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     Secret Agent

1936  NR  DRAMA  1h 26min

CAST— Madeleine Carroll, Peter Lorre, John Gielgud, Robert Young, Lilli Palmer

MUSIC— John Greenwood  DIRECTOR— Alfred Hitchcock  BASED ON— Ashenden: Or the British Agent (stories), by W. Somerset Maugham

     An early spy thriller from Alfred Hitchcock, featuring mystery and suspense in fair measure. A British soldier (John Gielgud) is taken from the front and placed in another arena of war: the espionage game. Under an assumed name, partnered with both a wife and a hired killer (Peter Lorre) Gielgud stays at a Swiss hotel, seeking a German spy amongst its many guests. Gathering clues, Gielgud and Lorre familiarize themselves with the hotel casino, climb mountains and search a chocolate factory. But the elusive spy is tricky; he always seems to be one step ahead of the good guys, despite their secrecy. Where are his sources? Who could he be? Could he already be in their company? Pretty dull until about halfway through, then the going gets good. Never really convincing as a romance between Gielgud and his undercover wife, but who came for that? The tension mounts as answers are uncovered, plots are undone and train cars derailed. Including twists, turns, murder and explosions this film proves to be a precursor to some of Hitchcock’s best work.

OUR RATING— ** ½