The Secret Agent [DVD] [1936]

I'll start by saying that I'm a major Hitchcock fan. Having said that, I must admit that Secret Agent is notone of his good movies. As a matter of fact, it is not a good movie at all.The story itself, a spy thriller, isn't too bad, but it is just another bland spy story. The presentation,however, is very poor. It tries to be funny, but it is not. Most characters are two dimensional without anydepth. Robert Marvin (played by Robert Young) and The General (played by Peter Lorre) arecartoonish caricatures.The DVD I'm reviewing is a Carlton release (ITV Studios). After trying several other DVDs that wereunwatchable due to the poor picture quality and unintelligible audio, I'm glad to say that the picture onthis DVD is fairly good. It's not as good as a restoration, but it is good. The sound is OK, but it is notclear. Luckily, this DVD has optional subtitles, which helps a lot.If you are a Hitchcock fan, I say, go for it and buy a copy of the Carlton release. If you're just looking fora good spy story, there other better ones out there.

This is a geat disappintment. The quality of both picture and sound is dreadful, nothing like the quality of the other Hitchcock films in my collection. Sometimes the screen is pretty well black, the words are sometimes inaudible, there's no subtitles and, given that it has anyway a complex plot in which almost everyone turns out to be a spy, it's very difficult to follow. Upon closer inspection, I find that the product comes from the Netherlands. Quite why a British film by one of the greatest of British directors isn't available in a version by a British company - the BFI for choice - is a mystery. And are all DVDs from Holland as technically poor as this? I don't feel qualified to comment on the film itself because, in the state it's in, I can hardly say I've seen it.

It's not a great story, it's better than lots of thirties stuff, but it's nowhere near the quality of The Thirty Nine Steps or Savotage.

An excellent Hitchcock 1936 film

A bit dated

Great Xmas gift, just what he wanted!

I really enjoyed watching this hitchcock film. The suspense created for a 30's film is excellent. Well cast & well played.

A 1936 offering from Alfred Hitchcock set in the First World War and based upon two W.Somerset Maugham Ashenden stories and upon the theatrical version by Campbell Dixon. John Gielgud is despatched to Switzerland with assistant Peter Lorre to identify and locate an enemy spy, who Gielgud's predecessor believes was located in The Hotel Excelsior. Upon arriving to his surprise Guilgud is told his wife is already present - this is Madeleine Carroll. Carroll is already getting admiring comments from another guest, Robert Young, who flirts shamelessly with Carroll despite the presence of 'husband' Gielguid. These are the main protagonists of the story, with Gielgud, Lorre and Carroll out to discover who the important enemy spy is and make a big contribution to the war effort.Aside from that initial set up I won't spoil the plot, but there are plenty of Hitchcockian devices on show, including murder, mistaken identity, shared peril and particularly from Lorre comedic interludes. It's told almost as a morality tale, with actions needing to be taken by Gielguid as a reluctant spy, but actually taken by Lorre whose character has no such qualms, leading to Carroll doubting whether the spy game is actually for her despite the greater good of National need. As the tale unwinds people turn out to be different than they seem as Hitchcock uses a found button as a MacGuffin to detract the audience. It's an old fashioned film, Hitchcock's third spy thriller in a row, but well worth watching, with great performances from the leading cast, particularly as we watch if they can go through with the requirements of the mission which in peacetime would be reprehensible. There are many of Hitchcock's masterly touches of keeping up a rattling pace and telling a cracking yarn. One of Hitchcock's key British films.