La guerre dans l'ombre

A good-sized budget, wonderful stars, a good script and excellent direction by Harold Bucquet make for a top-notch British film, "Sabotage Agent," made in 1943 and starring Robert Donat, Valerie Hobson, and Glynis Johns. Donat plays a British soldier sent to destroy a poison gas the Nazis are making in Czechoslovakia. There, posing as an Iron Guard member, Jan Tartu, he draws attention to himself as a loud dresser and a ladies' man while trying to infiltrate the underground.

The severely asthmatic Donat goes all out in this one, playing his Tartu character to the hilt, preening and raising his arm as he says "Heil Hitler" every other minute, it seems. He definitely mines the humor in the role. His costar is the beautiful and elegant Valerie Hobson, who rooms in the same house as Tartu. Her family has lost everything and now she consorts with Nazi generals, hoping to feather her nest. Glynis Johns plays a young girl who lives with her mother in the conscripted house, but she also works in the factory where "Tartu" is assigned as a guard. When she is caught at sabotage, his work is threatened.

The film uses newsreel footage of London being bombed, and the laboratory set is amazing, as is the photography throughout the film. The shot of silhouetted soldiers against the skies in the beginning is beautiful. A very exciting and well-acted film, highly recommended.

This is a real good spy yarn. Well written and well acted. The versatile Robert Donat is Captain Terrence Stevenson a.k.a. Jan Tartu, a British spy well versed in Russian and Rumanian that is assigned to aid Czech partisans in destroying a poison gas factory operated by Nazis. Donat is excellent as the calm and cool spy. Notable work also turned in by Glynis Johns, Friedrich Richter, Walter Rilla and Valerie Hobson. The version I watched was SABOTAGE AGENT; this movie was also released as ADVENTURES OF TARTU. Very interesting atmospheric black and white. Catch this on Turner Movie Classics.

"The Adventures of Tartu" is a marvelously entertaining espionage picture which for some reason is seldom seen on TV nowadays. It clocks in at 103 minutes but the pacing is such that you are not aware of its length. It stars Robert Donat, one of England's best actors. He had an unforgettably mellifluous voice and is fondly remembered for, among others, "The Thirty Nine Steps". Not really remembered as an action hero, he portrayed an inner strength reminiscent of the kind Leslie Howard showed in some of his roles. Here, however, he is in fact a man of action, two-fisted and able to handle a pistol as well, sort of a James Bond-type character.

He gets good back-up acting support from some dependable character actors and shares billing with lovely Valerie Hobson, who seldom gave a bad performance, and with whom there is apparent chemistry, the kind that two pros can generate. Actually, it's hard to find fault with any aspect of this MGM/British production. I thought the dialogue was especially good.

There are a good handful of unheralded or forgotten movies made about WWII that are worth watching, among them "Manila Calling" (1942), and "Joan Of Paris" (also 1942). "Decision Before Dawn" is another but it was made after the war, in 1951. But "Tartu" is worth seeing regardless of genre because it succeeds on several levels.

"Sabotage Agent", also known as "Adventures of Tartu", is a first-rate British spy thriller. It is a quick and entertaining movie about a British spy, whose mission is to destroy the poison gas factory in Rumania.

Robert Donat is very good as the British spy who poses as a Greek and a Rumanian. His performance is spirited and his accent is amusing. His accent seems to be the same for the Greek and the Rumanian, but who cares, it is a fun movie to watch about a serious subject.

The supporting cast is perfect. Both his leading ladies are lovely and fill the bill: Valerie Hobson and Glynis Johns. Ms. Johns is still working today. Never seen Walter Rilla before or since, but he gave a good performance as the German officer, Otto, who is one of the villains, who loves Ms. Hobson's character.

My first hint that this movie was great was an early scene between Robert Donat and the actress who plays his mother, Mabel Terry-Lewis. It was so moving I busted out crying! Glynis Johns has a small but affecting and effective role.

The statements made about Czechoslovakia were even more poignant, now that we know the country's history.

The movie has a nice, fast pace that modern movie-goers will appreciate. Donat plays each of his secret identities with a confident, warm-hearted air.

I usually hate chase scenes but the only one in this film was truly exciting.

TCM advertised this movie as Sabotage Agent, so keep an eye out for it under that title. You won't be disappointed.