The Secret Agent

Rating:
Summary: An Odd Little British Curio From The Master Of Suspense!
Review: Another one of Hitchcock's early British films. Made just one year after Hitchcock's classic 'The 39 Steps'. Hitchcock's trademarks and usual suspense are greatly tampered making a more comic (?) film with some tense sexual undercurrents. John Gielgud, who is a master in stage acting and one of the most respected performers since Olivier stars as the secret agent who is sent to knock off an assassin. There are some surprising homosexual undercurrents to his character, he has the opportunity with Madeline Carroll but never does anything about it. Peter Lorre is also memorable as the Spanish (?) assassin, a bit too over the top at times but still delivers. The accents are extremely thick and lots of close-ups of letters and messages make the plot hard to follow at times. Madeleine Carroll also stars, Hitchcock had used her as the icy blonde who charms Robert Donat in 'The 39 Steps' just one year earlier. Less suspenseful than most of Hitchcock's other films and has a lot less to offer. One of the master of suspense's lesser efforts. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 5!

Rating:
Summary: An Odd Little British Curio From The Master Of Suspense!
Review: Another one of Hitchcock's early British films. Made just one year after Hitchcock's classic 'The 39 Steps'. Hitchcock's trademarks and usual suspense are greatly tampered making a more comic (?) film with some tense sexual undercurrents. John Gielgud, who is a master in stage acting and one of the most respected performers since Olivier stars as the secret agent who is sent to knock off an assassin. There are some surprising homosexual undercurrents to his character, he has the opportunity with Madeline Carroll but never does anything about it. Peter Lorre is also memorable as the Spanish (?) assassin, a bit too over the top at times but still delivers. The accents are extremely thick and lots of close-ups of letters and messages make the plot hard to follow at times. Madeleine Carroll also stars, Hitchcock had used her as the icy blonde who charms Robert Donat in 'The 39 Steps' just one year earlier. Less suspenseful than most of Hitchcock's other films and has a lot less to offer. One of the master of suspense's lesser efforts. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 5!

Rating:
Summary: Often-overlooked Hitchcock is worth several viewings!
Review: SECRET AGENT was Hitchcock's follow-up to the hugely successful THE 39 STEPS, and continues that film's explorations of moral ambiguity and instability of identity. A very young John Gielgud portrays Edgar Brodie, an English soldier whose identity is deliberately eliminated by the government so his talents may be put to use as a professional spy under the name of Richard Ashenden. His mission: travel to Switzerland and execute a German spy before he crosses the Swiss border. Ashenden's accomplices in this state-sanctioned murder are the bizarre and campy bisexual "General" (Peter Lorre), who claims to be Spanish but is obviously nothing of the sort, and Elsa (Madeleine Carroll) a rather bloodthirsty woman assigned to play Mrs. Ashenden, who seems to have become an agent just to get a few thrills. Elsa's gung-ho mindset changes rapidly when the little group deceives and assassinates the wrong man. Elsa distracts the man's wife by asking for German lessons while Ashenden and the General take him on a mountain trek from which he will not return. Although the General actually does the killing, Ashenden is complicit in the unwitting crime, and seems to accept it as a matter of course. This murder sequence is extremely suspenseful, cross-cutting the male plot with the gradual realization of the doomed man's wife that something has happened to her husband because of the increasing agitation of the man's faithful dog. At the moment of the killing, the dog breaks out into eerie, unforgettable howls. After this event, Elsa realizes that what she thought was a game was actually in deadly earnest, and she tries to stop Ashenden from going through with the actual muder of the real agent, whose identity is uncovered almost by accident. The final sequences, including a fire alarm in a chocolate factory and a stunning train wreck, result in the deaths of the German agent and the General, leaving Elsa and Ashenden free to marry and quit the spy business. As another reviewer has noted, there is a strange and disquieting undercurrent of homosexuality among all the major male characters, who seem to be more interested in each other than any of them is in Elsa. Indeed, Madeleine Carroll has almost nothing to do in the last half of the film, and the usual sexualized banter between Hollywood lovers is actually given to Ashenden and the General! Indeed, Ashenden seems oddly reluctant to touch Elsa throughout the film and their love scenes are awkward at best. I can't say whether any of this was deliberate on Hitchcock's part, or whether was simply the result of casting a trio of homosexual or bisexual actors as the male leads, but the function of this choice undercuts the usual romance angle that we find in this type of story and renders the conclusion quite unbelievable, which perhaps makese sense, considering that no one in the world of this film is what he or she seems to be on the surface. Still, this is a surprisingly accomplished film which, despite some jarring shifts in tone, is watchable throughout. By the way, the film is supposedly set in 1916 and the events it chronicles deal with WW I, but don't you believe it for a second! The costumes and decors are strictly mid-30's, as is the language! Hitchcock obviously wished to comment on the moral choices forced on people by the deteriorating international situation of the times, and it isn't much of a stretch to relate these people to choices present only in the 1930's!

