I See a Dark Stranger

This is an interesting story about a young Irish woman who hates the British, so she's interested in becoming a spy for "the other guys" during WWII. She seems to know nothing about the Germans or what they stand for--she just knows that, as an Irishwoman, she hates the Brits and wants to help anyone they are fighting. Because her logic seems so simplistic, she seems very naive. However, despite this, she does get involved, somewhat by chance, in a German spy ring.

How this all works out and her eventual revelation about what and why she was doing this make this a very interesting film. Also, an improbable but interesting romance that occurs with a British officer is pretty interesting. Overall, it's a very good drama and very original, but I was disappointed with the last 10 minutes of the film. While it had been a straight drama, the fight scene between the Brit and the spies really seemed slapstick inspired and just didn't fit the overall style of the film. Still, it's a relatively minor quibble and this still is a nice film--with a particularly good performance by a young Deborah Kerr.

Deborah Kerr is an Irish country lass brought up on her father's romanticised view of his heroic struggle against the English.

She leaves home for Dublin, where she wants to join the IRA, but is recruited by the Germans.

She gets entangled with Trevor Howard, a British officer, and conflicting loyalties ensue for both.

It's a classy piece, finely acted, atmospherically shot. There's suspense, humour, romance, and a strong plot. Kerr lives up to the three-dimensional role, and the rest of the cast give sterling support.

Well worthwhile.

Bridie Quilty (Deborah Kerr) grew up on her late father's war stories about his battles in the Irish independence. It's 1944 before D-Day and Ireland is a neutral country. On her 21st birthday, she leaves her rural town for Dublin to seek out her father's war comrade Michael O'Callaghan. He's a little confused which confirms the unreliability of her father's tall tales. She wants to join the IRA and he politely dissuades her. She runs into her train mate Miller (Raymond Huntley) whom she assumed to be a haughty Englishman. In reality, he's a spy tasked with breaking Nazi Oscar Pryce out of British prison. He sees an opportunity to turn the naive idealist. Lieutenant David Baynes (Trevor Howard) arrives on leave but Miller suspects him to be a counter-intelligence agent.

Deborah Kerr is a little funny in this espionage film. All her interior monologues and confusions are funny. On top of everything else, it's a solid spy thriller. It does walk the balance between light farce and high drama. I do object to the screwball comedic climax. That scene puts this movie firmly into the farce side of the ledger when the climax should really lead more towards the drama side. The fight should not laughable. It should be thrilling instead. It's probably it's only flaw.

'I See a Dark Stranger' was another film that sounded right up my alley, really loved the idea for the story and the film's genre mix sounded like the genres would go well together and not clash. Also have always really liked Deborah Kerr, two of my favourite performances of hers being in 'The King and I' and 'Black Narcissus' and wanted to see how she would fare in an early role. Trevor Howard has also been good in other things, 'Brief Encounter' is still a favourite and one of the most moving films ever made.

Although a lot of things work here, 'I See a Dark Stranger' doesn't completely succeed. It is not a waste of potential, a long way from that, but it is a case of great potential not being fully realised. Which was a little disappointing but not in a way that frustrated me massively. If you like Kerr, you'll like it. If you like the idea for the story and this mix of genres, you should mostly like it with reservations. If you like Howard, it's best to look elsewhere as to me this was not a great representation of him.

Will start with the good, which are many, quite big and outweigh the not so good. 'I See a Dark Stranger' is a very well made film visually, especially the photography which is both luminous and atmosphere. Which particularly excels in the more suspenseful scenes and how it captures Kerr, who the camera clearly loves. William Alwyn's score is typically moody without being too melodramatic while the direction is mostly very skilled until petering out at the end. The script is mostly quite sophisticated and thoughtful, with touches of witty humour.

The story generally compels, with some nice suspense, no over-obviousness and turns that aren't too convoluted. Plausibility is not always a strong suit but it is on the most part diverting and solidly paced. Kerr looks beautiful and is both feisty and dignified. The supporting cast are solid.

For all those good things, there are things that could have been better. Am going to agree with those disappointed in the final 20 minutes, which were too farcical and didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the film. Another big problem for me was Howard, who is disappointingly taciturn.

His romantic chemistry with Kerr wasn't really there either and lacked spark, and a big part of it was down to Howard and his character being underdeveloped. A shame because all the other tones are there and balanced quite well.

Concluding, well done generally but there was room for it to have been better. 7/10

Though many Irishmen voluntarily joined the British forces in World War II, the country's official neutrality must have aroused a great deal of resentment and anger among the British fighting for their lives at home and abroad. This movie could be seen as an attempt at reconciliation, not by trying to justify the Irish policy as a response to centuries of British oppression but by characterizing Irish super-patriots as eccentric and silly. Nothing succeeds with the English like making them feel superior.

Deborah Kerr was seldom so tender, vulnerable, and utterly lovely as in her role as a girl brought up on her family's semi-mythical stories of rebellion and guerrilla fighting who, with World War II under way for several years, decides to join the IRA. But before she manages to do that, she encounters a German spy who apparently takes about five minutes to convince her that her that she would do just as well serving her enemy's enemy. Since she declares that, although living in a remote rural area, she reads newspapers and is up to date, one cannot consider her a backward eccentric. So--if we think about it--we have to assume that she is indifferent to Nazi terror, murder, and genocide. In other words, she is a monster. Kerr plays her as a romantic, over-enthusiastic young girl who sees herself as a character in a girls' adventure book, but it's not enough to give her a pass. She is, after all, supposed to be 21, not six. Even at sixteen she would be expected to have more morals and sense.