That was an excellent one.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Blistering performances.

***SPOILERS*** Long and monotonous spy drama set in pre-WWII 1937 England involving Spanish loyalist and former concert pianist Luis Devard, Charles Boyer, trying to prevent a massive sale of coal from the British Benditch Mining Company to Franco's Fascist Regime in Spain.Devard is obviously not that sharp at his job as an undercover agent for the Spanish Loyalist in him screwing up his mission at every turn in the movie. It's the sexy and husky voiced Rose Cullen, Lauren Bacall, who ends up pulling Devard's chestnuts out of fire for him. Rose in the end not only saves Devard's neck but by doing that has the miners at the Benditch Mines refuse to go back to work, they were laid off at the time, in sympathy to Devard noble cause.Devard himself is doubled crossed by his London compatriots in the loyalist movement with them switching sides on him without his knowing about it. Why they did this is not explained in the movie leaving you confused to what was the reason for their perfidy to the loyalist cause? Was it money sex power or just plain boredom, in working with a bumbling stiff like Devard, that made them do it?Devard adds to his already gross incompetence in the movie in him not being able hold on to an important letter of recommendation-the butler stole it-that cause him to blow the deal with Benditch Mining to buy them out and keep Franco's boys from getting their coal. The coal is desperately needed by the Franco Fascists to manufacture war material in the war against the Spanish Loyalists in Spain.Where I feel that Devard really screwed up royally is in him outing pretty and loyal, to him, Else, Wanda Hendrix, who works at the safe house or hotel where he's staying at in London. The naive and brainless jerk tells Else's boss Mrs. Melandez, Katina Paxinou, who happens to be a loyalist turncoat that he's getting Else's out of her dive by getting her a job somewhere else. This idiotic and loosed lipped statement by a boastful Devard to the psychotic and murderous Mrs. Melandez, has her later confront Else in her room and push her out the window to her death!Despite him being a total flop as a confidential agent Devard somehow manages to pull it off in both getting the Spanish Fascist's cut out of the coal contract and at the same time getting out of England before the police get their hands on him for the murder, which he didn't commit, of Else.Denvard who's anything but competent in what he does still ends up getting the girl, Rose Cullen, and stiffing the bad guys at the same time. As for Rose I found it incomprehensible that a high class and intelligent woman like herself would as much as give this bumbling fool of an undercover agent a second look! Much less not only fall in love with the buffoon but even go so far as to risk her life for him!P.S check out both Peter Lorre and Dan Seymour in the film in what seems to be comic relief parts. Lorre is the international language teacher, as well as loyalist turncoat, Mr. Contreras who's very very weak heart wasn't exactly up to the job his boss Mrs. Melandez assigned him to. As for Dan Seymour as the nosy body and peeping Tom Mr. Muckerji he's the person who just happens to sees more of what's going on in the movie then the entire cast put together!

Hollywood always has trouble translating the works of writers like Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway to the screen. Something always gets lost in the transition--and in this case, that's not good because the plot is murky enough without losing some of the novel's detailed explanation of what's really going on.LAUREN BACALL, poised and mature beyond her years as she was in all of her early Hollywood roles, is a bit miscast here as a British girl and seems to know it. Her performance is less credible than most of her chores opposite Bogart. On the other hand, CHARLES BOYER is impressive as a man on a mission who is eventually betrayed. As in all such spy thrillers, this one has a plot line that is better left undisclosed, but suffice it to say that there is plenty to ponder as you watch the story unfold, and some interesting work by a large supporting cast. Set at the time of the Spanish Civil War, it has plenty of plot to follow.Wanda Hendrix has a nice bit as a Cockney lass and Katina Paxinou delivers the goods in a malicious role. Too bad the chemistry between Boyer and Bacall is not quite on par with the kind she had with Bogart because their romance never seems quite credible. Neverthelss, she does not deserve the panning her performance received when the film was first released on the heels of two successful films with Bogart.A bit dull in the stretches, but atmospheric and worth watching as an interesting example of Warner Bros. noir, the sort of cloak and dagger atmosphere needed to give the story some punch.

Good old black and white Graham Greene based people in dangerous times doing heroic and mysterious things. Hardly a shot fired or a punch thrown and a hundred time more interesting than the glop that's being minted by Hollywood today. Bacall lights up the screen of course and Boyer is entirely engaging. They don't make movies like this any more.

The novel is easily superior and the best parts of the film are direct translations from what Greene wrote; for instance the quiet but grim humour that breaks into the scenes with Boyer and Lorre, or the murdered-child obsession that takes over some of the plot. Where the film deviates from the novel, it tends to the ludicrous.However I don't want to suggest that the film is bad in any way. It always looks the part and the story stays in the mind like a good 'un. Some of the minor characters were stock actors who could turn their hand to anything.It's a dreadful shame that the film's not available on DVD.