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IMDbPro

Background to Danger

  • 19431943
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 20m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
75,096
11,152
Background to Danger (1943)
A German spy ring plans to publicize a false rumor that Russia, who is fighting Germany, plans to invade neutral Turkey in order to ally them with the Nazis.
Play trailer1:59
1 Video
37 Photos
DramaThrillerWar
A German spy ring plans to publicize a false rumor that Russia, who is fighting Germany, plans to invade neutral Turkey in order to ally them with the Nazis.A German spy ring plans to publicize a false rumor that Russia, who is fighting Germany, plans to invade neutral Turkey in order to ally them with the Nazis.A German spy ring plans to publicize a false rumor that Russia, who is fighting Germany, plans to invade neutral Turkey in order to ally them with the Nazis.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
75,096
11,152
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Raoul Walsh
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett(screen play)
      • Eric Ambler(novel)
      • William Faulkner(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • George Raft
      • Brenda Marshall
      • Sydney Greenstreet
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Raoul Walsh
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett(screen play)
      • Eric Ambler(novel)
      • William Faulkner(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • George Raft
      • Brenda Marshall
      • Sydney Greenstreet
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Official Trailer

    Photos37

    Sydney Greenstreet and George Raft in Background to Danger (1943)
    Kurt Katch and George Raft in Background to Danger (1943)
    Peter Lorre, Brenda Marshall, and George Raft in Background to Danger (1943)
    Background to Danger (1943)
    Sydney Greenstreet in Background to Danger (1943)
    Sydney Greenstreet and Charles La Torre in Background to Danger (1943)
    John Bleifer in Background to Danger (1943)
    Steven Geray in Background to Danger (1943)
    Charles Irwin in Background to Danger (1943)
    Turhan Bey, William Edmunds, and George Raft in Background to Danger (1943)
    Sylvia Opert in Background to Danger (1943)
    Rafael Alcayde and Fernanda Eliscu in Background to Danger (1943)

    Top cast

    Edit
    George Raft
    George Raft
    • Joe Barton
    Brenda Marshall
    Brenda Marshall
    • Tamara Zaleshoff
    Sydney Greenstreet
    Sydney Greenstreet
    • Colonel Robinson
    Peter Lorre
    Peter Lorre
    • Nikolai Zaleshoff
    Osa Massen
    Osa Massen
    • Ana Remzi
    Turhan Bey
    Turhan Bey
    • Hassan
    Willard Robertson
    Willard Robertson
    • McNamara
    Kurt Katch
    Kurt Katch
    • Mailler
    Rafael Alcayde
    Rafael Alcayde
    • Turkish Husband on Train
    • (uncredited)
    Nino Bellini
    • Turkish Secretary
    • (uncredited)
    Eumenio Blanco
    Eumenio Blanco
    • Syrian Vendor
    • (uncredited)
    John Bleifer
    • Secretary
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Bonn
    • German Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Dick Botiller
    Dick Botiller
    • Plane Announcer
    • (uncredited)
    Mary Chan
    • Club Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Chefe
    • Elevator Operator
    • (uncredited)
    Pedro de Cordoba
    Pedro de Cordoba
    • Baba
    • (uncredited)
    Jean De Briac
    Jean De Briac
    • Levantine Porter
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Raoul Walsh
    • Writers
      • W.R. Burnett(screen play)
      • Eric Ambler(novel)
      • William Faulkner(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There was an assassination attempt on German ambassador Franz von Papen as depicted in this film. It occurred on February 24, 1942 and was carried out by the Soviet NKVD. However, in reality, the bomb malfunctioned and killed the would-be assassin - he did not get away by car as shown in this film.
    • Goofs
      When the train is shown leaving Ankara Station for Istanbul (48 minutes in) you see a bit of stock footage showing a (British) Southern Railway class M7 suburban tank engine running somewhere on the South Eastern and Chatham system which runs between London and Kent.
    • Quotes

      Nikolai Zaleshoff: How did you know the gun wasn't loaded?

      Joe Barton: By its weight.

      Nikolai Zaleshoff: There might have been one bullet in it.

      Joe Barton: That's the chance I had to take.

      Nikolai Zaleshoff: YOU had to take?

    • Connections
      Featured in Warner at War (2008)
    • Soundtracks
      Rosen aus dem Süden (Roses from the South), Op.388
      (1880)

      Written by Johann Strauss

      Played on a radio

    User reviews40

    Review
    Top review
    Nice Cast, Familiar Story
    Background to Danger (1943)

    ** 1/2 (out of 4)

    Propaganda piece from Warner with an all-star cast to take us home. George Raft plays an American who meets a strange woman (Brenda Marshall) on a train and soon finds himself being chased by Nazi agents. Turns out there's a German (Sydney Greenstreet) in Turkey who is trying to get the neutral country to join the Nazi party and it's up to Raft to try and stop it. Considering the fact that our country was at war, all these WWII pieces coming from Hollywood was understandable but one wishes a little more time was spent on their screenplays. This one here was apparently written in 1937 but then updated to add in the Nazi plot but very little else was actually done. There were times when the story seemed to forget where it was going as it's pretty much all over the place and the actual going ons are rather boring and not that believable. The "background" in the title is exactly what the film needed because it's like we're put in the middle of a story yet we're never given any idea of how it started or why. In the end, the story comes off rather weak and rushed. Another problem is that the producer's were obviously trying to cash-in on the recently released CASABLANCA. Thanks to TCM you can watch countless movies that have been forgotten or overlooked the past few decades and it's rather amazing to see how many times Warner went to the CASABLANCA well in such a short period of time. The film does benefit from a rather short running time, which helps keep things moving. The main reason to watch the film is because of its attractive cast with Raft leading the way as our tough talking hero. Raft is pretty much what you'd expect from him as he walks hard and punches even tougher. The screenplay does allow him a couple good one-liners, which he puts to go use. Greenstreet is brilliant as usual and even though he's playing a Nazi you just want to love the guy. Peter Lorre plays a Russian spy and manages to mix it up with the rest of the cast quite nicely. Marshall, on the other hand, left me pretty cold as I never cared for her character or the performance. I'm not sure if she was just bored by the material or if Walsh wanted her to act this way just there's just no life to her. This is far from a horrible movie but there's just not enough heart and soul to carry the thing and in the end you'll feel as if you've seen this story several times before and in much better quality.
    helpful•11
    4
    • Michael_Elliott
    • Jul 3, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 3, 1943 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Turkish
      • French
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • Komplott i Ankara
    • Filming locations
      • Estressin, Vienne, Isère, France
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 20 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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