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◊ 2014-10-20 05:38 |
"by Frank Launder, Sidney Gilliat & Wolfgang Wilhelm" say the opening credits. "Drama / Thriller / War" are the IMDb tags. They forget "Comedy". Because this is a hotch-potch. A steamy and pleasant one. A stubborn and fiercely anti-Brit Irish virgin choose her way in the war: she has to spy for nazi Germany. You see, it's serious stuff, when you know that the part is played by Deborah Kerr who was already a brand new star in Britain at the time of the filming. (Well, actually, the war was already over and won at this time, so the risk was a bit lesser.) Nevertheless, the mixing between anguish, suspens, in a noirish atmosphere sustained by very cool villains (David Ward n the right, and the great Raymond Huntley on the left) in a hitchcockian way (I read that Launder & Gilliat wrote The Lady Vanishes) is surprisingly mixed with a romance developing as a real romance—Trevor Howard to make the trick—and with many comic relieves of many sorts, among them a rather slapstick fight in the end. It's quite curious, and quite entertaining. Very pleasing, actually. Have a look at this British film, at least for the radiant presence of Deborah Kerr. And nice out-door scenes in Devon, Dublin, Isle of Man and County Louth. … I wonder if this could have been already some tourist product placement… |