British Agent (1934)

It's 1917. In Russia, the Communist revolution is in full swing. Stephen 'Steve' Locke is a British agent in Russia. The main task of Steve is to prevent the Bolsheviks, led by Joseph ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

R.H. Bruce Lockhart (book), Laird Doyle (screenplay),

Stars:

Leslie Howard, Kay Francis, William Gargan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leslie Howard	...	Stephen 'Steve' Locke
Kay Francis	...	Elena Moura
William Gargan	...	Bob Medill
Phillip Reed	...	Gaston LeFarge
Irving Pichel	...	Sergei Pavlov
Ivan F. Simpson	...	'Poohbah' Evans (as Ivan Simpson)
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Sir Walter Carrister
J. Carrol Naish	...	Commissioner of War Trotsky (as J. Carroll Naish)
Walter Byron	...	Under Secretary Stanley
Cesar Romero	...	Tito Del Val
Arthur Aylesworth	...	Mr. Henry Farmer
Alphonse Ethier	...	Paul DeVigney
Frank Reicher	...	Mr. X
Tenen Holtz	...	Lenin
Doris Lloyd	...	Lady Carrister

Storyline

It's 1917. In Russia, the Communist revolution is in full swing. Stephen 'Steve' Locke is a British agent in Russia. The main task of Steve is to prevent the Bolsheviks, led by Joseph Stalin, to sign in Petrograd a separate treaty with the Germans. Germany had been at war with its neighbors. Steve has to deal with Elena Moura, the attractive secretary of Lenin and spy too. Steve falls in love with Elena.

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Plot Keywords:

russia | spy | revolution | communist | bolshevik | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brutal Agent

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Jack L. Warner wanted to send a film crew to Russia for location shots, but his request was denied.

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Quotes

Sergei Pavlov: You're going to be shot tomorrow morning - and buried in quicklime with fifty others.
Bob Medill: Don't apologize; you know how democratic we Americans are.

User Reviews

Romance And Counterrevolution

Purportedly based on the memoirs of R.H. Bruce Lockhart, the UK's man on the ground during the days of the Russian Revolution, Leslie Howard plays the consul general at the British Embassy whose other tasks include fomenting a little counterrevolution on the side. That's constantly getting in the way of his romance with Bolshevik Kay Francis.

What was fascinating here was that the spy Howard was so terribly indiscreet as to allow Francis to gain valuable information for her side. As a British Agent it seemed like everything that Howard was trying came up real short except in the romance department.

But Howard and Francis are a good match in screen chemistry in the romance department. As history British Agent leaves a lot to be desired. I think had the film been done by a British studio it probably would have turned out better.