the Army sergeant wondering which of his guys is a murderer. Incidentally, the hot button in the Richard Brooks novel was not anti-Semitism but homophobia--a sweaty subtext in Edward Dmytryk's film. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Original noir film !
Absorbing script around an ex-soldier who leads the police city to a challenging murderous chase . Once more the ghosts of the recent WW2 explode in this very original noir film in which the Anti-Semitic issues is dealt with superb intelligence .
Mitchum , Ryan and Baxter are magnificent.

"You ought to be kept in a cage."
WWII has ended, and a group of GIs are loose in Washington D.C. One evening, the GIs visit a bar, and there they meet civilian, Joseph Samuels and his girlfriend. One of the soldiers, a young married man named Mitchell is despondent over his relationship with his wife. Samuels and his girlfriend take Mitchell out for a meal, but the evening ends in murder with Mitchell as a suspect.

Police Captain Finlay (Robert Young) is investigating the case. He wants to question prime suspect Mitchell, but no one knows where he is. So Finlay questions the men who were with Samuels that night. This includes the very domineering Montgomery (Robert Ryan). Sgt Keeley (Robert Mitchum) maintains that Mitchell couldn't hurt a fly, but the evidence seems to point to Mitchell's guilt.

"Crossfire" is an excellent entry in the film noir genre. It examines the dilemma of the returning GIs who sometimes resented that the world had carried on without them, and hardly welcomed them home. This is most evident in Montgomery's attitude towards Samuels. He's certain that Samuels is one of those men who've maintained a cushy lifestyle while others are off fighting. "Crossfire" examines anti-Semitism is a very clever way, but the film was based on a book about the murder of a gay man--not a Jewish man. No doubt the murder of a Jewish man was more appropriate for the time. Robert Mitchum fans should delight in his role as Kelley. In his desire to protect his men, Keeley squares off against Captain Finlay, but there's a mutual respect between the two men. Mitchum plays Keeley with his usual cool, laconic style, and Robert Young plays Finlay with a calm, patient demeanour. Montgomery (Robert Ryan) is a very well developed character, and Ryan really steals the film. Montogomery is crafty, bombastic, and unpleasant, and his speech is full of sly inferences. Montgomery may fool many people, but he certainly doesn't fool Keeley.

Gloria Grahame's supporting role of Ginny, the dance hall girl is well worth catching. She's jaded, prickly, and resentful. She's another character hardened by the war, and she's in complete contrast to Mitchell's clean, healthy and pure wife. Film noir fans will enjoy "Crossfire." It's an entertaining, tight drama--displacedhuman

Rising above the level of a B Movie
I had been looking forward to seeing "Crossfire" for a number of years; it never seemed to be available on any of the channels I had access to.I finally got my wish and I was duly impressed.This is a very good movie that tells the story of what hate can do if left unchallenged.It is, thus, a message that is timeless in its' relevance.However, as I understand it, the screenplay altered the book ("The Brick Foxhole" by Richard Brooks) because the subject matter was ahead of its' time.In the book, the murderous anger is directed against homosexuals which would, to me, make for a more effective movie than the one that was presented.That comment aside, the elements of fear, prejudice, anger and superstition are all woven well together along with some very good acting.Robert Ryan is the dominant character both on the screen and in the plot.Playing almost an opposite personality is the low-key, almost bored, yet quite efficient policeman played by Robert Young.In between those two extremes is the role played by Robert Mitchum.This was from the era when Mitchum seemed at his peak in acting abilities and his role in "Crossfire" underscores his strength on the screen.The other roles are played with varying abilities.The transformation of the Ryan character from bully to desperate was very well done.There is a very small but interesting twist to the plot that caught me off-guard and helped me understand how the perpetrator was to be brought to justice.This is one of those film noir movies that shows the darker side of humanity.Its' message works very well thanks to good acting, directing, writing, and camera work.

