Service secret britannique

This is an especially interesting film because although on the surface it is about WWI, it seems essentially about patriotism and fifth column activity for the coming WWII. It's second release as Enemy Agent (1940) testifies to the notion that the film is prophetic rather than historical. In fact, while watching the film it is very easy to forget that it has anything to do with WWI, except in terms of the young soldier who reappears late in the plot, originally having been introduced as wounded in a German hospital. Also, the statement by Thompson of "How many millions have been killed...and how many millions more must die just because one man sets himself above the almighty" seems like a timely reference to Hitler.

"British Intelligence, from 1940 when Britain was locked in deadly combat with Nazi Germany, tells a tale of German espionage in The Great War (aka The War to End All Wars). Well-acted and with a tricky plot that leaves the viewer guessing who is a loyal Brit and who is a Kaiser's spy, the one-hour film also delivers at beginning and end a hefty, grave propaganda message warning that those Germans can be trusted - to produce warmongering megalomaniacs.

Boris Karloff is Valdar, the butler/valet every man wants. Obsequious and efficient, he claims to be a refugee from war-scarred Euope, a fellow who has lost his family to the murdering Hun. He is ensconced in the home of a powerful Englishman who consorts with the cabinet. Projected into the household in a convenient but not necessarily convincing way is Helene von Lorbeer, played by the very pretty Margaret Lindsay who had a good run in both "A" and "B" pictures in the 30s and 40s before she decided to fatten up thus losing her screen sex appeal.

Helene under another name was a nurse in a British field hospital and she took care of the wounded RFC pilot son of the man in whose home she is now a guest. They fall in love but she can't let him know that since she's a Florence Nightingale with a Mata Hari mission. Of course the recovered pilot returns home to find her there.

British Intelligence desperately needs to terminate a German master spy, Strengler. Who is he? How is he able to glean military secrets before, as one exasperated senior officer exclaims, junior officers are even briefed on the operational plans.

What follows is a fairly taut cat and mouse game seeking the deadly spy.

It's good fun, nice acting. Director Terry O. Morse, who edited more films than he directed, did a better than average job here.

Dated, of course, but that's part of its charm. I wonder if London moviegoers in 1940 needed to be exhorted by speeches denouncing the depraved Boche. Probably not but I'm sure they appreciated Karloff and Lindsay.

7/10

In between making horror pictures at this time, Boris Karloff made this spy movie and I quite liked it.

A female German spy is sent on an undercover assignment to live in London with a British official where she teams up with the butler there, Valdar, who is also a spy. While there, she helps him to transmit secret war plans back to Germany but are found out at the end and Valder is shot and the lady spy falls in love with one of the residents where she has been staying.

Valder is played well by Boris Karloff and the female spy is played by Margaret Lindsay. The cast also includes Bruce Lester and Holmes Herbert.

British Intelligence is worth seeking out, especially for fans of Baris Karloff.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

There aren't that many World War I spy movies around. At least I haven't seen that many. Hitchcock's "Secret Agent," (1936) Sternberg's "Dishonored" (1931) and Garbo's "Mata Hari" (1932) are the only three great classics I have seen. Blake Edwards's "Darling Lili" was a waste of celluloid.

Made at the beginning of World War II (1940), there are clear reference to the war situation at that time in this movie. The talk about madmen taking over the war is clearing about Hitler and not the Kaiser.

The movie showed bombing raids against London from both zeppelins and aircraft. I assumed that these were fictional, but I was surprised to find out that there were a few zeppelin raids and 22 aircraft raids against England in the war.

Acting by Boris Karloff (creepy and effective) and Margaret Lindsay (subtle and clever) make the picture a lot of fun to watch. Although the plot is overly complicated to follow and jumps around a bit too much, there is a surprising amount of tension built up over who are the real German spies.

Some people have complained about how easy the spies had it in the movie. They seem to just need to lurk a bit and they overhear all the war secrets they need. We should remember that people were more trusting back then and the idea of an organized spy ring was quite fanciful. Today we have an ultra security conscious society.

This is a fun and easy to watch 62 minutes. I would recommend it for any spy film fan and any Boris Karloff fan.

I wonder if the name for Harry Potter's arch-villain, Valdemar, had anything to do with the name of Karloff in this movie, Valdar.

This is very good for its genre, with an interesting story, solid atmosphere, and two good leading performances from Boris Karloff and Margaret Lindsay. Made during the early part of the Second World War (when England was enduring constant air assaults and other threats), and set during the First World War, there is an obvious patriotic slant to it. But aside from a short speech by one of the characters at the end of the movie, it mostly allows the story and characters to stand on their own.

Karloff and Lindsay star as two very resourceful spies who are planted in the home of a prominent English family, with most of the story revolving around whether they are spies on behalf of England or on behalf of Germany. Karloff is, of course, especially good in a part like this, giving his character a believably ingratiating manner in his cover role as a butler, and a steely eye in his unguarded moments. He makes it easy to believe that his character can keep everyone else in the dark.

Lindsay gets one of her best roles, and she makes full use of it. Her character obviously has weapons much different from those of Karloff's character, and she too is believable in keeping the others, even Karloff, guessing.

The story moves at a good pace, and it features several good turns as it builds up the tension. Like many movies of this kind, there are places here and there where it could have been improved. In particular, its portrayal of Britain as a traitor-riddled society threatened with imminent collapse shows the strong influence of the frightening times in which it was filmed. But in its time it probably provided some genuine encouragement, and today it still remains an enjoyable movie that is well worth the time to see.