Le Saint à Londres

Forget Val Kilmer -- to find out what the Saint is all about, watch this entry, or 1938's Saint in New York or 1941's The Saint's Vacation. These three are closer to Charteris's literary creation (with Ian Ogilvy's TV series, Return of The Saint, in the late Seventies) than anything else. As Simon Templar, George Sanders is ruthless, cool, clinical and just on the right side of legality by a cat's whisker. Directed by John Paddy Carstairs (whom Leslie Charteris dedicated a book of short stories to 'for all the nice things he's (sic) done for the Saint)), the only director to work on both the films and the Roger Moore TV series, this hits the spot in a way most other entires don't. While Moore made the character his own, no one played Charteris's Saint better than Sanders on screen and Vincent Price on radio. Do youself a favour and watch this film to find out why.

This film is more of an adventure than a mystery, since The Saint is tipped off at the start that Henry Oscar is up to no good, and he quickly learns he's involved in a plot to print £1,000,000 in counterfeit banknotes. The baddies are pointed out early and there are no twists that would have made it more interesting. Even when a murder is committed, you know one of the baddies did it, so it doesn't matter much who it was. George Sanders is excellent in the title role and has a good rapport with his leading lady, Sally Gray, a socialite who helps him for the thrill of it. He also gets considerable help from a pickpocket, David Burns, who is hired by Sanders when he promises to go straight, and of all people, his nemesis from Scotland Yard, Gordon McLeod. I guess I prefer a true mystery, one where clues are given and you can deduce "who done it" if you're clever enough. But even a crime drama such as this, where you simply watch it unfold, could be enjoyable if it were scripted better.

Society girl Penny Parker (Sally Gray) describes what she has heard about the Saint: "He's supposed to be tall and handsome, and he's supposed to have a cross-shaped scar...." She pauses as Simon Templar, with whom she has been dancing, reaches over to light her cigarette, baring his right wrist. She takes a glance and coolly resumes: "A cross-shaped scar on his right wrist."

George Sanders is back as Simon Templar in this easygoing mystery. Sally Gray and David Burns are his two loyal sidekicks: the three leads together make up a fun trio—as different as can be, and yet enjoying each other's company immensely.

Gray is the girl who begins tagging along after Templar pretty much as soon as she realizes his identity, offering assistance, getting in the way, and saving his life once or twice. Burns is fun as Dugan, the American ex-convict (from Leavenworth, not Sing Sing!) who hires on as Templar's valet and performs various duties. Part comic relief, part right hand man, Dugan has a clear philosophy: "Me? I figure to do just like I'm told, and then maybe muscle in on the fireworks later on."

The mystery plot itself is nothing spectacular; it follows a high class gang's scheme to print off a large stack of foreign money, and the Saint's efforts to ferret out and capture their leader, Bruno Lang (played with suave nastiness by Henry Oscar).

My favorite line: Penny Parker explaining to Dugan that the Saint isn't really a criminal…. "He's more like a sort of Robin Hood." "Yeah?" Dugan snaps suspiciously. "Who's this guy Hood?"

Overall, it's simple but lots of fun, with Sanders excellent as always as the irresistible Simon Templar.

Though the plot of "The Saint in London" does lack the elements of a true mystery, the players find the right sense of whimsy needed for this sort of light caper movie. The interplay between Sanders as Simon Templar and Sally Gray as his new-found female helper reminds me a little of the wonderful back-and-forth between John Steed and Emma Peel in the original Avengers series. This movie won't keep you on the edge of your seat, but it might cause you to sit back in the chair and just enjoy yourself for a while.

Of all the B-movie detective series made in the 30s and 40s, The Saint ranks around the middle for quality. While not nearly as fun as the Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes films of the time, they still are well-polished and fun--mostly thanks to the excellent screen presence of George Sanders as the title character. He's just so witty, debonair and cool that it's a pleasure to watch him gracefully walk though this pedestrian film. The actual plot involving an attempt on the life of a foreign national in order to facilitate a counterfeiting scheme is only okay--not bad, but not all that interesting. And the supporting characters aren't all that compelling, either. However, considering the modest pretensions of this RKO serial, I think overall it did a good job of delivering the goods.