Nazi Agent

Directorial Debut for Jules Dassin and it Shows a Talent in the Rough as the Film has Flourishes that Enhance its Low Budget. It has Style. Conrad Veidt is Excellent in what Starts Out as a Dual Role.

The Film was Made Early in the Turmoil of the Beginning of WWII and as such was Able to Show a Sympathetic German. The Implausibility of the Story is a Suspension of Disbelief but Nevertheless it is Intriguing and Suspenseful with Good Performances All Around.

An MGM B-Movie with Class. Dassin would Dismiss All of His MGM Output in Later Years. Worth a Watch because of the Director and Veidt and for an Early Hollywood Effort to Rally the Citizenry.

... and director Jules Dassin has Otto Becker (Conrad Veidt) as a kindly, meek German-American immigrant who runs a small bookstore and who spends his free time growing his stamp collection. His mundane life is shattered when his twin brother Baron Hugo von Detner (also Veidt) pays him a surprise visit. Baron Detner has been assigned as a diplomatic envoy in the area, and he's also heading up a secret espionage cabal who are already responsible for the destruction of supply ships headed to the European theater of the war. The Baron wants to use his brother's bookstore as an operations front, but after a series of incidents, Otto finds himself masquerading as his brother and trying to thwart the spy ring from the inside.

This "B" effort is well put together and features one of Conrad Veidt's best English-language performances. Known primarily for playing slick and sophisticated villains, his turn as the stamp-collecting brother Otto is believable and affecting. The movie is short, and it's not trying to be anything but an entertaining flag-waver, but sometimes even movies with meager ambitions can be worthwhile viewing.

Conrad Veidt plays two roles here, as a self-assured Nazi and a mild-mannered Ally. The brothers confront each other and the Nazi is murdered, but now the surviving brother must impersonate the Nazi in order to deflect attention from his crime and also to gather information that can help the Allies.

This is an intense movie to watch, and thanks to being made by MGM it is very polished. I saw it screened at Cinevent in 2013 and remember it vividly a year later. Conrad Veidt could have ruined the movie if he were a lesser actor, but he handles both parts remarkable and never gives the audience a reason to doubt him.

Conrad Veidt plays twins, one good, one evil, in "Nazi Agent," a 1942 film directed by Jules Dassin.

Veidt plays Otto Becker, a bookstore owner, and his twin brother, Baron Hugo von Detner, who heads up the German consulate in the U. S. Hugo wants to use Otto's bookstore as a message drop for his agents.

Otto is in the country illegally, so with Hugo hanging this over his head, he has to go along. When a fight ensues between the two, Hugo is killed. Otto takes his place in the consulate and as head of the spy ring.

Veidt is very good in both roles, that of a sweet, generous man, and the usual Veidt persona - a cold, authoritarian, but charming Nazi.

The supporting cast includes Ann Ayars, Dorothy Tree, Frank Reicher, and Martin Kosleck.

Entertaining. I did wonder about why Otto made the decision that he did at the end of the film, though.

Nazi Agent presents a rare opportunity to see the great Conrad Veidt play a lead role (as twin brothers with opposite personalities and values, no less) in a well-preserved sound film with a solid, serious theme and lasting value. Although this is obviously a "B"-level production made on a low budget, the brisk direction by Jules Dassin, the tight and literate script and some very good supporting players, make it as satisfying as many an "A" effort.

Otto is a gentle expatriate German bookseller whose quiet life in America is disrupted when his Nazi twin, Baron Hugo von Detner, threatens to reveal his illegal immigrant status to the US authorities unless he allows the Nazi spy network to use his bookstore as a message center. Otto desolately goes along for a while but when he finally resists, Hugo comes to shoot him. They struggle. Otto shoots Hugo instead, then assumes his identity and proceeds to sabotage the saboteurs, who include the memorable Martin Kosleck, whose presence in many films from this time screamed "Nazi." With his marionette-like features, lacquered hair and fey efficiency, he was a top scene stealer. Another excellent performance comes from the prolific Frank Reicher as Fritz, Hugo's aging valet who quickly realizes that his master isn't really his master. But it's really Veidt's movie, playing warm and cold, frightened and bold, kind and cruel – all with shading, subtlety and expertise. The movies suffered an irreparable loss in April 1943 when this man died on a California golf course at the age of 50.

This quietly powerful film is an adventure of ideas and ideals. The ending, though not as well shot as it might have been, is both stirring and heartbreaking.