Post war anti - Semitism
Edward Dmytryk's "Crossfire" was a powerful and seminal treatise dealing with anti-Semitism in post- WWII America.He broached an issue previously tabooed in films which was on the minds of many in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Washington D.C. is teaming with servicemen who fought in the war but are presently idle with spare time on their hands.Inactivity leads to tragedy as a group of three inebriated soldiers are involved in the savage beating death of a man who turns out to be Jewish. The leader of the group is Robert Ryan, in an Oscar nominated performance, playing Montgomery a bigoted loathing, hateful man unable to control his emotions. He bullies his other two cohorts into silence.George Cooper, one of the two other soldiers, is a naive timid man who longs for his wife.He had been so tipsy that he doesn't have any recollection of the crime, so Ryan tries to implicate him.He quiets the third soldier by killing him and making it look like suicide.

Robert Young playing the coy and placid police captain Finlay, who had been exposed to Irish bigotry, is assigned to investigate the case.With the help of U.S. Army sergeant Robert Mitchum they uncover enough evidence to suspect Ryan, but have no motive.Young decoys Ryan and tricks him into revealing his deep seated violent feelings of anti-Semitism which soon incriminate him.

Another towering performance by the vastly underrated Ryan
Landing one of the lead roles in RKO's low-budget gem, Crossfire placed Robert Ryan at the forefront of the studio's exciting new stars. Although the actor's intensity had been tapped in two earlier films, Marine Raiders and The Woman on the Beach, Crossfire was pivotal in terms of future roles that would come his way.
Several brillant, controversial minds came together on Crossfire, in the persons of producer Adrian Scott, director Edward Dmytryk, screenwriter John Paxton, and executive producer Dore Schary. As a penetrating example of the film noir genre, the thematic elements of alienation, isolation and loneliness received a grand treatment in Crossfire, as all of its characters are depicted in a state of flux, in limbo. Soldiers and civilians alike are portrayed as tired, bored, frustrated souls, trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, victims of the emotional turmoil of World War II. All are searching, waiting for something to happen, and as depicted by the professionals from RKO, the performances are superb. The choice of the three leads in Crossfire was a stroke of genius, validating Schary's sagacity in casting and in public relations. In accepting the unsympathetic role of the sadistic bigot, Montgomery, Ryan took a big risk in career terms, since a failure of the movie might have short-circuited his advancement.
He always viewed his role in Crossfire as a mixed blessing, and believed it contributed to his being typecast as a perennial heavy. Although today Ryan is often remembered for that part alone, in a larger sense it served him well, since from his Best Supporting Actor nomination in 1947, he became a major contender for stardom. Moreover, it was a statement, albeit inadvertent, of his and everyone else's conflicts and ambivalences as human beings. His friend Henry Fonda once said that acting was therapy for him, a way of expressing the positve and negative aspecturs of humanity, but with a constructive purpose Ryan seemed to have shared those sentiments. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not one of Hitch's best
A curious combination of actors and actresses make this pre-WW2 Hitchcock spy flick a B-level film.

The homely and genteel John Gielgud plays an English author whose death is faked during WW1 to set him up as a reluctant spy under an assumed name. His mission is to proceed to Switzerland to uncover and thwart a German agent. The beautiful and enthusiastic Madeleine Carroll is playing his wife. Gielgud meets her in a hotel where she is conversing with a very youthful looking Robert Young. Gielgud and Young eventually will vie for her affections. Gielgud is aided by a horribly miscast Peter Lorre. Lorre pays a phony Mexican general complete with curly black hair, a gold earring, prosthetic teeth and a terrible accent.

After killing the wrong man, Gielgud and Carroll show remorse and attempt to give up the spy game. The unsympathetic Lorre coaxes Gielgud to continue to pursue the real villain in a memorable scene in a chocolate factory.

In summation, Hitchcock has done a far better job with similar subject matter in 39 Steps, Saboteur and Foreign Correspondent.

A so-so movie from Hitchcock
I have to say, I didn't really enjoy this movie. I would recommend renting it before considering purchasing it.
I found there to be very little chemistry between Gielgud and Carrol, and Peter Lorre seems determined to steal every scene he is in. The story was a bit thin as well.

