Yellow Canary

This is a very clever thriller for its many fascinating details, its splendid dialogue and its total unpredictability. Anna Neagle makes a performance to go down in history, if all her other films will be forgotten, this one will not. Richard Greene also makes one of his best contributions, but the major male actor here is Albert Lieven as the Polish officer, who also makes probably his best performance. He was later to play the lead in "Beware of Pity" (on Stefan Zweig's famous and only novel) but is rather bleak there in comparison with this fascinating character; but this film is full of double characters, as if the major theme of the story and film was just that: double role play.

Herbert Wilcox, director and producer and Anna Neagle's husband, made his mark by witty innovations and brilliant dialogue, which places this spy thriller on a higher level than most, especially of the period. The intrigue is fascinating all the way, as you never can guess what will happen next, the film actually starts off with a profound mystery, as a man is found dead where someone just has been signalling to the Nazis bombing London in the 1940 Blitz, a mystery which leaves you hanging, and it's not until late in the film when you almost already have forgotten it that it is resolved.

The very introduction to the film is also worth a remark. Like in "Hamlet" two watchmen are chatting in the fog at night when the Blitz comes, but what they are discussing is Shakespeare. The other says Bacon, and there is an argument about it, until the second quotes Doctor Johnson: "If Bacon didn't write Shakespeare, he certainly missed his chance."

The scene is London and Canada, that is Halifax in Nova Scotia, and you reach the other scene exactly half way into the film, where Anna Neagle is stranded as a suspect spy or as a security risk placed under constant surveillance, while there is much more to it than that, as the action will prove.

Lucie Mannheim also makes a fascinating performance as the old lady Orlock, but the real original treat is Margaret Rutherford as one of her many delightfully eccentric old ladies - she dominates every scene she is in and gives a special relish of refreshment to the whole film.

In brief, this is and remains a timeless treat for everyone who would enjoy being intrigued.

Anna Neagle ("Sally") is quite efficient as the supposed Nazi sympathiser who abandons her family in a frequently bombed London and heads to the safety of Nova Scotia. En route, she attracts the attention of both the suave Polish officer "Jan Orlock" (Albert Lieven) and of the apparently hapless British one - Richard Greene ("Garrick") on the boat. On arrival, she befriends the mother of "Orlock" (Lucie Mannheim) and our story of espionage and counter-espionage begins in earnest. Nobody is exactly - or even remotely - whom they say they are and Herbert Wilcox manages to keep us guessing for much of the film, helped by three decent lead performances and quite a good story. Margaret Rutherford has some fun, in her very typical fashion to add a bit of light comedy (and sheer bloody mindedness) to the mix too and all told, this is a gently engaging tale of courage and bravery that is just about plausible.

It's 1940. Observers notice a possible signal to the German bombers up above but Sally Maitland (Anna Neagle) escapes leaving behind a dead body. She is suspected of being a Nazi sympathizer as she boards a ship to Halifax in Canada. She is approached separately by Jim Garrick (Richard Greene) and Polish officer Jan Orlock (Albert Lieven). Apparently, no one is who they appear to be or even pretend to be.

I actually like this movie while they are on the boat. It's fascinating to figure who's who and what's what in a contained location. There is a sense of claustrophobia and a lack of escape. They're trapped. When the Nazis get on board, it elevates the situation but then it goes flat. I start losing the thread of the characters. I don't know why the Nazi would just leave. They should at least execute a few of the passengers. The ship is a vastly better location for a thriller. Once the movie switches to Halifax, the sense of danger lowers. It's not a scary place even if the plot demands it to be important. The most compelling reveal is the truth about the opening scene. This is fine but the second half is a bit flat.

British, made in 1943, which tells you the ideological basis of the film.

It's a well-worked story of deception and counter-deception, mostly set in Halifax, NS. Evil Nazi agents and heroic British agents, with Richard Greene looking handsomer than ever in the van, mount operations against each other. Anna Neagle plays a double agent, which means she has to act acting, a test of ability which she carries off very well.

Margaret Rutherford has a stormer of a cameo role, shamelessly stealing every scene she's in. Her line "Wouldn't it be nice to do something violent?" is a classic.

Well above average example of routine genre.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film, filled with twists and turns it feels wrong to give too much away so I'll keep my review brief.

The acting is all decent, everyone gives quite a funny and memorable performance with maybe a couple exceptions. The cinematography is surprisingly good with it mostly feeling pretty standard but sometimes delivering some very dynamic shots with oners and odd angles.

The negative aspects of this film are few but the first half of the film is slightly boring and the editing is incredibly plain, just fades and cuts, nothing very interesting. I also think that the film could do with subtitles when Nazis are speaking, I have a basic knowledge of German but with the sound quality and speed they were speaking I struggled to understand anything they said and while this didn't really matter much to the plot it still would have been nice, even if it may have ruined a couple reveals towards the end. Still this film was surprisingly good, if they remade it today I would be well up for watching it again 7/10.