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They Met in the Dark

  • 1943
  • Approved
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
571
YOUR RATING
James Mason and Joyce Howard in They Met in the Dark (1943)
MysteryRomanceThrillerWar

During WW2, a Royal Navy Commander stumbles upon a murdered woman and discovers a network of Nazi spies and Fifth-Columnists.During WW2, a Royal Navy Commander stumbles upon a murdered woman and discovers a network of Nazi spies and Fifth-Columnists.During WW2, a Royal Navy Commander stumbles upon a murdered woman and discovers a network of Nazi spies and Fifth-Columnists.

  • Director
    • Karel Lamac
  • Writers
    • Anatole de Grunwald
    • Miles Malleson
    • Basil Bartlett
  • Stars
    • James Mason
    • Joyce Howard
    • Tom Walls
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    571
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Karel Lamac
    • Writers
      • Anatole de Grunwald
      • Miles Malleson
      • Basil Bartlett
    • Stars
      • James Mason
      • Joyce Howard
      • Tom Walls
    • 23User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

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    Top cast40

    Edit
    James Mason
    James Mason
    • Richard Francis Heritage
    Joyce Howard
    Joyce Howard
    • Laura Verity
    Tom Walls
    Tom Walls
    • Christopher Child
    Phyllis Stanley
    Phyllis Stanley
    • Lily Bernard
    Edward Rigby
    Edward Rigby
    • Mansel
    Ronald Ward
    Ronald Ward
    • Carter
    David Farrar
    David Farrar
    • Commander Lippinscott
    Karel Stepanek
    Karel Stepanek
    • Riccardo
    Betty Warren
    Betty Warren
    • Fay
    Walter Crisham
    Walter Crisham
    • Charlie
    George Robey
    George Robey
    • Pawnbroker
    Ronald Chesney
    Ronald Chesney
    • Max - Mouth Harmonica Player
    Peggy Dexter
    • Bobby
    Finlay Currie
    Finlay Currie
    • Merchant Captain
    Brefni O'Rorke
    Brefni O'Rorke
    • Detective Inspector Burrows
    Jeanne De Casalis
    Jeanne De Casalis
    • Lady with Dog
    Patricia Medina
    Patricia Medina
    • Mary - Manicurist
    • (as Pat Medina)
    Eric Mason
    • Benson - Illusionist
    • Director
      • Karel Lamac
    • Writers
      • Anatole de Grunwald
      • Miles Malleson
      • Basil Bartlett
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    6.1571
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    Featured reviews

    5malcolmgsw

    Is This a Remake Of "Let George Do It"?

    This spy film seems to have used every cliché from spy films made earlier in World War 2.In particular it seems to have taken much of the story line of "Let George Do It".In particular it uses the encoding of messages into music.There is the fake court martial ling of Mason,the drugging of a signals officer and a spy ring in a port,and of course the obligatory missing corpse.All done in a most lacklustre fashion.At just over 90 minutes the story drags along.Compare it with Hitchcocks " Saboteur" made the same year in Hollywood.It looks as if the film was originally longer but was cut before release.i was looking forward to seeing George Robey but his scenes as a pawnbroker were obviously cut.I think that Mason should have based his character on Formby's so he could have ended the film with a cheerful "turned out nice again".
    6robert-temple-1

    Wartime espionage yarn with great harmonica playing by Ronald Chesney

    This is an entertaining if uninspired wartime espionage yarn. It contains a fine and energetic performance by James Mason, full of vigour and fully believing in what he is doing. He even manages to deliver convincingly the inane line to Joyce Howard, the heroine, 'I love you', despite the fact that he barely knows her and could not possibly love her. The romantic elements of this story are too ludicrous for comment. This is the third and mercifully the last of the story ideas of Basil Bartlett which were filmed. (His 'Secret Mission' was so terrible it was one of the worst films ever made.) Sir Basil was the stepfather of my friend Annabel. Sorry, Annabel. There is a strong Czech component to the film. The director, Karel Lamac, was a Czech refugee, and apart from Mason, the main performance is by the talented Czech refugee actor, Karel Stepanek, who does extremely well, as usual, and raises the tone considerably. Joyce Howard's fluttery helplessness and bone-headed character may have been typical of women in 1943, but God have mercy on us poor viewers. A spectacular element in this film, which makes it worth seeing, is the incredible harmonica playing by Ronald Chesney, who only appeared in three films and is featured a lot here. Larry Adler eat your heart out (if Larry were still here, that is). Alvar Liddell, the famous wartime radio announcer, makes his first film appearance here, for all of ten seconds. At least Finlay Currie got 20 seconds. Someone savagely cut this film prior to release, as chasms occur in the continuity of fairly mammoth proportions. It is 95 minutes and must have been 110 when the director delivered it. This will keep an undemanding viewer entertained on a rainy afternoon. I had to get the DVD from Germany (where it is known as 'Spionagering'), turn off the dubbed German soundtrack, and listen to the original, which is preserved. The things one does to see these rarities!
    7JLA-2

