Wikipedia

I Was a Spy

I Was a Spyis a 1933 Britishthriller filmdirected byVictor Savilleand produced byMichael Balcon.It starsMadeleine CarrollasMarthe Cnockaert,Herbert Marshall,andConrad Veidt.Based on the 1932 memoirI Was a SpybyMarthe Cnockaert,the film is about her experiences as a Belgian woman who nursed German soldiers during World War I while passing intelligence to the British.[1]The film was produced byGaumont British Picture CorporationwithWoolf & Freedman Film ServiceandFox Film Corporationdistributing in the United Kingdom and the United States respectively.

I Was a Spy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVictor Saville
Herbert Mason(Assistant Director)
Frank Sherwin Green (Assistant Director)
Screenplay by
Based onI Was a Spy
byMarthe Cnockaert
Produced byMichael Balcon
Starring
CinematographyCharles Van Enger
Edited byFrederick Y. Smith
Music byLouis Levy(music director)
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 4 September 1933(1933-09-04)(UK)
  • 15 December 1933(1933-12-15)(USA)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

I Was a Spywas also the first film dubbed in Poland (while there were earlier examples of films dubbed in Polish, they were recorded in Paramount studio in Joinville, France), released in 1935 asSiostra Marta jest szpiegiem,starringLidia Wysockaas Martha Cnockhaert's voice. The screenplay was written by Ian Hay,W. P. LipscombandEdmund Gwenn.[2]

I was a Spywas released to cinemas in the United Kingdom on 4 September 1933. It was voted the best British film of 1933 and the performance of Carroll was praised.

Plot

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In German-occupied Belgium in 1914, a local woman nurses injured German soldiers while passing information to the British.[3]

Cast

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Production

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Filming took place in Shepherds Bush. ProducerMichael BalconsentHerbert Mason(who was initially production manager before becoming an assistant director) to take the script to Belgium and give it toMarthe Cnockaertto look at.[4][3][5]

The script was written by Edmund Gwenn who also portrayed the burgomaster.[6]

Release

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I Was a Spywas screened at the Lyric.[7]

Reception

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In a poll conducted by the magazineFilm Weekly,the film was voted the best British movie of 1933,[5][8][9]and Madeleine Carroll's performance was voted the best in a British movie.[10][11]

TheDaily Mail(21 November 1933) described it as "the most splendid film produced in this country."[11]The Daily Despatch (21 November 1933) described it as a film "equal to Hollywood's best."[11]Varietyand motion picture criticMordaunt Hall(forThe New York Times) praised Carroll's acting.[11]

William Troy forThe Nationsaid, "It is the kind of picture calculated to make us believe that there is something beautiful and touching about war, after all."[12]

Film historian and criticPaul RothaforCinema Quarterlysaid, "I raise my hat to Gaumont for attempting a film of serious stature, but replace it when I see the spirit in which the deed is done."[12]

The Evening News (Rockhampton)(30 May 1934) praised the acting and described it as "[spectacular] in its sweep, human in its emotions, dramatic in its intensity and profoundly gripping in its appeal."[13]

Although it was very successful at the box office,[3]this was not Saville's reaction. He watched the completedI Was a Spywith one of the Assistant Directors, Herbert Mason, and was devastated: however, Mason reassured him that it was his "best to date."[14]

Halliwell's Film & Video Guidedescribed the film as "[good] standard war espionage melodrama."[15]

Adrian Turner forRadio Timessaid that, "Fans of vintage British cinema will enjoy this sprightly espionage yarn, set during the First World War and bearing a close resemblance to theMata Harilegend. "[16]

In 2021, film critic and author Derek Winnert praised the cast and their performances.[3]

Home media

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I Was a Spywas released onDVDon 19 May 2014.[3][11]

References

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Citations

  1. ^BFI Database
  2. ^Dolny, Zbigniew (24 March 2019).""Siostra Marta jest szpiegiem" – przedwojenna recenzja dubbingu ".Polski-dubbing.pl.Retrieved23 December2021.
  3. ^abcdeDerek Winnert (25 January 2021)."I Was a Spy".derekwinnert.com.Retrieved26 May2022.
  4. ^Balcon, 1969, p. 74
  5. ^abJohn Pascoe (17 April 2020).Madeleine Carroll(Paperback ed.). McFarland. p. 51.ISBN9781476675466.
  6. ^John Pascoe (17 April 2020).Madeleine Carroll(Paperback ed.). McFarland. p. 50.ISBN9781476675466.
  7. ^"I Was a Spy".trove.nla.gov.au.The Sun (Sydney).13 May 1934. p. 46.Retrieved6 August2022."I Was a Spy," that phenomenal British success, is now being screened at the Lyric
  8. ^"Film Weekly". 4 May 1934. p. 9.
  9. ^Brian McFarlane(2005).The Encyclopedia of British Film(2nd ed.).Methuen.p. 622....the true war story I Was a Spy, voted Best British film of 1933
  10. ^"BEST FILM PERFORMANCE LAST YEAR".The Examiner(LATE NEWS EDITION and DAILY ed.). Launceston, Tasmania. 9 July 1937. p. 8.Retrieved4 March2013– via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^abcdeJohn Pascoe (17 April 2020).Madeleine Carroll(Paperback ed.). McFarland. p. 52.ISBN9781476675466.
  12. ^ab"I Was a Spy - Movie Reviews".rottentomatoes.com.Rotten Tomatoes.Retrieved6 August2022.
  13. ^"I Was a Spy".trove.nla.gov.au.Rockhampton,Australia:The Evening News. 30 May 1934. p. 13.Retrieved6 August2022.
  14. ^Moseley, 2000, p. 69
  15. ^John Walker (1998).Halliwell's Film & Video Guide(13 ed.).HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 381.
  16. ^Adrian Turner."I Was a Spy (1934)".radiotimes.com.Retrieved6 August2022.

Bibliography

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Primary sources

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Secondary sources

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  • Balcon, Michael.(1969).Michael Balcon Presents...A Lifetime of Films.Hutchinson & Co Ltd
  • McFarlane Brian.(ed).The Encyclopedia of British Film.Methuen(2nd edition)
  • Moseley, Roy. (2000).Evergreen: Victor Saville in His Own Words.Southern Illinois University Press
  • Pascoe, John. (2020).Madeleine Carroll:Actress and Humanitarian, from The 39 Steps to the Red.McFarland. Paperback
  • Walker, John. (ed). (1998). Halliwell's Film & Video Guide 1998.HarperCollinsEntertainment. 13th edition
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