La bataille

Although it deals with two battles against the Russians ,the name of the enemy is never mentioned.

It was the first time Annabella had been made up to portray an exotic beauty ; in Duvivier's "la bandeira " she became an African girl ;she's more credible as a Japanese marquise ,as Boyer's husband is .But for the French audience it verges on ludicrous yet.

An exotic melodrama, with the classic love triangle : the husband is a hypocrit ,who pretends to make friends with his potential rival ,but actually wants to know the British military secrets , while flattering him ;his wife will be a pawn in his game, although he'll feel sorry for that.

The war scenes are spectacular for the thirties.

I am lookint to get this film for my grandad. How can I get it? Thank you!

Intriguing French version of the co-production has a disconnect between the studio Boulevard feature style of the making and the intriguing (pro Japanese) content.

Boyer with his eyes pulled back is a Nip admiral entering into the conspiracy to deceive the Allies at the cost not only of his honour but compromising wife (Anabella in a more convincing make-up) with British Adviser (spy) Loder, all set against a Meiji period background of restoring traditions while mastering Western skills, to enable the country to survive.

Insets of celebrating Japanese crowds register as authentic and quite well integrated.

Walerian Inkijinoff at his inscrutable best is Boyer's Japanese superior.

This one plays quite well for a product of these artificial conventions.