VividSimon Simply Perfect

Steineded How sad is this?

JinRoz For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

hwg1957-102-265704 During World War I the spy Helene von Lorbeer goes to London to stay in the home of the cabinet minister Arthur Bennett as a refugee and meets with fellow agent Valdar who works there. Slowly it is revealed what the true mission is and the identity of the German spy master Strendler whom the British secret service have been after for years. It's a decent well written film and although set in WWI there are obvious parallels with WWII. Pointedly so. The director keeps the film moving on apace up to the explosive climax.Boris Karloff is excellent as Valdar and Margaret Lindsay, always an under rated actor I've always thought, is good as Helene. They are supported by familiar and able actors;Leonard Mudie,Holmes Herbert and Bruce Lester. Paul Panzer plays a peasant. It was based on a 1918 play and mainly takes place in one house reflecting its stage origin though there are outdoor scenes.A good film with an interesting plot and capable acting.

blanche-2 "British Intelligence" from 1940 is a quick film starring Boris Karloff, Margaret Lindsay, Holmes Herbert, and Bruce Lester.Though it's supposed to take place in World War I, it's really a World War II film about espionage, spies of unknown loyalty, and the German urge to take over the world which surfaces from time to time.Lindsay and Karloff both play secret agents placed in the home of a Mr. Bennett, a British official who has campaign secrets and troop placements worth investigating. Spies are everywhere, and everyone seems to be looking for a German spy named Stedler. And we're not sure what side anyone is on.Very entertaining. A combination of spy and mystery story, two of my favorite genres.

SimonJack This movie came out in the U.S. on January 29, 1940. It was nearly two years before America would go to war, but Europe was in it. Britain and France declared war on Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, after Germany had invaded Poland on Sept. 1. But the clear signs of Nazi aggression were apparent as far back as 1936. On March 7, 1936, Germany broke the Versailles Treaty from World War I when its troops marched into the Rhineland. That area west of the Rhine had been off limits to German military. On March 11, 1938, Germany annexed Austria. On Sept. 30, the Munich Agreement with Britain and France allowed Germany to take part of Czechoslovakia. On Aug. 23, 1939, the Nazis and Soviets signed a non-aggression agreement. And, after Germany invaded Poland, the Soviet Union moved into Poland from the east. All of this history helps put into perspective this and other movies that Hollywood was making at the time related to war. And, it may help one understand some of the studios reasoning. Did they foresee the real likelihood of America soon going to war? A couple of other reviewers noted that this film seemed to be a combination of a WWI movie and a prophecy of WW II. Of course, as already noted, WW II was well underway when this film came out. The production qualities of this film seem to suffer some. Some of the sets seem very stagy (it is based on a stage play). The dirigible bombing of London seems amateurish. The bombing scenes appear to have been made with a table model. Antiaircraft lights appear to be white strips of paper pasted on a black background. But it is an interesting story of espionage and a good look at early British security efforts. The plot is very good and suspenseful. In the opening, it has some good use of WWI film footage. None of the cast are exceptional, but all do a good job. Boris Karloff is toned down in his menacing, monster-like glares, so he is believable as a refugee butler, Valdar. Margaret Lindsay is good as Helen von Lorbeer. I don't think this is as much a propaganda film as it is a cinematic warning to Americans. And, it's wrapped in a cloak of espionage for entertainment. Perhaps it tweaked minds of audiences back then about what to expect in another world war.

cutterccbaxter At first the British Intelligence in "British Intelligence" doesn't seem very smart. The film begins with The Great War in full swing and London is crawling with German spies. As a matter of fact, there are so many German intelligence operatives darting about on the screen it would appear difficult to cross Abbey Road without bumping into one. Boris Karloff might be a German spy, and so might Margaret Lindsey, who has really great looking teeth by the way. I was hoping she wasn't spying for the Zeppelin flying guys mainly because of her nice teeth. I won't sour the ending by revealing who wins World War I, but I would have thought the Germans might have learned a lesson from that one and not started a sequel.