Lancer Spy

An Englishman impersonates an imprisoned German officer and "returns" to Germany to become a national hero. A female German spy is assigned to check him out but falls in love with him.

George Sanders is quite good in this tale of wartime espionage. He is the aristocratic "von Rohback" who returns to take up his acclaimed station in German society after a period of incarceration in Britain during the war. Or, is he? Well we know, but the Germans don't - and so they assign their super spy detector "Dolores" (Dolores del Rio) to use all of her wiles. Can he resist her charms and also stay one step ahead of the suspicious, ferret-like "Maj. Gruning" (Peter Lorre)? Can she resist his debonaire charms? The plot does proceed along some fairly well established lines, but this is really about a strong and engaging cast telling a story that looks good and flows along quite well - with just the merest hint of jeopardy and a lovely performance from Joseph Schildkraut as the hapless "Prince Ferdi". Not a film you will remember for long, but it's an enjoyable way to pass 80 minutes in the company of some on-form Hollywood talent.