Not bad, not the best early Hitchcock
This Laserlight edition of "Secret Agent" includes a short introduction by Tony Curtis. Many Laserlight classics have an intro like this. Mr. Curtis speaks for about 3 or 4 minutes, a few still photos and publicity shots are shown; its a welcome addition to a budget release. Curtis' intros are sometimes very funny because he delivers his lines so awkwardly.

As for the movie itself... For a 1936 suspense thriller, it holds up pretty well. Hitchcock fans won't want to miss it. There is a lot of humor in this film, most of it courtesy of Peter Lorre, who steals the film as the General.

This edition of the film runs about 86 minutes. I have seen video guides list the film as having a 93 minute running time. I do not know if this version is incomplete, or if there is in fact a longer version available somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time Laserlight has released a cut version (Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn" was released with several minutes missing). Maybe a future reviewer can shed some light on this mystery.

Worth A Look
Here is a Hitch movie that-although it is great, is very hard to watch. I think perhaps it is because of the plot which explores peoples fasination with killing a person. To begin with Carrol's character is all but too ready to kill the man. She thinks it would make a high old time. Gielgud's character knows, though that even if he does have orders and he's doing it for his country- that murder isn't a pretty thing to live with.

The movie starts out that you think he's dead but you soon find out that the government faked his death because they had an under cover job for him. He and Carrol (As well as Lorre) were to track down a spy and do away with him.

It really is a great movie, but if you aren't in the mood to think save it for when you are. But definatly check it out!!!!

One of Hitchcoks earlier thrillers
During WW1, Edgar Brodie has to assume a false identitiy and go on a secret mission to Switzerland. I liked the film because of the way Hitchcock builds the suspense in a viewer up to the climax of the incident at the Langen Alp. The carachter of Brodie, who has to go on a misson although he doesn't care much for espionage, and is really cold in some situations, is very interesting, along with the General and Elsa. Although his later work is much better in the ways of charachters and effects this is a good film, and I would recomend it not just to Hitchcock fans, but anyone who enjoys a good film. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

One of Alfred Hitchcock's finest pre-Hollywood films, the 1936 Secret Agent stars a young John Gielgud as a British spy whose death is faked by his intelligence superiors. Reinvented with another identity and outfitted with a wife (Madeleine Carroll), Gielgud's character is sent on assignment with a cold-blooded accomplice (Peter Lorre) to assassinate a German agent. En route, the counterfeit couple keeps company with an affable American (Robert Young), who turns out to be more than he seems after the wrong man is murdered by Gielgud and Lorre. Dense with interwoven ideas about false names and real identities, about appearances as lies and the brutality of the hidden, and about the complicity of those who watch the anarchy that others do, Secret Agent declared that Alfred Hitchcock was well along the road to mastery as a filmmaker and, more importantly, knew what it was he wanted to say for the rest of his career. The print of the film used in the DVD release is serviceable and probably comparable to an average 16mm classroom or museum presentation. The DVD also includes a Hitchcock filmography, trivia questions, a director biography, and scene access. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hitch's Mix....Suspense and Humor...
This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition...

From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre(fabulous as always) as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave.

The transfer of this nearly 70 year old film by Platinum is decent, but probably not as good as some of the more expensive editons. The picture is nice and clear but there are quite a few scratches.The sound in Dolby Dig is clear and distinguishable. I did find it to be very viewable and perfectly enjoyable.It includes a short trivia quiz of the film, a bio of Sir John Gielgud and a few chapter stops.It comes in a nice jewel case, with an insert that also includes the same extras that are on the disc.

Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.

I would recommend this editon of "Secret Agent" to Hitch fans who want to build up their collection without spending too much.

