Jagd durch Istanbul

Myrna Loy is a German spy on a mission to Istanbul. It is of the highest importance to Germany; the entire course of the war may depend on it. But she has met an American, George Brent, and is in love. Can she carry out her job through the haze of conflicting emotions?

Miss Loy had reached stardom through her amazing beauty, and had been cast for the last five years as exotics, and here she is again. But she had already made the switch to Americans in comedies, beginning with Frank Capra the previous year, and more important for her career at MGM, in MANHATTAN MELODRAMA and THE THIN MAN. Yet here she is at her old job, and it looks a little tired, despite the pre-code touches. Still, the MGM gloss and James Wong Howe's lighting cover up a multitude of sins. With Lionel Atwill, C. Henry Gordon, and Leo G. Carroll in his screen debut.

It's 1915. The Germans are wondering about British plans in Turkey. Annemarie, codename Fräulein Doktor (Myrna Loy), is brought into the office of German intelligence head von Sturm. She's actually working counter intelligence and accuses Mata Hari of turning for love. She vows never to fall in love. She is ordered to follow Douglas Beall (George Brent) to determine if he's a British spy. Ali Bey is a Turkish commander whose loyalty is suspect.

Apparently, there was a real person behind this fiction. It starts with plenty of intrigue including a possible real outing of Mata Hari. It's a functional espionage film although the tension is never that high. It doesn't have good action or dark realism. It is sorta like Mata Hari but the character doesn't have the exotic feelings. It also doesn't exude the sexuality. It's a bit bland but it does have Myrna Loy.

There is a brief scene in Stamboul Quest, as Leo G. Carroll's character stops by the entrance to a building in Berlin to look at the metal plaques attached by the entrance, identifying the business occupants. In German, the signs identify a notary, a lawyer and, in German and English, an American Dentist. Carroll paused for only a few seconds, and if not for a screen capture I made, I would not be able to check out the attention to detail that the art director or prop man put into this minor set piece. When I visited Berlin, I saw business plaques just like those in this movie, made in Culver City, which is a long way from Berlin. From the prologue at the start, describing in general terms the difference between espionage and counter-espionage, to Lionel Atwill's fine portrayal of a spymaster, Stamboul Quest is a picture ahead of its time. Transmitting coded messages in a tooth filling is not a procedure you see in many movies. There is also a love story, Myrna Loy's character, Fraulein Doktor, falling in love with the American medical student (George Brent) who gets entangled with the spies by going to the American Dentist when the counterespionage agents raid the office. 25 years later, Leo G. Carroll was the spymaster who takes advantage of Cary Grant being mistaken for George Kaplan, a fictitious agent created to catch real spies. Carroll and company notice the gallows humor in Grant's predicament, just as Atwill also finds humor in George Brent's character mistakenly getting locked up for being a spy. George Brent, on loan to MGM after going on suspension at Warners (Jack Warner must have liked Brent, since Warners was a studio that had a track record ruining actor's careers by refusing to loan them out to other studios on reasonable terms e.g. Wayne Morris blocked from working in The Killers, in the role that made Lancaster a star), is great as the medical student. As he and Myrna Loy check into the hotel in Turkey, Brent tosses into the air the coin that is the tip for the porter. The porter reaches for the coin, Brent says you mustn't reach, catches the coin first and gives it to the porter. Sort of a mean joke, but an action Herman J. Mankiewicz, the screenwriter or maybe the director, Sam Wood, saw in real life and put into the movie to make Brent's character look authentic. The effort MGM's professional staff put into this fine spy movie shows up on the screen

With a Title that will do Nothing but Alienate Modern Movie Watchers this Pre-WWI Tale of a Real Life Female Infiltrator (not Mati Hari) is a So-So, Complex, Talky, Awkward Film that has some Appealing Actors like Myrna Loy (sporting a dazzling wardrobe with Flying Saucer hats) and Lionel Atwill, Among Others (no George Brent is not appealing in any way).

The First Act is in Deep Danger of Ruining the Intent of the Film as it has Brent Stalking Loy and his Relentless Advances and her Constant Rejection becomes Intolerable. But when She Finally Succombs and takes Him on as an "Assistant" things Settle Down to Watchable.

There is some Neat Spy Stuff like Messages in Tooth Fillings, Invisible Ink, and a Very Odd Scene where Body Art takes on a New Meaning. It is All Handled with MGM's Slick Sheen and the Result is Worth a Watch but as a Whole it is too Silly at Times and too Complicated by a Half to be Anything More than just Good.

This film tickled me. Myrna Loy plays the real-life Germany spy 'Fraulein Doktor' who is in Constantinople (aka Istanbul, aka Stamboul) during WWI, trying to snoop out who in the Turkish chain of command is selling information to the British. The prelude to sending her there may remind you a bit of 007 meeting M before a mission, minus the sophisticated gadgetry, but including the description of various codes and signals. It's clear early on that this film just made it in before the Hays Code began enforcement in 1934, as Loy takes a bath and dries with a towel that's a little too small, and we learn that part of her duties as a spy involve seducing those she wants information from. There's a great scene where she helps stop a traitor in their ranks who is delivering information via a false tooth that's hollowed out, and that's how the American (George Brent) gets involved in it all.

Brent is charming and has some funny banter with her, but gets a little annoying in how aggressive and possessive he becomes when the two start falling for one another. I confess I would have been happier had she remained stronger and aloof. However, with that said, I loved how intricate the plot was, and the twists and turns along the way. With deception the order of the day, it's fun to watch all involved manipulate their way through situations, and as 'out there' as the premise is, the film has an authenticity to it, and feels ahead of its time.

There are several cute scenes with Loy, who shows at least a little bit of an edge as well as a playful and loving side. Is she completely believable as a spy? Probably not, but she is fully engaging and a delight to watch. Lionel Atwill and C. Henry Gordon are also strong in the roles as the German chief of spies and Turkish high commander, respectively. The film's pace is right and Director Sam Wood includes some nice touches with his cuts, streets scenes, and even a brief exotic dancer. Herman J. Mankiewicz's screenplay is smart, and holds together.

I may have given the film an even higher rating, as after its strong start and 'ok' middle, it had a number of fine moments down the stretch, but I have to say, I hated the ending, which was a shame. Overall though, it's hard to fathom the negative reviews and low average rating – this one is quite enjoyable.