A Brilliant Conflict

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

There's a spy ring going on in this high-class casino that leads to murder, robbery and glamorous intrigue. Phillip Holmes ("An American Tragedy") and Mae Clarke (Cagney's "grapefruit" girl) are the young lovers who hold "the future of Europe" in their hands as they come across the ring strictly by accident. Irving Pichel ("Dracula's Daughter") is a memorable villain with a large supporting cast including Rosita Moreno (an obvious take on Mata Hari), Mischa Auer and Hedwiga Reicher (as a spooky housekeeper). Pleasant to look at with its art deco sets (pretty impressive for a Republic film!) and fast moving, it's all over in less than an hour.

I bought this title from Hollywoodsattic.com recently, for a not-unreasonable price. I am a big fan of the original book by Meredith Nicholson, and I was very disappointed to find that this film had NOTHING to do with the original storyline. The only thing taken from the book was the title. But the opening credits state "from the novel by Meredith Nicholson". There was a silent version made in 1915, and judging from the characters' names, it does follow the original story. This 1936 version is a rather cheesy early WWII spy drama. I am no film critic, but wow, the bad acting really jumped off the screen and grabbed me by the throat on this one!