enjoy...Laurie

Often-overlooked Hitchcock is worth several viewings!
SECRET AGENT was Hitchcock's follow-up to the hugely successful THE 39 STEPS, and continues that film's explorations of moral ambiguity and instability of identity. A very young John Gielgud portrays Edgar Brodie, an English soldier whose identity is deliberately eliminated by the government so his talents may be put to use as a professional spy under the name of Richard Ashenden. His mission: travel to Switzerland and execute a German spy before he crosses the Swiss border. Ashenden's accomplices in this state-sanctioned murder are the bizarre and campy bisexual "General" (Peter Lorre), who claims to be Spanish but is obviously nothing of the sort, and Elsa (Madeleine Carroll) a rather bloodthirsty woman assigned to play Mrs. Ashenden, who seems to have become an agent just to get a few thrills. Elsa's gung-ho mindset changes rapidly when the little group deceives and assassinates the wrong man. Elsa distracts the man's wife by asking for German lessons while Ashenden and the General take him on a mountain trek from which he will not return. Although the General actually does the killing, Ashenden is complicit in the unwitting crime, and seems to accept it as a matter of course. This murder sequence is extremely suspenseful, cross-cutting the male plot with the gradual realization of the doomed man's wife that something has happened to her husband because of the increasing agitation of the man's faithful dog. At the moment of the killing, the dog breaks out into eerie, unforgettable howls. After this event, Elsa realizes that what she thought was a game was actually in deadly earnest, and she tries to stop Ashenden from going through with the actual muder of the real agent, whose identity is uncovered almost by accident. The final sequences, including a fire alarm in a chocolate factory and a stunning train wreck, result in the deaths of the German agent and the General, leaving Elsa and Ashenden free to marry and quit the spy business. As another reviewer has noted, there is a strange and disquieting undercurrent of homosexuality among all the major male characters, who seem to be more interested in each other than any of them is in Elsa. Indeed, Madeleine Carroll has almost nothing to do in the last half of the film, and the usual sexualized banter between Hollywood lovers is actually given to Ashenden and the General! Indeed, Ashenden seems oddly reluctant to touch Elsa throughout the film and their love scenes are awkward at best. I can't say whether any of this was deliberate on Hitchcock's part, or whether was simply the result of casting a trio of homosexual or bisexual actors as the male leads, but the function of this choice undercuts the usual romance angle that we find in this type of story and renders the conclusion quite unbelievable, which perhaps makese sense, considering that no one in the world of this film is what he or she seems to be on the surface. Still, this is a surprisingly accomplished film which, despite some jarring shifts in tone, is watchable throughout. By the way, the film is supposedly set in 1916 and the events it chronicles deal with WW I, but don't you believe it for a second! The costumes and decors are strictly mid-30's, as is the language! Hitchcock obviously wished to comment on the moral choices forced on people by the deteriorating international situation of the times, and it isn't much of a stretch to relate these people to choices present only in the 1930's!

An Odd Little British Curio From The Master Of Suspense!
Another one of Hitchcock's early British films. Made just one year after Hitchcock's classic 'The 39 Steps'. Hitchcock's trademarks and usual suspense are greatly tampered making a more comic (?) film with some tense sexual undercurrents. John Gielgud, who is a master in stage acting and one of the most respected performers since Olivier stars as the secret agent who is sent to knock off an assassin. There are some surprising homosexual undercurrents to his character, he has the opportunity with Madeline Carroll but never does anything about it. Peter Lorre is also memorable as the Spanish (?) assassin, a bit too over the top at times but still delivers. The accents are extremely thick and lots of close-ups of letters and messages make the plot hard to follow at times. Madeleine Carroll also stars, Hitchcock had used her as the icy blonde who charms Robert Donat in 'The 39 Steps' just one year earlier. Less suspenseful than most of Hitchcock's other films and has a lot less to offer. One of the master of suspense's lesser efforts. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 5! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not one of Hitch's best
A curious combination of actors and actresses make this pre-WW2 Hitchcock spy flick a B-level film.

The homely and genteel John Gielgud plays an English author whose death is faked during WW1 to set him up as a reluctant spy under an assumed name. His mission is to proceed to Switzerland to uncover and thwart a German agent. The beautiful and enthusiastic Madeleine Carroll is playing his wife. Gielgud meets her in a hotel where she is conversing with a very youthful looking Robert Young. Gielgud and Young eventually will vie for her affections. Gielgud is aided by a horribly miscast Peter Lorre. Lorre pays a phony Mexican general complete with curly black hair, a gold earring, prosthetic teeth and a terrible accent.

