***SPOILERS*** Utterly confusing WWI spy drama that's hard to figure out in who working for whom, the German British or French,in the movie. Swiss dress shop owner and fashion designer Madeleine Goddard, Vivian Leigh, who constantly travels back and forth from France to Sweden to get the latest French fashions is not only French but a spy for the hated Germans. On top of all that she, as a double agent,is feeding the German intelligence network Section 8 false information in upcoming French military actions that is costing the Germans thousands of casualties on the Western Front. The fact that Madeleine can get away with all this without her German contacts,in Sweden, not having a clue abut her actions is by far the biggest surprise in the entire film.
While attending a party in Stockholm Medelene meets and fall in love with recently German Army deserter Baron Karl Von Marniz, Conrad Veidt, whom all the ladies at the party are just crazy about. Madeleine's relationship with Baron Karl jeopardized hr job as a double agent for the both French & Germans in that the Baron is not really a German Army deserter but the head of the German Section 8! It's the Baron's job to find the fly in the ointment, or double agent, who's been giving the Germans hell as well as false information that's causing them so much headaches, as well as casualties, on the Western Front.
***SPOILERS**** The film goes on a snails pace with nothing really interesting, except the what looks like May to December romance between it's two stars, until Madeleine is finally exposed by her German lover the Baron as a double agent for the French Intelligence service. All the action is saved for the final few minutes of the movie with Madeline on her way by boat back to Germany to be tried and shot for espionage against the German Government. It's then that fate takes a hand and not only rescues her from the firing squad but also rescues her lover and now enemy,I think?, the Baron from a watery grave.
Whats worth watching in the film is the strikingly beautiful and future two time Academy Award winner Vivian Leigh in her first staring role. Made two years before she was to become immortalized in motion picture history in the blockbuster film "Gone With the Wind" Vivian showed that she already had what it takes to be a movie superstar. As for the refined and sophisticated Conred Veidt he was slated to play the more or less good German in future films about WWII that was just about to brake out and keep him employed in Hollywood playing those parts for the remainder of his movie career that ended on April 3, 1943 when he died of a massive heart-attack at age 50.
While attending a party in Stockholm Medelene meets and fall in love with recently German Army deserter Baron Karl Von Marniz, Conrad Veidt, whom all the ladies at the party are just crazy about. Madeleine's relationship with Baron Karl jeopardized hr job as a double agent for the both French & Germans in that the Baron is not really a German Army deserter but the head of the German Section 8! It's the Baron's job to find the fly in the ointment, or double agent, who's been giving the Germans hell as well as false information that's causing them so much headaches, as well as casualties, on the Western Front.
***SPOILERS**** The film goes on a snails pace with nothing really interesting, except the what looks like May to December romance between it's two stars, until Madeleine is finally exposed by her German lover the Baron as a double agent for the French Intelligence service. All the action is saved for the final few minutes of the movie with Madeline on her way by boat back to Germany to be tried and shot for espionage against the German Government. It's then that fate takes a hand and not only rescues her from the firing squad but also rescues her lover and now enemy,I think?, the Baron from a watery grave.
Whats worth watching in the film is the strikingly beautiful and future two time Academy Award winner Vivian Leigh in her first staring role. Made two years before she was to become immortalized in motion picture history in the blockbuster film "Gone With the Wind" Vivian showed that she already had what it takes to be a movie superstar. As for the refined and sophisticated Conred Veidt he was slated to play the more or less good German in future films about WWII that was just about to brake out and keep him employed in Hollywood playing those parts for the remainder of his movie career that ended on April 3, 1943 when he died of a massive heart-attack at age 50.