Secret Mission

During WWII, Hollywood made hundreds of films aimed at solidifying the public's support for the war. Some of these were extremely well made while others often made the Japanese or Germans seem semi-human and rather stupid. These less well made and less realistic films often were, in spire of themselves, quite entertaining...but also very obvious in their aims. When I saw "Secret Mission" I realized that the British, too, could make ridiculously unrealistic propaganda films....and while the Nazis aren't quite as cartoonish as some of Hollywood's Nazis, they were incredibly stupid...so stupid you wonder how they ever took over most of Europe!!

The story involves some British spies as well as one French one (James Mason of all people) who sneak into France in order to survey the area before an upcoming invasion. The Nazis are uniformly dim...having very lax security and falling for pretty much every lame attempt at subterfuge! The Germans are SO dumb that it really takes away from the movie...and doesn't show how efficiently evil they really were!

So is it any good? Well, it's not terrible...not that this is a glowing endorsement! Overall, despite some very fine actors (such as MIchael Redgrave, Herbert Lom and Roland Carver), a relatively dull offering...one that is watchable but not much more.

I'm sure that viewed during the war it was taken seriously but viewed today, with a critical eye, and I don't mean an aesthetic eye, its absurdity is what is called camp. It was only watching this film that I realized that the British TV series 'allo! 'allo! (1982-1992) was a broad parody. The central characters are two veddy veddy British chaps in trench coats wandering around in and out of the woods. Always in their trench coats. There's the cafe run by a Cockney in a beret always at odds with his wife. All we need is for the local flick to drop by and say "Good moaning". Even though people took this seriously at the time it boggles the mind to think people could really believe espionage

was actually conducted this way. For fans of the TV series this is a must not miss. I just wonder how stoned Croft and Lloyd were after seeing this film on TV 30+ years after having seen it in a West End cinema and realizing how absurd it all was and how they didn't notice 30 years before.

Films generally speaking fall into one of two categories: grevious disappointments and jubilant surprises. This lamentable effort falls squarely into category 1. It has to be one of the most inept, ludicrous and unintentionally comic films across which this viewer has had the misfortune to stumble.

Harold French would not be on anyone's list of top rank directors but this is the bottom of the barrel.

It is probably best to draw a discreet veil over Michael Wilding's 'Mockney' and the 'Frenchie' of James Mason. Hugh Williams and Roland Culver are both immaculate but totally miscast and saunter through proceedings like guests at a garden party. Mr. Culver's cravat is singularly incongruous in occupied France. The 'romantic' interest is supplied by Carla Lehmann who is about as appealing as a plate of cold chips. All of the Germans, with the exception of Herbert Lom's medical officer, are complete and utter buffoons.

One can only assume that the devilishly subtle propogandist message here is that if the Huns are this stupid, how can we possibly lose?!

Watching Secret Mission answered at least one question for me. The British no less than us were capable of putting out wartime propaganda flicks where the Nazis are shown to be complete imbeciles.

Secret Mission is the one that British soldiers Hugh Williams, Roland Culver and Michael Wilding were on. Williams and Culver are officers and gentlemen, but Wilding is a cheeky cockney private who happens to be married to a local from the area in France they're going. He's familiar with it himself.

Also along is James Mason who has an atrocious French accent who is a member of the Free French and he has family in the area as well.

Why they're in that particular area is unclear, but our guys get lucky in learning the Germans are building a huge underground bunker with all kinds of things stored there. Do you doubt that the guys on the mission foil the Nazi plans? They even rescued a downed Canadian flier to boot.

No one will ever confuse this film with some thing like In Which We Serve. If I didn't know any better I'd swear this one was put out by one of our poverty row studios. Look fast and don't blink and you'll catch Stewart Granger in a bit role.

Neither Granger or Mason ever bragged about being in this one.

This otherwise routine propaganda piece, intended to lift spirits during the war, is redeemed by its focus on the personal effects of war. We can sympathize with the tough moral choices faced by the occupied French population, while we still have time for a laugh and a languid kiss before getting on with the serious business of outwitting the Nazis.