|
|
'State Secret' opens with a scene that shows Douglas Fairbanks Jr. being held captive in a cabin and closes, in the last reel, with the conclusion of this scene. The story that unwinds in the intervening ninety minutes, between these intriguing book-ends, is a thrilling and fast-moving diversion in the best tradition of classic comedy thrillers.
Based upon the absorbing novel 'Appointment With Fear' by Roy Huggins, Fairbanks Jr. plays the famed American surgeon Dr. John Marlowe. Our debonair hero finds himself embroiled up to his neck in the cut-throat workings of Vosnian politics when he accepts an invitation to demonstrate his techniques in the country. He is duped into treating the state's ailing dictator. When his charge suddenly conks out after delicate surgery, escape becomes necessary as the dashing doctor is confronted with the very real prospect of elimination. Striving to elude the tentacles of the oppressive regime, Marlowe has the good fortune to engage the help of a half-English dancer played by the zestful Glynis Johns. Having bribed shady Herbert Lom to help them, they travel towards the border with the police hot on their tails.
The touches of Launder and Gilliat are delightfully evident. An effective sense of place is created, thanks to exemplary studio and location work by Robert Krasker, featuring exciting scenes of car chases on hilly, winding roads and treks across imposing mountains. The cloak-and-dagger mood is in some ways reminiscent of 'The Lady Vanishes'. The real sense of intrigue is wonderfully balanced by their twinkling sense of tongue-in-cheek humour. Jack Hawkins and, especially, Herbert Lom go to town with their roles. Lom steals the movie as the shifty and incredibly jittery crook-with-connections Karl Theodor. The scene where Fairbanks Jr. and Johns hide and surprise him in his luxury apartment is a real highlight of the movie. The palpable sense of relief that Theodor feels when he realises that he is only dealing with blackmail, and not the police, is hilarious. Hawkins' Colonel Galcon is a veritable Machiavellian. He is scheming and ruthless but also urbane and quite dispassionate in the discharging of his considerable duties. He is aptly summed-up by Hawkins' departing words to Fairbanks Jr.: 'If you should happen to hear of a vacant chair for political science anywhere, try to get in touch with me'.
'State Secret' is a rattling good tale delivered with all-round competence and skill. It is a classic of its genre and it definitely merits an official DVD release.
score 9/10
RogerTheMovieManiac88 10 August 2013
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2848490/ |
|
16-3-2021 12:05:11