After killing the wrong man, Gielgud and Carroll show remorse and attempt to give up the spy game. The unsympathetic Lorre coaxes Gielgud to continue to pursue the real villain in a memorable scene in a chocolate factory.

In summation, Hitchcock has done a far better job with similar subject matter in 39 Steps, Saboteur and Foreign Correspondent.

A so-so movie from Hitchcock
I have to say, I didn't really enjoy this movie. I would recommend renting it before considering purchasing it.
I found there to be very little chemistry between Gielgud and Carrol, and Peter Lorre seems determined to steal every scene he is in. The story was a bit thin as well.

Not bad, not the best early Hitchcock
This Laserlight edition of "Secret Agent" includes a short introduction by Tony Curtis. Many Laserlight classics have an intro like this. Mr. Curtis speaks for about 3 or 4 minutes, a few still photos and publicity shots are shown; its a welcome addition to a budget release. Curtis' intros are sometimes very funny because he delivers his lines so awkwardly.

As for the movie itself... For a 1936 suspense thriller, it holds up pretty well. Hitchcock fans won't want to miss it. There is a lot of humor in this film, most of it courtesy of Peter Lorre, who steals the film as the General.

This edition of the film runs about 86 minutes. I have seen video guides list the film as having a 93 minute running time. I do not know if this version is incomplete, or if there is in fact a longer version available somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time Laserlight has released a cut version (Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn" was released with several minutes missing). Maybe a future reviewer can shed some light on this mystery.

Worth A Look
Here is a Hitch movie that-although it is great, is very hard to watch. I think perhaps it is because of the plot which explores peoples fasination with killing a person. To begin with Carrol's character is all but too ready to kill the man. She thinks it would make a high old time. Gielgud's character knows, though that even if he does have orders and he's doing it for his country- that murder isn't a pretty thing to live with.

The movie starts out that you think he's dead but you soon find out that the government faked his death because they had an under cover job for him. He and Carrol (As well as Lorre) were to track down a spy and do away with him.

It really is a great movie, but if you aren't in the mood to think save it for when you are. But definatly check it out!!!!

One of Hitchcoks earlier thrillers
During WW1, Edgar Brodie has to assume a false identitiy and go on a secret mission to Switzerland. I liked the film because of the way Hitchcock builds the suspense in a viewer up to the climax of the incident at the Langen Alp. The carachter of Brodie, who has to go on a misson although he doesn't care much for espionage, and is really cold in some situations, is very interesting, along with the General and Elsa. Although his later work is much better in the ways of charachters and effects this is a good film, and I would recomend it not just to Hitchcock fans, but anyone who enjoys a good film. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hitch's Mix....Suspense and Humor...
This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition...

From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre(fabulous as always) as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave.

The transfer of this nearly 70 year old film by Platinum is decent, but probably not as good as some of the more expensive editons. The picture is nice and clear but there are quite a few scratches.The sound in Dolby Dig is clear and distinguishable. I did find it to be very viewable and perfectly enjoyable.It includes a short trivia quiz of the film, a bio of Sir John Gielgud and a few chapter stops.It comes in a nice jewel case, with an insert that also includes the same extras that are on the disc.

Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.

I would recommend this editon of "Secret Agent" to Hitch fans who want to build up their collection without spending too much.

