Secret Agent (1936)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

W. Somerset Maugham (novel)
Campbell Dixon (play)

Release Date:

15 June 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Mystery - Intrigue - Romance, burn a flaming trail among the gay capitals of Europe

Plot:

After three British agents are assigned to assassinate a mysterious German spy during World War I, two of them become ambivalent when their duty to the mission conflicts with their consciences.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Switzerland | Murder | Assassin | WWI

Cast

John Gielgud	...	Richard Ashenden
Peter Lorre	...	The General
Madeleine Carroll	...	Elsa Carrington
Robert Young	...	Robert Marvin
Percy Marmont	...	Caypor
Florence Kahn	...	Mrs. Caypor
Charles Carson	...	'R'
Lilli Palmer	...	Lilli

Also Known As:

Laugh Track: Secret Agent (USA) (video title (redubbed comic version))

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1936) (original rating) | Finland:K-12 (1995) | Finland:K-16 (1936) (re-rating) | Australia:G (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | UK:U | Norway:16 (1937)

Filming Locations:

Frutigen, Kanton Bern, Switzerland

Company:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Trivia:

Based on W. Somerset Maugham's "Ashenden" spy stories ("The Traitor" and "The Hairless Mexican") and a play by Campbell Dixon.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Though the film is set in 1916, fashion, hairstyles and set decoration are contemporary of 1936.

Quotes:

Edgar Brodie: Oh, I'm to have an assistant, am I?
'R': Yes, and in the circumstances, a very useful one. We call him the "Hairless Mexican".
Edgar Brodie: Oh? Why?
'R': Well, chiefly because he's got a lot of curly hair and isn't a Mexican. You can call him The General. He isn't a general, but he'll appreciate the compliment.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Breach (2007)

Underrated Hitchcock

The only thing generic about this British thriller is its title. After that, it's a rather remarkable and suspenseful Hitchcock movie. John Gielgud plays a WWI pilot who is hired by his government as a spy. He meets up with two operatives, one who is playing the part of his wife (Madeleine Carroll) and one who is just Peter Lorre. I'm not sure what his cover was (perhaps this is just a small flaw; I think that if these were real spies they wouldn't make it very far, but I think I'm mature enough to suspend my disbelief on this kind of thing). They are in Switzerland to root out a German spy. Robert Young plays an American tourist who has a thing for Carroll. The script is excellent, with some fine dialogue. The characters are well developed. Hitchcock's direction is super-taut. The acting is just great here, especially Peter Lorre, who is just delicious. One thing to note in this movie, as well as Hitch's other 1936 film, Sabotage, in my opinion one of his greatest achievements, is the weight that death carries. In most of his other films, the death of a human being is treated rather cynically. One need only view The Trouble with Harry, which displays Hitch's wildest cynicism. I don't particularly mind this normally, but it's interesting to see the moral implications explored more fully in Secret Agent and Sabotage. 9/10.