Secret Agent
by Alfred Hitchcock
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DVD details
Actor: Charles Carson, Florence Kahn, John Gielgud, Madeleine Carroll, Tom HelmoreDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
Brand: WESTLAKE ENTERTAINMENT INC
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Westlake Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Secret Agent
DVD Review: Best Keep As A Secret
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a story with a modicum of drama except for a small dog (surprising given the starry nature of the human cast), close to nonexistence suspense, and muddy sound recording compounded with hard to understand dialog (English accents and all that). Gielgud's performance as the hero is mostly one dimensional (when you can understand his delivery); as the heroine, Carroll's "acting" ranges from chatty to zombie; and Lorrie's delivery is over-the-top ham (and, quite frankly, an embarrassment) as he portrays the "good-guy" killer. All this is in marked contrast to the achievements of the fourth principal performer, Robert Young. Young provides an acting tour de force as the subject matter of the film. He makes the film his own!
There are some gee-wiz (for the time, 1936) special in-camera/editing effects which were then fast becoming (and would continue to be) a Hitchcock trademark.
Not one of Hitchcock's masterpieces, but not one of his disasters either.
WILLIAM FLANIGAN, Ph.D
DVD Review: ASCHENDEN OUT OF MAUGHAM THROUGH HITCHCOCK INTO FLEMING AND BOND
Summary: 3 Stars
Literary 'Types' can make for long-lived cinenma characters, which make for what are called nowadays, Franchises, like the James Bond series. Just yesterday I was lookiing over the first filmed CASINO ROYALE -- that black/white demi-feature/part movie production for TV -- and was reminded yet again of something I'd seen in an old Hitchcck movie, this one called SECRET AGENT. It was mostly the black and whie character of the picture that caught me; it seemed to exagerate certain macabre qualities in the background players. The had the look of marionnettes. This New Look post-war drama was supposed to take place in a gambling casino on the French Riviera. The costumes the actors wore were from a time half a century past, and there, in the center of the assembly, was a face I couldn't forget, Peter Lorre, the Vienese actor, playing the part of a Russian villain, LeChiffre, as he'd played countless villains in dozens of films, from his celebrated debut in 'M' down to any pot-boiler you care to name. And then it hit me: He's playing or almost camping, his role as the General from SECRET AGENBT.
I don't believe I ever saw the original broadcast of the Fleming story; if I had I'd almost certainly have remembered it. Live Television broadcasts of dramatizations were sensational and absolutely thrilling to a degree difficult to imagine nowadays.
What's particularly interesting about that is that the role of the General was adapted from one of W. Somorset Maugham's stories, THE MEXICAN ASSASSIN from his unusual novel THE ASHENDEN STORIES; a novel in the form of several interrelated but independent stories. Hitchcock chose two of those stories, THE MEXICAN ASSASSIN and another one the title of which I can't remember, to make THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
Now, Lorre made 'M' when he was very young and plump. That added to the excitement of the story of a psychoathic pedophile murderer. For decades Lorre remained caught in what would have been a deadly, limiting Monster career rut, pedophile as swish homo. That he's seen here in earrings with curled hair and mouthing a camp Spanish is part of the same pseudo-sexual angle he used to play Joel Cairo in THE MALTESE FALCON. Type. It was all type, then. And that hack work fed him and his happy Hollywood family well for years, through his MISTER MOTO (Japanese) period, and virtually until the day he died. Echoes of all that false sexual persona rang out in CASINO ROYALE, in the un-manly slights and slurs this (blonde, Nordic) American James Bond of the 50s hurled at him.
Be all that as it may have been, what interests me, here -- and what I hope may interest you -- is the role young John Gielgud plays; Ashenden, the British Agent. Now, there had been English detectives before, in silents, and in talkies -- there was always Conan doyle, after all, as well as many others -- but this was the first time a certain, new kind of detective stuck in the public's sub-conscious. Imagine: A reluctant detective and agent moving seamlessly through the ranks of international society folks? The rich and idle at play? We know if we examine the fiction and film (THE RICH ARE ALWAYS WITH US) and (DODSWORTH) of the thirties, that after the Financial Crash the rich left their countries -- to avoid the possibility of public unpleasantnesses and/or revolutions -- and travelled the globe on ships, trains and planes, going from one remote watering place to another remote watering place and spa, often ingognito and biding their time. Maugham will be seen travelling with them in fact, and through art will become the fictional James Bond.
