The Cool Channel DVD Review: Secret Agent (1936) Posted by J.D. Dunn on 08.31.2006
A dead man and a hairless Mexican general track down a German Englishman.
Secret Agent (1936)
D:Alfred Hitchcock W:Campbell Dixon, based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham* Starring:Sir John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll and Robert Young. MPAA: NR Runtime: 86m.
The Film:
Hitchcock's infatuation with the spy drama continues. This time with legendary actor Sir John Gielgud handling the lead duties. While it's not on the level of "The 39 Steps" in terms of spy thrillers, it is a solid suspenser in its own right.
Novelist Edgar Brodie (Gielgud) is "killed" by the British Intelligence service and given a new identity as Richard Ashenden, a counterspy trying to thwart a plot by a bunch of German spies. He's given a contact, a place to stay, even a new wife Elsa (Carroll). Yes, the spy gig seems pretty sweet.
As with most other Hitchcock spy yarns, nothing is as it seems. Ashenden isn't Ashenden (nor dead). Elsa isn't his wife. His ally (Lorre as a "good guy) is called the "Hairless Mexican" or "The General," in part because he has a full head of curly hair, isn't Mexican, and isn't a general.
Ashenden finds himself embroiled in a series of mistaken identities, double-crosses, and moral quandaries. His new wife has attracted a brash, lovelorn American named Marvin (Young) who woos her right in front of him. Oddly enough, Elsa has great chemistry with both Ashenden and Marvin, but she starts to fall for Ashenden almost upon their meeting.
An unfortunate mistake with a button found at the scene of a murder leads Ashenden and the General to a German agent pretending to be an English tourist. The problem is that he isn't exactly what they think he is either, and their assumption leads to tragic consequences.
Ashenden begins to realize that the cold-blooded murder in which The General revels just isn't his game, even if it is for his country. Shooting someone on the battlefield isn't exactly the same thing as getting close to someone and then knifing them in the back of the head.
Elsa, on the other hand, loves the spy game. Of course, she loves it in theory, but she hasn't had much practice. When she finally does witness the impact murder has on innocent lives, she wants to quit spying and settle down with Ashenden. But things aren't that easy as Ashenden and the General receive a tip on the whereabouts of the German spy.
* - I should note that the Laserlight DVD cover credits the original novel to Daphne Du Maurier, and while Hitchcock did adapt a number of Du Maurier stories, this is about as far away from Du Maurier's genre as you could get.
The Spy Game
Despite Hitchcock's fascination with spies, they aren't particularly glamorized in many of his films. A bit of darkness always runs through Hitchcock's portrayal of secret agents. In "Secret Agent," Ashenden and the General are charged with killing a man they think is a spy. At the last second, Ashenden realizes that he can't do it. The General, on the other hand, has no problem with killing. When it turns out to be the wrong man, Ashenden and Elsa are overwhelmed with guilt, but the General simply laughs at the thought of such a misunderstanding.
The scene where the General actually kills off the man is the most memorable and emotional of the film. Elsa and the man's wife, who are several miles away, realize what has happened by the reaction of a little dog's howling. Of course it's unbelievable, but the important thing is the emotional hit of the scene.
The 411: Not what you'd call prime Hitchcock but a solid spy film nonetheless. Nothing is wrong with the film, necessarily, but it just doesn't pack the punch of Hitchcock's masterpieces. B
