Counterspy

This is a nicely understated comedy-thriller about an ordinary accountant who gets mixed up with spies. Such a plot is nowadays routine, but in 1953 was a little ahead of the game. Dermot Walsh is on particularly good form as the not-too-bright pen-pusher; his little sulk when contradicted by Paulson is a lovely little cameo. Interesting early performances from Hazel Court and Bill Travers, and a rare film outing for John Penrose, famous for his portrayal as the horrible Lionel in Kind Hearts and Coronets. Of course, from this studio, on this budget, this was never going to be a work of art. But Vernon Sewell was excellent at producing interesting and entertaining results from unpromising material. This won't stick in the mind for very long, but it passes its short running time easily, and provokes a few chuckles along the way.

This is no classic, but it is amusing and has a period interest. It is also interesting because of two of the performances in it. Bill Travers is seen here in an early role as an unpleasant heavy, completely opposite to the Bill Travers we were later to know on screen. There is a wonderful supporting part for Hermione Baddeley, which needs to be seen by anyone interested in her, as she pulls it off with such professional aplomb and style. She was a very amusing woman. I knew her only slightly. And along with very large numbers of people indeed, I also knew her brother, the charming Reverend William ('Bill') Baddeley, who as Rector of St. James Piccadilly, was prominent in artistic, literary,and social work circles, though many people did not know he was Hermione's brother. Hermione Gingold told me that she and Hermione Baddeley used to do a lot of comedy double acts together and call themselves 'The Two Hermiones'. Apart from having the same first name, they were both as outrageous as each other and were like two comic twins. I wish I had seen them perform together on stage, as it must have been truly hilarious, but that was long before my time. This film has a story about an accountant who gets mixed up in an espionage operation, and it is sufficiently amusing for a rainy afternoon. It has been released on DVD under its alternative title of COUNTERSPY.

This is the sort of film I like. All the other reviews here are positive but I am struggling to find something I like about this film. It is so bad it has not been shown on the old film tv channel which has some standards.

I know this is a low budget film made in 1953 it really is uninteresting.

I used to wonder why my late parents hated British films,I think they saw too many films like this one.

Behind the stirring title of this early Herman Cohen quickie lies a rather jaunty little frolic stylishly directed as usual by Vernon Sewell, with an incongruously light-hearted score by Eric Spear.

The interesting cast is headed by Dermot Walsh playing against type as a nerdy actuary who stumbles across baddies smuggling that familiar old 'McGuffin', a new alloy.

Previous commentators have already remarked upon portly villain Alexander Guage's resemblance to Caspar Gutman, and the improbability that our hero would be married to the gorgeous Hazel Court.

Above average (just) minor thriller with Dermot Walsh in a slightly atypical role as a mild-mannered accountant who's initial intent is to audit the books of a company that turns out to be mixed up with all sorts of hokey pokey. This leads to our villain, played by Alexander Gauge, in full Sydney Greenstreet mode ("upon my soul sir, you are the most impatient man...." etc etc; That nice Bill Travers, of all people, crops up as a heavy and Hazel Court (Mrs Walsh at this time), is generally underused for much of the film.

A reasonable way to pass 68 minutes and probably not very memorable but at least no American "B" star shoehorned into the cast in an attempt to raise its transatlantic appeal.