Rating:
Summary: Often-overlooked Hitchcock is worth several viewings!
Review: SECRET AGENT was Hitchcock's follow-up to the hugely successful THE 39 STEPS, and continues that film's explorations of moral ambiguity and instability of identity. A very young John Gielgud portrays Edgar Brodie, an English soldier whose identity is deliberately eliminated by the government so his talents may be put to use as a professional spy under the name of Richard Ashenden. His mission: travel to Switzerland and execute a German spy before he crosses the Swiss border. Ashenden's accomplices in this state-sanctioned murder are the bizarre and campy bisexual "General" (Peter Lorre), who claims to be Spanish but is obviously nothing of the sort, and Elsa (Madeleine Carroll) a rather bloodthirsty woman assigned to play Mrs. Ashenden, who seems to have become an agent just to get a few thrills. Elsa's gung-ho mindset changes rapidly when the little group deceives and assassinates the wrong man. Elsa distracts the man's wife by asking for German lessons while Ashenden and the General take him on a mountain trek from which he will not return. Although the General actually does the killing, Ashenden is complicit in the unwitting crime, and seems to accept it as a matter of course. This murder sequence is extremely suspenseful, cross-cutting the male plot with the gradual realization of the doomed man's wife that something has happened to her husband because of the increasing agitation of the man's faithful dog. At the moment of the killing, the dog breaks out into eerie, unforgettable howls. After this event, Elsa realizes that what she thought was a game was actually in deadly earnest, and she tries to stop Ashenden from going through with the actual muder of the real agent, whose identity is uncovered almost by accident. The final sequences, including a fire alarm in a chocolate factory and a stunning train wreck, result in the deaths of the German agent and the General, leaving Elsa and Ashenden free to marry and quit the spy business. As another reviewer has noted, there is a strange and disquieting undercurrent of homosexuality among all the major male characters, who seem to be more interested in each other than any of them is in Elsa. Indeed, Madeleine Carroll has almost nothing to do in the last half of the film, and the usual sexualized banter between Hollywood lovers is actually given to Ashenden and the General! Indeed, Ashenden seems oddly reluctant to touch Elsa throughout the film and their love scenes are awkward at best. I can't say whether any of this was deliberate on Hitchcock's part, or whether was simply the result of casting a trio of homosexual or bisexual actors as the male leads, but the function of this choice undercuts the usual romance angle that we find in this type of story and renders the conclusion quite unbelievable, which perhaps makese sense, considering that no one in the world of this film is what he or she seems to be on the surface. Still, this is a surprisingly accomplished film which, despite some jarring shifts in tone, is watchable throughout. By the way, the film is supposedly set in 1916 and the events it chronicles deal with WW I, but don't you believe it for a second! The costumes and decors are strictly mid-30's, as is the language! Hitchcock obviously wished to comment on the moral choices forced on people by the deteriorating international situation of the times, and it isn't much of a stretch to relate these people to choices present only in the 1930's!

Rating:
Summary: Hitch's Mix....Suspense and Humor...
Review: This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition...

From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre(fabulous as always) as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave.

The transfer of this nearly 70 year old film by Platinum is decent, but probably not as good as some of the more expensive editons. The picture is nice and clear but there are quite a few scratches.The sound in Dolby Dig is clear and distinguishable. I did find it to be very viewable and perfectly enjoyable.It includes a short trivia quiz of the film, a bio of Sir John Gielgud and a few chapter stops.It comes in a nice jewel case, with an insert that also includes the same extras that are on the disc.

Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.

I would recommend this editon of "Secret Agent" to Hitch fans who want to build up their collection without spending too much.

enjoy...Laurie

Rating:
Summary: Hitch's Mix....Suspense and Humor...
Review: This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition...

From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre(fabulous as always) as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave.

The transfer of this nearly 70 year old film by Platinum is decent, but probably not as good as some of the more expensive editons. The picture is nice and clear but there are quite a few scratches.The sound in Dolby Dig is clear and distinguishable. I did find it to be very viewable and perfectly enjoyable.It includes a short trivia quiz of the film, a bio of Sir John Gielgud and a few chapter stops.It comes in a nice jewel case, with an insert that also includes the same extras that are on the disc.

Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.

I would recommend this editon of "Secret Agent" to Hitch fans who want to build up their collection without spending too much.

enjoy...Laurie