The Adventuress (1946)
"I See a Dark Stranger" (original title)

A young Irish woman hates England so much she becomes a Nazi spy.

Director:

Frank Launder

Writers:

Sidney Gilliat, Wolfgang Wilhelm,

Stars:

Deborah Kerr, Trevor Howard, Raymond Huntley

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Deborah Kerr	...	Bridie Quilty
Trevor Howard	...	Lt. David Baynes
Raymond Huntley	...	J. Miller
Michael Howard	...	Hawkins
Norman Shelley	...	Man in Straw Hat
Liam Redmond	...	Uncle Timothy
Brefni O'Rorke	...	Michael O'Callaghan
James Harcourt	...	Grandfather
George Woodbridge	...	Walter
Garry Marsh	...	Capt. Goodhusband
Olga Lindo	...	Mrs. Edwards
Tom Macaulay	...	Lt. Spanswick
David Ward	...	Oscar Pryce
Harry Hutchinson	...	Chief Mourner
Harry Webster	...	Uncle Joe

Storyline

Determined, independent Bridie Quilty comes of age in 1944 Ireland thinking all Englishmen are devils. Her desire to join the IRA meets no encouragement, but a German spy finds her easy to recruit. We next find her working in a pub near a British military prison, using her sex appeal in the service of the enemy. But chance puts a really vital secret into her hands, leading to a chase involving Bridie, a British officer who's fallen for her, a German agent unknown to them both, and the police...paralleled by Bridie's own internal conflicts.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | officer | german spy | nazi | ira | 

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1946 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Adventuress

Filming Locations:

Devon, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Individual Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film of Liam Redmond.

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Goofs

When David takes Bridie for a walk on their first date, she is wearing a plain dress in the initial wide shot but a striped dress in the closeups.

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Quotes

Usher: We don't get many young people here these days. They, they seem to prefer the pictures. Old Tim Kelly there, he, he was a great one for the pictures, until they started talking. So now he comes here for his nap.

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Connections

References We Dive at Dawn (1943)

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Soundtracks

"Kelly the Boy from Killane"
Irish folk song
Sung by the men in the pub

User Reviews

Comedy/ Drama

Enjoyed seeing how young Deborah Kerr appeared in this picture at the age of twenty-four years. Deborah plays the role as Birdie Quilty who works in her families pub in England and heard all kinds of stories told by people who visited the pub about how Ireland fought against the British years ago and she starts to form a hated toward the English Government. Birdie becomes of age and wants to go to Dublin, Ireland to live and work and she meets up with some very strange people who have listened to Birdie talk about England and they decide to utilize her hatred towards the British Nation for their own benefits. Birdie finds herself in some very difficult situations until she meets up with a British Lt. David Baynes, (Trevor Howard) who seems to fall madly in love with Birdie at first seeing her and on other dates, it becomes serious. However, Birdie has so many dark secrets that she does not want to show any affections towards David and this still does not stop David from following her from one country to another. This is a very great film with plenty of funny moments and at other times can be very dark and mysterious. Enjoy.