Lancer Spy

A good cast is the highlight of the 1937 film, Lancer Spy, starring George Sanders, Delores Del Rio, Peter Lorre, Virginia Field, Sid Rumann, and Joseph Schildkraut.

Sanders plays an English soldier in World War I who bears such a strong resemblance to a captured German prisoner that he is sent in to replace him and learn valuable information. When the German officers become suspicious, they send a spy (Del Rio) in to find out if he is in fact the German officer.

20th Century Fox used this film to promote George Sanders as a star; however, he had been in previous films for the studio, including Lloyds of London. He is very good, as he always was. Del Rio is impossibly beautiful. Schildkraut gives his role an amusing characterization. For me he can never go wrong. Peter Lorre has a small role.

Not much of a story, since in these films, stealing information is always right there in the file cabinet. However, this is an entertaining film.

The notion of identical strangers is a weird cliche that really isn't common at all. But you'd think it happens a lot judging by a lot of old films! In "Lancer Spy", George Sanders plays dual roles in this WWI thriller...a German officer AND a British soldier who looks just like him!

The story begins with the capture of Baron Kurt von Rohback (George Sanders). He's a high official in the German military and his capture is fortuitous since Lt. Michael Bruce (also George Sanders) looks exactly like him! So Bruce is trained and watches von Rohback through a one-way mirror until he knows enough about him to impersonate him. Eventually, Bruce replaces von Rohback and he along with his valet are allowed to escape from British custody. Once back in Germany, he's embraced as a hero and resumes his previous duties...and spies for the British.

To enjoy this film, you really do have to suspend your disbelief and not keep telling yourself how ridiculous the plot is. Of course it is...but is the movie any good in spite of this? Well, yes and no. While George Sanders is a good actor, here he seems out of place. His German accent is pretty bad and you wonder why they didn't find someone who could do both a British and German accent better than he did. It also seemed very odd to have von Rohback's girlfriend played by the Mexican actress Delores del Rio! She is supposed to apparently be Hungarian!! And, what her character did at the end simply made no sense at all!!! On the other hand, the film does have some very good supporting actors and the film is interesting and keeps your attention. Enjoyable AND a bit dumb...what an unusual combination!

By the way, if you do watch this film, get a load of del Rio's costume at the 60 minute mark...it's certainly special!

George Sanders speaks in an German accent in this film and would go on to play a German in both 'Confessions of a Nazi Spy' and 'Man Hunt'. His German is quite good, and his stiff wooden acting makes him convincing as a German. Here you see him being trained as an Englishman to speak German, and you can see his evolution from an Englishman to portraying future German roles.

I've never been a fan of Peter Lorre so I haven't got much to say about his contribution to this film, although he does play a minor role and keeps low profile.

This is more like a workshop for Sanders to evolve into a German character rather than a film that stands by itself.

This uninspired "Prisoner of Zenda" ripoff has little to recommend it, and certainly not George Sanders, who's as unconvincing as an English action hero as he is as a Stroheim-style Prussian. Peter Lorre seems to be here mainly for the marquee value of his name, as he's given absolutely nothing to do.

The unintelligent lady who panned the movie is exceptional dense. The movie was splendid and George Sander's performance was splendid---as are all his performances. This summary is from AFI:

: On a plane leaving London, Colonel Fenwick tells his daughter the story of a man on the plane who once meant more to England than anyone else alive. The colonel explains that in 1917, when deadlocked battle fronts forced each side to turn to espionage, British Naval Officer Lieutenant Michael Bruce, was called upon to impersonate Baron Kurt Von Rohbach, a captured German officer of the famed Imperial Lancer Guards. After Bruce says goodbye to his wife and daughter, who thereafter believe him to be lost at sea, Colonel Fenwick of British Intelligence arranges for Bruce, as Von Rohbach, to escape. In Berlin, German General Von Meinhardi gives Bruce a hero's welcome to boost morale. German intelligence officer Lieut. Col. Gottfried Hollen and Major Sigfried Gruning suspect that Bruce is an impostor and, eager to discredit Von Meinhardi, send dancer Dolores Daria to seduce him. Bruce subsequently duels over Dolores, and after Dolores reports that she has learned nothing, Hollen sets a trap by telling Bruce of a spy planted in the British Admiralty. Knowing that Bruce is not the baron, Dolores, who has nevertheless fallen in love with him, warns him that informing the British about the spy will give Hollen proof of Bruce's espionage. After Gruning shows Hollen a newspaper photograph and article reporting that Bruce has been lost at sea, Hollen arranges for Bruce's home in Norfolk to be robbed. With samples of Bruce's handwriting, Hollen tries to inform Von Meinhardi, but the general, after a meal with Dolores and Bruce, has a heart attack. Bruce, with Von Meinhardi's keys, locates the West Front battle plans and, with the help of Dolores and a tailor working for the British, escapes as a train porter to Switzerland. Colonel Fenwick finishes his story about Bruce by telling his daughter that the plans became the greatest factor in England's victory, and he surmises that Bruce is traveling to Berlin to pay an annual visit to the grave of Dolores, who was executed.