British Intelligence
Director: Terry O. Morse
Year: 1939
Rating: 6.5
Rather
a nifty spy film of 60-minutes that keeps one guessing as to who is a spy
and for which side. It was produced in 1939 but not released until 1940 after
the war had begun for England but not yet America. Which makes it a little
surprising that Warner Brothers released it. American film studios were being
told by Congress to stay neutral. Warner's gets around this by setting it
during WWI but it is clear who it is being aimed at. In the finale, the head
of British Intelligence speaks to the audience as bombs drop on London "We
pray that each war will be the last. But in the strange scheme of things
some maniac's lust for power arises and in one moment destroys the peace
and tranquility we have created through the years. We hate war. We despise
it but when war comes we must and will fight on and on and on".
On the front in Europe there is a Master
German spy named Strendler who constantly steals secrets about troop movements
and battle plans. No one knows who he is or what he looks like. He is helped
by the fact that the British keep their damn windows open. A British nurse
(Margaret Lindsay) disappears one night only to show up at German Hq. She
is a spy as well and is being placed in the home of a high-ranking Cabinet
officer. Her mission - to steal any documents regarding the war. In the household
is also a French servant played by Boris Karloff - he too is a German spy.
Or is he? Or is she? The film does a nice job of making us unsure. Fine job
by Karloff and Lindsay. Directed by Terry O. Morse.
