Secret Agent (1936)
Genre: Thriller
Duration: 86 minuten
Alternative title: De Geheim Agent
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Madeleine Carroll, Peter Lorre and John Gielgud
IMDb score:
6,4 (9.360)
Releasedate: 31 May 1936
Secret Agent plot
"Dead Women Tell No Tales Was The Motto of This Charming Lady Killer!"
Edgar Brodie, a successful writer, is accosted by the head of the Secret Service for a spy mission in Switzerland. After being officially declared dead and given a new identity, Brodie leaves for Geneva. Together with his alleged wife Elsa and the Mexican hit man 'The General' he must track down a German spy.
Actors and actresses
Elsa Carrington
Richard Ashenden / Edgar Brodie
The General
Robert Marvin
Caypor
Mrs. Caypor
"R"
Lilli
Man (uncredited)
Man (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
Vinokourov
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- 3143 messages
- 2909 votes
A kind of James Bond avant la lettre but then on his Hitchcocks. That sounds promising, but with Secret Agent it is slightly disappointing. The plot in itself about a secret agent who is instructed to take out a German spy is still reasonably well put together. However, the elaboration is mediocre, partly due to an irritating sidekick role by Peter Lorre. Also the ending including climax was not so neatly executed. In later films, Hitchcock is much more adept at this, but in Secret Agent it is messy and clumsy.
mrklm
-
- 10103 messages
- 9238 votes
Richard Ashenden [John Gielgud] is assigned to expose and liquidate a spy with the help of Elsa [Madeleine Carroll] posing as his wife and a hot-tempered assassin [Peter Lorre] nicknamed The General. Percy Marmont is the friendly looking man who could be the target and Robert Young provides a lighthearted never like man who unleashes all his charms on Elsa. The story is not too pleasant and there is little momentum. But Hitchcock proves to be a master of the dramatic use of sound, resulting in some unforgettable moments. A shocking discovery in a church, a nervous dog and an exciting chase in a chocolate factory are the climax that bring us to the spectacular finale that leads to a somewhat abrupt, eccentric ending.
Lovelyboy
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- 3555 messages
- 2633 votes
Just a Hitchcock in between and a movie that I thought I hadn't seen, but the beginning and the character The General seems very familiar to me. Does this movie look like something or did I simply forget a comment and grade...? In the end I didn't know the ending, so who knows.
The story may be clear around the character Brodie who is roped into an espionage mission and exposes a German spy. Once on site, Brody is assisted by a Hitman and a lovely lady who has to provide Brody with the perfect cover. It doesn't exactly go smoothly with the necessary complications as a result. Nice for the eye is the presence of Madeleine Carroll anyway and Peter Lore is quite funny if the Mexican womanizer and Hitman are not necessarily in that order.
Despite a few other plus points such as the unusual ending, the tension built up around the walk in the mountains, the bizarre simultaneous happening with the dog and the discovery of the organist, the film regularly dies in long dialogues that add little or nothing. Certain scenes such as in the casino or in the hotel and bathroom between Brody, The General and Elsa take too long and are not good enough in terms of content and hold the attention with difficulty. There are again some Hitchcock-like things about light, sound and certain shots that are quite strong.
Secret Agent is therefore not entirely convincing, although, of course, it all has to be seen in the context of the era, but this title simply does not belong to Hitchcock's best films. So nice for once.
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