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Sabotage

  • 1936
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 16m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
20K
YOUR RATING
Sabotage (1936)
A Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.
Play trailer1:19
1 Video
38 Photos
Psychological ThrillerSpyCrimeThriller

A Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.A Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.A Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.

  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writers
    • Joseph Conrad
    • Charles Bennett
    • Ian Hay
  • Stars
    • Sylvia Sidney
    • Oscar Homolka
    • Desmond Tester
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    20K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Joseph Conrad
      • Charles Bennett
      • Ian Hay
    • Stars
      • Sylvia Sidney
      • Oscar Homolka
      • Desmond Tester
    • 127User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:19
    Trailer

    Photos38

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    Top cast26

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    Sylvia Sidney
    Sylvia Sidney
    • Mrs. Verloc
    • (as Sylvia Sydney)
    Oscar Homolka
    Oscar Homolka
    • Karl Verloc--Her Husband
    Desmond Tester
    Desmond Tester
    • Stevie
    John Loder
    John Loder
    • Detective Sgt. Ted Spencer
    Joyce Barbour
    Joyce Barbour
    • Renee
    Matthew Boulton
    Matthew Boulton
    • Superintendent Talbot
    S.J. Warmington
    S.J. Warmington
    • Hollingshead
    William Dewhurst
    William Dewhurst
    • The Professor
    Pamela Bevan
    • Miss Chatham's Daughter
    • (uncredited)
    Peter Bull
    Peter Bull
    • Michaelis - Conspirator
    • (uncredited)
    Albert Chevalier
    • Cinema Commissioner
    • (uncredited)
    Clare Greet
    Clare Greet
    • Mrs. Jones - Cook
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Hawtrey
    Charles Hawtrey
    • Studious Youth at the Aquarium
    • (uncredited)
    Alfred Hitchcock
    Alfred Hitchcock
    • Man Walking Past the Cinema as the Light Is Renewed
    • (uncredited)
    Martita Hunt
    Martita Hunt
    • Miss Chatman - The Professor's Daughter
    • (uncredited)
    Mike Johnson
    • Member of Cinema Crowd
    • (uncredited)
    J. Hubert Leslie
    J. Hubert Leslie
    • Conspirator
    • (uncredited)
    Aubrey Mather
    Aubrey Mather
    • W. Brown & Sons Greengrocer
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writers
      • Joseph Conrad
      • Charles Bennett
      • Ian Hay
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews127

    7.019.9K
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    Featured reviews

    8slokes

    Modern Cinema Began At 1:46

    A boy, an old lady, and a puppy on a bus. What could possibly be a sweeter film scene? Well, that is unless you're Alfred Hitchcock and the film is "Sabotage," in which case you get a trifecta of quite a different sort.

    Playing with the rules was Hitchcock's forte, but never again until "Psycho" would he do so with the cold brilliance on display here. Unlike "Psycho," which hasn't dated a month since its 1960 release, "Sabotage" doesn't for a moment feel like it was made any later than 1936, in part because of its fuzzy sound quality (maybe just the versions I've seen) and in part because it's a very static film.

    That's not to say "Sabotage" isn't good. In fact, it's brilliant. Adapted from the Joseph Conrad novel "The Secret Agent" but markedly better both in terms of its linear treatment of the thin central story and its sharper, more measured ending, "Sabotage" introduces us to Mr. Verloc (Oskar Homolka), the owner of a London cinema who sidelines as a secret agent for a mysterious foreign power, "the people you and I will never catch" as one policeman tells another. After causing a power outage that produces laughter rather than the desired fear, Verloc is assigned a more deadly job, to cause an explosion in Piccadilly Circus, "the center of the world," as Verloc's controller calls it.

    It's impossible to watch the film now without thinking of 9/11 or the London subway bombings, a world of murderous, anarchic terrorism Conrad's novel and Hitchcock's film anticipated without quite comprehending. The film seems to stumble on offering a coherent "why," perhaps because there isn't one, then or now. But echoing a central point in Conrad's novel, "Sabotage" shows the terrorists' greatest fear is not retribution but indifference. "London must not laugh" is the order given to Verloc.

    As played by Homolka with sleepy nuance, Verloc isn't quite a villain, just a weak, lazy man of no moral fiber who objects at the thought of murder but decides to go through with it in order to be paid. Sgt. Spencer of Scotland Yard is hot on Verloc's trail, but he's not exactly a hero, a bit of a bumbler rather who fancies Verloc's wife. Mrs. Verloc, played by screen vet Sylvia Sidney (she was the case worker helping the Maitlands in the afterlife in "Beetle Juice" 52 years later) is the closest we have to a rooting interest, though her concern seems less with the husband or the policeman who woos her than her little brother, Stevie (Desmond Tester).

    Hitchcock's direction offers a little of the comic relief more prominent in his other films, and some arresting visuals for their time, especially that of a fish tank which morphs into a London street under attack. There's a very involving scene where a devastated Mrs. Verloc is reduced to tearful laughter by a Disney cartoon. (Verloc's owning a cinema may be a comment on the deceptively transformative power of cinema, or a wink in the direction of his sideline activity in the novel, selling Edwardian porn.) Mostly "Sabotage" is a film that grabs you by the throat and never lets go, making its 80-minute running time feel like forever going by in an instant.

