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Quite honestly, I never had heard of this film before. And, having just watched it, much to my regret. It was made before U. S. entry into World War II. Yet, Hollywood was quite aware of the evils being perpetrated by the Third Reich. Coincidentally, the case is dominated by actors born in Europe. The story is not that new. Two brothers are on different sides of the spectrum in Berlin: one is a leader of the resistance movement, the other is a wounded German who maintains strong loyalty to the Reich. The film centers on how their worlds and visions collide, with a backdrop of the Nazis' trying to find and silence the resistance's radio broadcasts. The acting is first-rate all around. I suspect this would have been a 'bigger' film if Warner Brothers had used the 'A' team. All in all, a very good little movie.

What a rather surprisingly pleasant way to spend 65 minutes. Who cares if the plot is a bit far-fetched? Who cares if this takes place in a part of Iraq that is not desert? The premise is rather simple. Three Allied citizens are flying a small plane towards Egypt. Of course, the plane runs out of gas and is forced to land in the wilds of Iraq. The trio is afforded the hospitality of a local sheik, who may not be in sympathy with the Allied cause. To me, the highlight of this film is Paul Cavanagh's acting as the sheik. It may have been hammy, but he has a few marvelous lines and is a delight to watch. The trio does survive, etc. Oh, can someone tell me how five soldiers can fly in what appears to be a two-seat plane? Minor detail!! Nice 'B' flick!

Any story by James M. Cain should automatically command one's attention. Though probably not as famous as his other stories, this one manages to hold the viewer's interest. A curious thing to me is that, once again, the male lead is playing a far from sympathetic character (Ben). John Payne does a good good job, though sometimes it is not easy to figure out what Ben is up to or why. The success of the film rests upon the performance of the two female leads, Rhonda Fleiming and Arlene Dahl, especially the latter, whose acting was way beyond what I expected and almost carries the film, the ending of which might be a bit surprising. A tad slow in spots, 'Slightly Scarlet' nevertheless is a pretty entertaining film.