And now, this Ashenden. Who is he? He was, a real man, and his name was William Somorset Maugham. Maugham wrote about himself at a remove. This movie which was released in 1936, was a transmutation of various incidents in his career nearly twenty years before; things that happened to him during WW I. You see, Maugham had been inducted into the English Secret Service and actually was in fact, a working spy. He describes the incident in one of the ASHENDEN stories, and gives the name of the head of the Service as 'C.' It's 'M' in the Bond stories, but to check Maugham, you might want to read 'THE LIFE OF SIR STEWART MENZIES, SPYMASTER TO CHURCHILL, by Anthony Cane Brown.' 'C' was real. Maugham was real too.
But, why Maugham? Maugham's first language was French. He was born in Paris where his diplomat father was stationed. He spoke English with an impediment all his life, though he spoke both French and German without any impediment of any kind. He had been trained as a doctor, but never practiced, and had steady nerves, no fear of blood, and was not squeamish. As a young man he made his debut as a novelist and had some success, but he changed and became a playwright and enjoyed enormous popular success. He became the toast of London and New York, knew everybody and socialized widely and at the highest levels. 'C' therefore, thought he would not be out of place in high society, everywhere. Maugham married an attractive, stylish woman he did not love -- a society interior decorator with connections in aristocratic circles -- and they were seen everywhere together. She presented him with a daughter he did not recognizr for more than two decades, and they maintained the appearance of a socially acceptable domesticity, with little or no intimacy. 'C' thought that because he was an artist and possibly an homosexual, he would be accustomed to dealing with criminals as well as other low types.
Maugham proved to be dependable and brave. He was one of the last people to live British Headquarters, Moscow, after the Bolsheviks began taking over the city and it became apparent that the English incursion (or invasoin) into Russia would come to nothing.
THE MEXICAN ASSASSIN tells the story of an assignment he was given by 'C', in which he was to hire and then to direct a professional killer from another country -- who it turns out, does not perfectly understand English or reconize Agency protocol -- to do a job in yet a third country. The man does his murder, and is paid off. Then, Ashenden finds the wrong man has been murdered. Well, two or possibly three of these ASHENDEN stories were turned into Hitchcock movies.
I have seen all the Fleming-BOND derived movies over and over, and pre-BOND templates as well. Except for the gadgets, none of them have any surprises for me. The best of the BOND stories are pale indeed, beside the ASHANDEN ones. However, I love them all because I love Maugham's original conception; his style. I think we all do, though we may not understand it.
Anyway, to me the real interest in the old movie here, SECRET AGENT, is knowing its origin and watching actors play out their parts in what became, over time, internationally recognizable faux-lovers and Types in Cinema; the smartly dressed, dangerous yet diffident man, and the clinging, neurotic and perhaps fatally compromised woman. They appear in all the BOND movies in various forms and permutations, but here they have a particular appeal when one contrasts the chaming and outgoing Madelaine Caroll with the cold, diffident John Gielgud. In a true marriage of convenience, they are friendly, but flawed. Like the lovers in some E.T.A. Hoffmann ballet, they are held in a glittering web of evil -- able to gesture, but not to connect. And we, because we are in the dark and pity thier beautiful unhapppiness, we love them because they cannot love themselves.
Turn off the sound and watch them move across those strange, beautiful rooms, filled with those over-dressed people. Danger! Cold, pale, restless, they don't know who they are.
