International Lady

American George Brent (Hanley) and Englishman Basil Rathbone (Oliver) are on the trail of Nazi spy Ilona Massey (Carla). Massey is a classical music performer who gives instructions during her performances through the phrasing of her music. It's a code that Brent and Rathbone need to help to crack as every time Massey gives a performance, the Nazis score a successful military strike on the Allied Forces aircraft capacity.

There is no mystery in this film as it is clear from the beginning that Massey is a baddie. This does not matter, though, as the film is fast-moving and keeps you watching. In fact, there may be a few sequences too many. The cast are good and it seems like a pilot film for a series starring Brent and Rathbone as they solve a different mystery together each week. It would have been a good idea as they have a chemistry that works between them. Massey reminded me slightly of Marlene Dietrich and her low-pitched voice is slightly freaky. I'm surprised that she didn't sound a bit more freakish when she sang.

Unfortunately, the copy I watched was poorly taped off the TV and had serious sound interference throughout the whole film. Overall, the film entertains while it runs its course but there's nothing too special going on.

In this 1941 film,Illona Massey stars as a breathtakingly beautiful musician who has the eye of about every man in the audience including a duo of British and American Agents who knows she's a Nazi Spy as they chase her through the cities of London and New York which makes the movie a must see seductive spy thriller!!

George Brent and Basil Rathbone working together to debunk a Nazi sabotage enterprise to stop American help from going to England in the beginning of the war (before Pearl Harbour), being both intrigued by that lovely Hungarian singer Ilona Massey, who in the film is a Norwegian called Carla Nillson, but all her lovely songs are in Hungarian. It's actually the music which is the best in this film, beautifully composed and mainly arranged on classical pieces by Chopin and Liszt, but Ilona Massey's voice is really a wonder of beauty, like all her acting and appearance. This was before Basil Rathbone was established as the ultimate Sherlock Holmes, but George Brent is always completely reliable, whether as a hero or as a villain, but usually he was quite normal, as he is here. Of course, you could question the espionage technique going on here, appearing to be extremely advanced, but turning music into a system of code is rather far-fetched, although most intriguing and attractive, especially as the music is glorious indeed all the way through. Great entertainment with even some excitement and a few murders on the way, but of course, Ilona Massey as an international lady of exceeding culture, beauty and integrity objects from the start to any murders done for the cause.

What a pleasant surprise to accidentally tune in to this movie on late night television, a film totally unknown to me.

Ilona Massey is the sophisticated spy, Carla Nillson, in this suspenseful drama who succeeds in subtle deceptions throughout by camouflaging her real identity behind her singing engagements and exquisite good looks, a beauty that ordinarily puts her beyond suspicion. But it doesn't last. George Brent (as Tim Hanley) and Basil Rathbone (as Reggie Oliver) are federal agents who become alerted to her actions and pursue the trail of her activities.

She displays a beautiful singing voice in a few instances. It's quite ingenious of her as a spy to pass on messages of important information through her singing in a foreign language for radio broadcast during an evening soirée. Her sheet music subsequently comes under considerable scrutiny, something about sabotage, etc. and is painstakingly dissected to break the code. And so the story unfolds. Eventually she is suspected of serious incriminating activity and must face the consequences.

Ah, to be blonde and beautiful! I remember as a youngster seeing her in a comedy film where she was walking on an elevated fence wall with the wind blowing her evening gown seductively. I always thought of her as surrounded in mystery, such are the memories of a young mind.

George Brent as always plays the suave romantic lead, attentive and caring. And leave it to Basil Rathbone to get caught up in the intrigue firsthand! It's nice to see a youngish Gene Lockhart, here as Sidney Grenner, involved in the plotting and scheming.

The story does hold one's attention to the end, wondering how it will be resolved. All in all, a very good early movie prior to the onset of the war films that followed. Well worth watching.

I can only wonder why they don't have this available on video. It would be great to have it in one's collection.

I stumbled onto this movie on YouTube and was pleasantly surprised. At heart, it's a buddy flick with George Brent and Basil Rathbone double teaming George Zucco and Gene Lockhart. It's nice to see Rathbone in a light role; I wish he'd done more comedy. Remember him killing it in "The Court Jester?" George Brent was never exciting and I wonder at his success. But Ilona Massey made up for Brent's lack of appeal. The musical secret code is an ingenious plot device that affords us a couple of songs. There's also some nifty animation to demonstrate the code breaking. One final visual treat: we get to see the Lone Ranger without his mask. The young and very beefy Clayton Moore makes several entrances. Look fast!