Nonureva Really Surprised!

Rpgcatech Disapointment

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

HotToastyRag Boy, Vivien Leigh was one lucky broad. Sure, she was pretty, but if she hadn't been cast in Gone with the Wind, people would look back at her forgettable career and say, "She stinks!" In this movie, one which people who like to watch good movies should avoid, Vivien Leigh stars as a French spy who falls in love with Conrad Veidt, a German spy. The romance is lukewarm, made colder by Vivien's ridiculous Scarlett O'Hara performance, complete with arched eyebrow and silly flirtatious delivery. The spy scenes aren't very suspenseful, and no character compels the audience to root for them. You might wonder why I bothered to rent this one, since I obviously don't like Vivien Leigh very much. I wanted to see an early Robert Newton performance, but since he was only in the first six minutes of the movie, I lost interest pretty quickly.

Applause Meter For a spy thriller—there are no thrills or suspense in this poorly scripted and directed film. None of the espionage operatives appear to be in mortal danger and only demonstrate a tepid apprehension of exposure. The dialogue lacks finesse, wit, excitement or urgency forcing the actors to deliver their lines as drab exposition. The suave, villainous screen persona of Conrad Veidt, usually played to excellent effect, is totally obscured in his portrayal of the German agent, Baron Karl Von Marwitz, who is the head of the intelligence ring. Vivien Leigh is the "traveling" dress designer Madeleine Goddard, working undercover, shuttling sensitive military information back and forth on behalf of the French cause. Her delicate beauty is showcased in too few close-ups. On whole, throughout the entire film, the cinema photographer relies on medium and long shots, cancelling out any possibility of conveying any subtlety of character development in the players. This misstep is especially detrimental to the progression of the romance between the two agents working for opposing sides. The audience gets no comprehension of what attracts one to the other. There is no heat, no longing desire. What do these two "lovers" see in each other? If the screenwriter knew, it certainly isn't on the screen for the viewer to see. The art production values in this movie are egregiously inept. The story is set during World War I, yet the women are coiffed and dressed in exquisite style epitomizing 1930s soigné glamour.

st-shot Cinema uber villain Conrad Veidt and delicate Vivien Leigh make for an odd but absorbing couple as spies on opposite sides in this suspense romance. Veidt's nefarious allure and usual commitment to cruelty is tempered long enough to get the attention of Miss Leigh and it gives the somewhat convoluted (she's a double agent) story a suspense that sustains itself up until the final moments.Madeline Goddard (Leigh) poses as a Stockholm dress shop owner while spying for Germany in neutral Sweden. Baron Karl Von Marwitz (Veidt) arrives in Stockholm to put the war behind him and live an epicurean existence of wine women and song. He also is merely posing. Goddard and Marwitz eventually become entangled and the passion between the two distracts them momentarily from their assignments which is to expose each other.Veidt and Leigh have some excellent scenes together fraught with suspense and romance as they parry back and forth using charm and suspicion for weapons. In spite of their contrasting stature they display a nice change of pace chemistry with director Victor Seville maintaining a degree of ambiguity with both leads late into the film as they struggle with duty and desire. There's a rousing gun battle between a sub and disguised transport in the finale with a somewhat schmaltzy climax that hinders the film, but Veidt and Leigh create enough fireworks of their own to make Desperate Journey worth the watch.

Space_Mafune but this film is slow and lacking in action to be honest. Nevertheless it has two fantastic leads in Conrad Veidt and Vivian Leigh who are both excellent. Also it has outstanding cinematography and a surprisingly realistic story. There are some unforgettable scenes and moments here but the film does move at a rather slow pace.