DVD Review: THE TRANSFER QUALITY WAS THE SECRET
Summary: 1 Stars
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! The transfer quality of this DVD "SECRET AGENT" is discusting. This is the 21st century, the digital age. With the latest transfer machines on the market there are no excuses for studio's churning out rotten transfers. Before you buy this disc, ask yourself if you can sit through an unwatchable image. Good old "Hitch" would turn in his grave if he knew what was happening to his precious movies. A warning should be posted about the rotten transfer of this disc and I have just done it! DON'T BUY IT. DEMAND BETTER QUALITY!DVD Review: Entertaining WWI Spy Film
Summary: 5 Stars
"But your wife, she'll wonder what happened to her poor little General." -- Peter Lorre to John Gielgud
This most enjoyable film made in Britain before Hitchcock came to Hollywood certainly deserves more accolades than it has gotten over the years. It really isn't that far behind 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, and Young and Innocent in either quality or entertainment. Set during the first world war, Somerset Maugham's novel of spies sent to ferret out and eliminate another spy has romance and humor and some real excitement in Hitchcock's hands.
John Gielgud comes home from the war and discovers he's been reported dead. He discovers it was intentional, his cover so he can become Ashenden, and eliminate a very dangerous German spy causing the good guys a lot of trouble. While it's deadly serious business, it gets a bit more pleasant when he discovers in Switzerland that the beautiful and elegant Elsa Carrington (Madeleine Carroll) is to pose as his wife and help him in his mission.
Hitchcock counters the more serious business with a likable Robert Young as Marvin, pursuing romance with Elsa despite her marital status. It is handled with great charm and a sense of fun. Ashenden's other partner is General, played in an over-the-top manner by Peter Lorre. He is more comical than sinister, spending most of his time trying to romance anything in a dress, and quite upset that Ashenden has the fake wife while he has nada.
Elsa falls for her pretend husband, of course, and when the amoral General mistakingly kills the wrong man, a crisis of conscience occurs for both she and Ashenden, who decide to break off this ugly business and go back. But when he and General discover who the real spy is, they must pursue him because Elsa is in danger. The train station scene and everything that follows is classic Hitchcock. While it doesn't have quite the tension of 39 Steps, or the charm of Young and Innocent, it has a blend between the two which is very enjoyable.
Perhaps because it is set during WW I it doesn't connect as much as it should for some viewers. It is quite fabulous in its own way, however, and fans of Hitchcock's early British films will certainly find it appealing. Fans of the lovely Madeleine Carroll will be pleased to discover she is much more in the center of things from the very beginning than in 39 Steps, in which she is also marvelous. The Westlake print is both decent and watchable if unspectacular. A real winner.
DVD Review: Hitch's Mix - Suspense, Wit, Style
Summary: 4 Stars
From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well integrated with the suspense and his definitive style, in this terrific film about espionage at the onset of WWI. A reluctant 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.
Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.
Several editions of this film are availble from various studios. Surf around for best deal and availability.
Here's a four pack of great early films(including this one):Alfred Hitchcock: 4 Tales of the Macabre - Secret Agent / The Lady Vanishes / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Sabotage
enjoy...Laurie
Description of Secret Agent
SECRET AGENT - ALFRED HITCHCOCK (DVD MOVIE)One of Alfred Hitchcock's finest pre-Hollywood films, the 1936 Secret Agent stars a young John Gielgud as a British spy whose death is faked by his intelligence superiors. Reinvented with another identity and outfitted with a wife (Madeleine Carroll), Gielgud's character is sent on assignment with a cold-blooded accomplice (Peter Lorre) to assassinate a German agent. En route, the counterfeit couple keeps company with an affable American (Robert Young), who turns out to be more than he seems after the wrong man is murdered by Gielgud and Lorre. Dense with interwoven ideas about false names and real identities, about appearances as lies and the brutality of the hidden, and about the complicity of those who watch the anarchy that others do, Secret Agent declared that Alfred Hitchcock was well along the road to mastery as a filmmaker and, more importantly, knew what it was he wanted to say for the rest of his career. The print of the film used in the DVD release is serviceable and probably comparable to an average 16mm classroom or museum presentation. The DVD also includes a Hitchcock filmography, trivia questions, a director biography, and scene access. --Tom Keogh
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