Conspirator (1949)

On a visit to London, 18 year-old American Melinda Greyton goes to her first party, a Regimental ball. There she meets and falls madly in love with Major Michael Curragh, a handsome ... See full summary »

Director:

Victor Saville

Writers:

Sally Benson (screenplay), Sally Benson (adaptation),

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Flemyng

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Maj. Michael Curragh
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Melinda Greyton
Robert Flemyng	...	Capt. Hugh Ladholme
Harold Warrender	...	Col. Hammerbrook
Honor Blackman	...	Joyce
Marjorie Fielding	...	Aunt Jessica
Thora Hird	...	Broaders
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Lord Pennistone (as Wilfred Hyde-White)
Marie Ney	...	Lady Pennistone
Jack Allen	...	Raglan
Helen Haye	...	Lady Witheringham
Cicely Paget-Bowman	...	Mrs. Hammerbrook
Karel Stepanek	...	Radek
Nicholas Bruce	...	Alek
Cyril Smith	...	Detective Inspector

Storyline

On a visit to London, 18 year-old American Melinda Greyton goes to her first party, a Regimental ball. There she meets and falls madly in love with Major Michael Curragh, a handsome bachelor who returns her affections. After a relatively short period of time, they marry and all is bliss. Michael has some peculiar habits such as when he gets upset when Melinda sends an old overcoat out for cleaning or when she takes a few £1 notes from his wallet. In fact, Michael is a Communist spy and has been a member of the Party since he was in school. When Melinda finally realizes just what and who he is, she tells him to choose between her or his beliefs. He tells her he'll leave the Party but its all a ruse. He does love his wife however and when his spy masters tell him Melinda must be done away with he faces the ultimate choice.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | communism | based on novel

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Taglines:

The Man She Loved Was A Traitor, Sworn To Kill Her!

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Genres:

Thriller | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Traidor

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership (1949)

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Soundtracks

"The Wedding March"
(uncredited)
Music by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Arranged by Leslie Bridgewater
Arcadia Music Ltd

User Reviews

spy/romance drama

While on vacation in England a young American woman (Elizabeth Taylor) meets and later marries a British military officer (Robert Taylor) who turns out to be a Soviet spy. He is too deeply in with the Soviets whose agents liked him better when he was single and instruct him to get rid of her. There is not much of a sense of peril generated, but the film develops a fair degree of tension when Elizabeth Taylor's character discovers the truth about her husband, as the Soviets warned him she would. The crux of the film seems to deal more with his emotional needs that conflict with his Marxist political ideals, though those ideals and the whole existence of being a spy and traitor to one cause while being coldly manipulated by agents of the other could have been done more convincingly (see The Spy Who Came In From The Cold) or one of Carol Reed's tortured espionage tinged films. Nonetheless, it's a pretty decent part for Robert Taylor while somewhat shortchanging Elizabeth's.