    It all comes down to the scene on the bus. Hitchcock apparently believed it was the biggest mistake in his career. It may have killed enthusiasm for "Sabotage," but it made clear to filmgoers that all bets were off as far as this young director was concerned. From then on, cliffhangers would be invested with a certain added dread that would make their resolutions seem less pat, and the movie thriller would be that much more thrilling. It took guts to make a film like that.
    7cricketbat

    The package scene makes it worth watching

    The infamous package scene alone makes Sabotage worth watching. This film is full of the suspenseful intrigue and surprising twists that have become synonymous with the name Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is not without its flaws, but it's a solid story and a thrilling ride.
    7The_Void

    The film with the infamous 'bomb on bus' scene

    Sabotage clearly isn't Hitchcock's finest hour; but even though this is a 'lesser' Hitchcock film, the director still manages to inject the film with many of his trademarks that would go on to make classics out of films such as Psycho and North by Northwest. Hitchcock makes centrepieces out of several scenes; the best of which include a cross-fade with an aquarium and a London street, the striking opening sequence that sees London go dark; of course, the infamous scene on a bus - and my personal favourite and the crux of the film - the climatic scene that sees saboteur Karl Verloc (played to perfection by Oskar Homolka) try to pass the blame for his actions on to the Scotland Yard inspective who rumbled him. The plot sees cinema owner, the aforementioned Karl Verloc, get himself involved with terrorists. He manages the cinema along with his wife and her brother, and neither of them knows what's going on. The only third party who does know is Sgt. Ted Spencer; the Scotland Yard inspector employed to work a vegetable stall next door as a cover to investigate Mr Verloc.

    This film is most famous for the sequence that sees young Desmond Tester carry a bomb onto a packed London bus. Audiences at the time were outraged by the climax to this scene; but I was impressed with it. By having the story run the way it should, Hitchcock showed early on the sort of flair that would ensure Psycho a place on 'best film' lists forty five years after its release. Hitchcock shows a willingness to take a risk, and while it may not have done him much good at the time - it's that sort of mentality that made him one of cinema's greats. As you'd expect, Hitchcock makes best use of the latest cinema techniques available at the time, but also harks back to the silent classics with several shots made to look like storyboards. It's obvious why Joseph Conrad's novel appealed to the great director, as the story itself is packed with suspense and Hitchcock always makes the best of it. The build up to the finale of the bus scene is beautifully serene, yet so daunting at the same time. On the whole; Sabotage represents a good example of early Hitchcock and comes highly recommended to his many fans.
    7Sylviastel

    Those Magnificent Sad Eyes!

    Sir Alfred Hitchcock adapted James Conrad's story, "The Secret Agent," into one of better known films. This film is short but not sweet. Sylvia Sidney is magnificent in the leading role as Mrs Verloc. Oscar Homolka plays her husband. They run the Bijou movie house in London, England before Word War II. Her husband is up to something but she doesn't know what. The red flag is raised when the theater loses power and patrons want refunds. Sidney was so young and her eyes could have earned an Academy Award nomination. Sidney supposedly had the saddest eyes in Hollywood but I disagree. Her eyes alone were worth watching. This film is a must for Hitchcock historians and fans alike.
    9aimless-46

    A Great Sylvia Sidney Vehicle (before "Beetlejuice")

    Like most Hitchcock films, "Sabotage" is a great thriller directed with a fluid, self-assured style. But given its thriller genre what makes "Sabotage" unique is that moments into the movie we know the identity of the saboteur, we know who is the undercover detective, and we know that the police have all but solved the case. So Hitchcock's suspense must come from somewhere else and in the meantime he must entertain us with character development. And that task falls to his heroine. Hitchcock had an uncanny ability to cast actresses who were a perfect fit (at that exact point of their career) to play a particular heroine. Fortunately he again makes the right choice and we are treated to a fine performance from Sylvia Sidney (imagine an expressive Sasha Cohen without ice skates).

    The film is essentially a Sylvia Sidney vehicle as she plays a woman who slowly realizes that her husband is a monster. She is a young American woman who married an older European (nationality unknown) man who apparently showed kindness to her and her young brother Stevie (played by Desmond Tester) when they were down on their luck. They moved to London to run the Bijou, a struggling movie house.

    Among the notable scenes is the meeting between Sidney's husband (played by Oskar Homolka) and a spy contact at the London aquarium; to the backdrop of a huge turtle swimming in an illuminated tank. The tank cross-dissolves into Piccadilly Circus as it is demolished in his imagination.

    Another is late in the film when Sidney sits in the theater in numb shock, watching a Disney cartoon ( ( "Who Killed Cock Robin ?" )). There is not a word of dialogue but her eyes and expressions subtly convey an emotional cavalcade of stunned realization, immense sadness, and barely suppressed hysteria that will stay in your memory forever. It is a rare example of the visual power of film and an illustration of what acting for the camera is all about.

    And perhaps most amazing is the long and unbearably suspenseful journey of young brother Stevie across London, unaware that he's carrying a ticking time bomb.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Based on Joseph Conrad's novel "The Secret Agent", this sports a different title, as Sir Alfred Hitchcock's previous movie was called Quatre de l'espionnage (1936), which was based on stories by W. Somerset Maugham.
    • Goofs
      The London Underground and tram lines had their own power supplies, both separate from the public system. A single power station failure could not affect all three.
    • Quotes

      Ted Spencer: [trying to calm crowd down demanding their money back after a power outage] It's an act of God, I tell you!

      Member of Cinema Crowd: And what do you call an act of God?

      Ted Spencer: I call your face one, and you won't get your money back on that.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits are shown with a background of a dictionary page open to the definition of "Sabotage".
    • Connections
      Featured in Loin des yeux, près du coeur (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Love's Old Sweet Song (Just a Song At Twilight)
      (1884) (uncredited)

      Music by J.L. Molloy

      Lyrics by G. Clifton Bingham

      Sung a cappella by a man lighting candles

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Sabotage?Powered by Alexa
    • Was "Sabotage" remade as "Saboteur"?
    • Why are the picture and sound so bad?
    • Is this film really in the public domain?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 8, 1937 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Agent secret
    • Filming locations
      • Gainsborough Studios, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Gaumont British Picture Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $721
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 16 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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