    70% of a Hitchcock

    "They Met in the Dark" is like the first draft of a Hitchcock film, before the better plotting, interesting camera-work, and Hitchcock wit is added. In fact, it's a blend of "The 39 Steps" and "The Lady Vanishes." With many of the same elements:

    Man and woman meet during a mysterious incident. Check. They are forced to stay on the run together. Check. The "McGuffin" is a secret message about the military. Check. The secret is conveyed by a music hall entertainer. Check. The unlikely couple end up in love. Check.

    It's interesting to see the difference between a perfectly fine movie and a great one. Hitchcock created striking lighting effects, innovative camera moves, and darker, more menacing threat.

    "They Met in the Dark" is a perfectly charming diversion and a nice, little movie. But pales in comparison to the Hitchcock films of the same era.
    5bkoganbing

    About a couple dozen steps here

    Reading the synopsis of They Met In The Dark I was expecting quite a different film. The plot outline made it sound incredibly serious and this was wartime Great Britain.

    Instead I got a rather lighthearted treatment of the plight of courtmartialed Naval Commander James Mason. Seems as though he was given a Mickey Finn and left with false orders in his pocket that led to his ship being sunk by the Nazis. Now cashiered from the Royal Navy, Mason's looking for answers.

    So is Joyce Howard who is over from Canada looking for her girlfriend who has disappeared. She finds the girlfriend's corpse with Mason in a mysterious house.

    After this They Met In The Dark is a variation on what Alfred Hitchcock did much better with The Thirty Nine Steps. In fact the method used by the bad guy spies for transmitting messages involves a theatrical performer.

    I guess I'm not used to seeing James Mason in material as light as this. He and Howard do have some good chemistry. When he would do Hitchcock in North By Northwest he was not the light leading man there.

    Not one of Mason's classic films, but something different.
    5jromanbaker

    A Minor Discovery

    This film is worth watching for Karel Lamac's direction. Born in the former Czechoslovakia and unknown to me I would very much like to discover his silent films. In this rather pedestrian film of murder, a dismissed man from the navy due to very dubious reasons, Lamac keeps the pace and adds the occasional visual flourishes that are exciting. There is an old dark house, a fleeting masked figure and a dead woman's body found by another woman which is visually stunning. The lighting has elements of Expressionism that heightens the horror, and in general the film is fascinating to watch. James Mason plays the dismissed man, and of course there has to be a heroine played adequately by Joyce Howard. Patricia Medina disappears far too quickly, and in my opinion I longed to see more of her, and would I feel have been better in the lead female role. Style wins over content here, but as Karel Lamac's style is so good the film is worth watching. A distinct European touch to very British material.

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    Related interests

    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller
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    War

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Since this was filmed in England during World War II, the odd-looking things on most cars' headlights are blackout deflectors. These kept the light pointed down at the road ahead and much less visible to enemy planes from above.
    • Goofs
      When she was speaking to the Police, Laura said that the paper tore into 2 pieces and that a part of it was left in Mary's hand.
    • Quotes

      Henry: Nervous, aren't you? Don't worry, if you're legs are alright, you're alright.

      Laura Verity: What do my legs got to do with it?

      Henry: [looks over his glasses at her] You'd be surprised.

    • Crazy credits
      The title card has the title of the film flashing on and off, like a neon sign.
    • Alternate versions
      British DVD release Version is Cut cinema reissue edition runs 94 minutes
    • Soundtracks
      TODDLE ALONG
      Music by Benjamin Frankel

      Lyric by Moira Heath

      Sung by Phyllis Stanley

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 1, 1943 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Spionagering M
    • Filming locations
      • Teddington Studios, Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Marcel Hellman Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 35m(95 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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