Spione (1928)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Fritz Lang (writer)
Thea von Harbou (novel)

Release Date:

10 March 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Agent No 326 is ordered to stop a spy-ring, but he falls in love with one of the spies, Sonja. No 326 tries to find the head of that organisation...

Plot Keywords:

Espionage | Train | Lost Negative | Based On Novel

Cast

Rudolf Klein-Rogge	...	Haghi
Gerda Maurus	...	Sonya Baranilkowa
Lien Deyers	...	Kitty
Louis Ralph	...	Hans Morrier (Hans Morriera, English version)
Craighall Sherry	...	Burton Jason / Miles Jason
Willy Fritsch	...	No. 326 (Det. Donald Tremaine, English version)
Paul Hörbiger	...	Franz, The Chauffeur
Hertha von Walther	...	Lady Leslane
Lupu Pick	...	Doctor Masimoto (Matsumoto, English version)
Fritz Rasp	...	Colonel Jellusic (Ivan Stepanov, English version)

Also Known As:

Spies (USA)
The Spy (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:178 min (16 fps) | USA:90 min | Spain:144 min (DVD edition)

Country:

Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Spain:T | Finland:K-12 (1966) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Fritz Lang-Film

Trivia:

Fritz Lang consciously choose to introduce Willy Fritsch as a scruffy homeless person, for Fritsch was most known from his previous films as the elegant gentleman he later becomes in this movie as well.

Quotes:

Haghi: Curtain!

Movie Connections:

References Metropolis (1927)

The pre-ultimate Bond-film

Okay, the movie doesn't feature the secret agent with the famous number 007. But after I've seen this really entertaining movie , I wondered if Ian Fleming saw this movie before he created his legendary hero. It contains everything we already know from the James Bond movies:

- A strong and handsome hero with a secret identity number (this time 326) - A sinister and evil villain in a wheelchair (without a white cat, but with a striking resemblance to Lenin) - A secret headquarter for the villains - An attractive heroine, who falls immediately in love with the hero - exiting action-sequences and chases (featuring a crashing train and motorcycles) etc., etc. . Willy Fritsch is very good in the role of the hero (even though you wouldn't associate him with this genre when you saw his comedies) and Rudolf Klein Rogge (the mad scientist from Metropolis) is perfectly evil. The movie is fast-paced and very entertaining, despite its length of nearly three hours. Lang shows that he is correctly regarded as one of the best german directors of all time and that he is capable of succeeding in every genre, be it science-fiction, crime or even spy-adventures.