enjoy...Laurie

Often-overlooked Hitchcock is worth several viewings!
SECRET AGENT was Hitchcock's follow-up to the hugely successful THE 39 STEPS, and continues that film's explorations of moral ambiguity and instability of identity. A very young John Gielgud portrays Edgar Brodie, an English soldier whose identity is deliberately eliminated by the government so his talents may be put to use as a professional spy under the name of Richard Ashenden. His mission: travel to Switzerland and execute a German spy before he crosses the Swiss border. Ashenden's accomplices in this state-sanctioned murder are the bizarre and campy bisexual "General" (Peter Lorre), who claims to be Spanish but is obviously nothing of the sort, and Elsa (Madeleine Carroll) a rather bloodthirsty woman assigned to play Mrs. Ashenden, who seems to have become an agent just to get a few thrills. Elsa's gung-ho mindset changes rapidly when the little group deceives and assassinates the wrong man. Elsa distracts the man's wife by asking for German lessons while Ashenden and the General take him on a mountain trek from which he will not return. Although the General actually does the killing, Ashenden is complicit in the unwitting crime, and seems to accept it as a matter of course. This murder sequence is extremely suspenseful, cross-cutting the male plot with the gradual realization of the doomed man's wife that something has happened to her husband because of the increasing agitation of the man's faithful dog. At the moment of the killing, the dog breaks out into eerie, unforgettable howls. After this event, Elsa realizes that what she thought was a game was actually in deadly earnest, and she tries to stop Ashenden from going through with the actual muder of the real agent, whose identity is uncovered almost by accident. The final sequences, including a fire alarm in a chocolate factory and a stunning train wreck, result in the deaths of the German agent and the General, leaving Elsa and Ashenden free to marry and quit the spy business. As another reviewer has noted, there is a strange and disquieting undercurrent of homosexuality among all the major male characters, who seem to be more interested in each other than any of them is in Elsa. Indeed, Madeleine Carroll has almost nothing to do in the last half of the film, and the usual sexualized banter between Hollywood lovers is actually given to Ashenden and the General! Indeed, Ashenden seems oddly reluctant to touch Elsa throughout the film and their love scenes are awkward at best. I can't say whether any of this was deliberate on Hitchcock's part, or whether was simply the result of casting a trio of homosexual or bisexual actors as the male leads, but the function of this choice undercuts the usual romance angle that we find in this type of story and renders the conclusion quite unbelievable, which perhaps makese sense, considering that no one in the world of this film is what he or she seems to be on the surface. Still, this is a surprisingly accomplished film which, despite some jarring shifts in tone, is watchable throughout. By the way, the film is supposedly set in 1916 and the events it chronicles deal with WW I, but don't you believe it for a second! The costumes and decors are strictly mid-30's, as is the language! Hitchcock obviously wished to comment on the moral choices forced on people by the deteriorating international situation of the times, and it isn't much of a stretch to relate these people to choices present only in the 1930's!

An Odd Little British Curio From The Master Of Suspense!
Another one of Hitchcock's early British films. Made just one year after Hitchcock's classic 'The 39 Steps'. Hitchcock's trademarks and usual suspense are greatly tampered making a more comic (?) film with some tense sexual undercurrents. John Gielgud, who is a master in stage acting and one of the most respected performers since Olivier stars as the secret agent who is sent to knock off an assassin. There are some surprising homosexual undercurrents to his character, he has the opportunity with Madeline Carroll but never does anything about it. Peter Lorre is also memorable as the Spanish (?) assassin, a bit too over the top at times but still delivers. The accents are extremely thick and lots of close-ups of letters and messages make the plot hard to follow at times. Madeleine Carroll also stars, Hitchcock had used her as the icy blonde who charms Robert Donat in 'The 39 Steps' just one year earlier. Less suspenseful than most of Hitchcock's other films and has a lot less to offer. One of the master of suspense's lesser efforts. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 5! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not bad but ...
Sabotage in my personal opinion is good flick, and i would definately rate it as one of Hitchcock's early bests, yet it doesn't quite pack the punch of the man Who Knew Too Much which was made 2 years prior to this film.

Tha basic plot line, to avoid spoilers and revealing the mystery is a terrorist gang plan to place a bomb in a public place and an undercover agent takes up employment close to where the bomb is to be planted to thwart the gang.

Suspensful? Yes, Pleasing to watch? Yes, Good character development? Yes after all this is Hitchcock.

Sadly a bare-bones DVD disc, with no extras, but this film is worth the money nevertheless, so throw away your VHS copy, and immortalize Sabotage on DVD for your collection! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hitch's Mix....Suspense and Humor...
This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition...

From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre(fabulous as always) as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave.

The transfer of this nearly 70 year old film by Platinum is decent, but probably not as good as some of the more expensive editons. The picture is nice and clear but there are quite a few scratches.The sound in Dolby Dig is clear and distinguishable. I did find it to be very viewable and perfectly enjoyable.It includes a short trivia quiz of the film, a bio of Sir John Gielgud and a few chapter stops.It comes in a nice jewel case, with an insert that also includes the same extras that are on the disc.

Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.

I would recommend this editon of "Secret Agent" to Hitch fans who want to build up their collection without spending too much.

enjoy...Laurie

Often-overlooked Hitchcock is worth several viewings!
SECRET AGENT was Hitchcock's follow-up to the hugely successful THE 39 STEPS, and continues that film's explorations of moral ambiguity and instability of identity. A very young John Gielgud portrays Edgar Brodie, an English soldier whose identity is deliberately eliminated by the government so his talents may be put to use as a professional spy under the name of Richard Ashenden. His mission: travel to Switzerland and execute a German spy before he crosses the Swiss border. Ashenden's accomplices in this state-sanctioned murder are the bizarre and campy bisexual "General" (Peter Lorre), who claims to be Spanish but is obviously nothing of the sort, and Elsa (Madeleine Carroll) a rather bloodthirsty woman assigned to play Mrs. Ashenden, who seems to have become an agent just to get a few thrills. Elsa's gung-ho mindset changes rapidly when the little group deceives and assassinates the wrong man. Elsa distracts the man's wife by asking for German lessons while Ashenden and the General take him on a mountain trek from which he will not return. Although the General actually does the killing, Ashenden is complicit in the unwitting crime, and seems to accept it as a matter of course. This murder sequence is extremely suspenseful, cross-cutting the male plot with the gradual realization of the doomed man's wife that something has happened to her husband because of the increasing agitation of the man's faithful dog. At the moment of the killing, the dog breaks out into eerie, unforgettable howls. After this event, Elsa realizes that what she thought was a game was actually in deadly earnest, and she tries to stop Ashenden from going through with the actual muder of the real agent, whose identity is uncovered almost by accident. The final sequences, including a fire alarm in a chocolate factory and a stunning train wreck, result in the deaths of the German agent and the General, leaving Elsa and Ashenden free to marry and quit the spy business. As another reviewer has noted, there is a strange and disquieting undercurrent of homosexuality among all the major male characters, who seem to be more interested in each other than any of them is in Elsa. Indeed, Madeleine Carroll has almost nothing to do in the last half of the film, and the usual sexualized banter between Hollywood lovers is actually given to Ashenden and the General! Indeed, Ashenden seems oddly reluctant to touch Elsa throughout the film and their love scenes are awkward at best. I can't say whether any of this was deliberate on Hitchcock's part, or whether was simply the result of casting a trio of homosexual or bisexual actors as the male leads, but the function of this choice undercuts the usual romance angle that we find in this type of story and renders the conclusion quite unbelievable, which perhaps makese sense, considering that no one in the world of this film is what he or she seems to be on the surface. Still, this is a surprisingly accomplished film which, despite some jarring shifts in tone, is watchable throughout. By the way, the film is supposedly set in 1916 and the events it chronicles deal with WW I, but don't you believe it for a second! The costumes and decors are strictly mid-30's, as is the language! Hitchcock obviously wished to comment on the moral choices forced on people by the deteriorating international situation of the times, and it isn't much of a stretch to relate these people to choices present only in the 1930's!

An Odd Little British Curio From The Master Of Suspense!
Another one of Hitchcock's early British films. Made just one year after Hitchcock's classic 'The 39 Steps'. Hitchcock's trademarks and usual suspense are greatly tampered making a more comic (?) film with some tense sexual undercurrents. John Gielgud, who is a master in stage acting and one of the most respected performers since Olivier stars as the secret agent who is sent to knock off an assassin. There are some surprising homosexual undercurrents to his character, he has the opportunity with Madeline Carroll but never does anything about it. Peter Lorre is also memorable as the Spanish (?) assassin, a bit too over the top at times but still delivers. The accents are extremely thick and lots of close-ups of letters and messages make the plot hard to follow at times. Madeleine Carroll also stars, Hitchcock had used her as the icy blonde who charms Robert Donat in 'The 39 Steps' just one year earlier. Less suspenseful than most of Hitchcock's other films and has a lot less to offer. One of the master of suspense's lesser efforts. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 5! ... Read more