#117: The Spy In Black
World War I spy thriller a reflection on the sequel
This review was originally posted to Twitter on June 15, 2019.
Initial release: August 3, 1939
Director: Michael Powell
Imagine the anxiety in Europe in the years leading up to the second World War. With Germany a rising threat and the shadow of war looming over everything, it’s easy to see how a film set in the prequel might resonate with audiences. Which brings us to The Spy In Black, titled U-Boat 29 in the United States. Conrad Veidt (that’s right, the guy who made a name for himself as the somnambulic serial killer of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the perpetually grinning but unhappy hero of The Man Who Laughs) stars as Captain Hardt, a German submarine commander assigned a special mission: sneak onto the heavily-guarded Orkney Islands, meet with a contact there, and find a way to sink the nearby British naval fleet, the heart of Great Britain’s greatest military power.
Of course, things quickly turn more complicated than that. This is a spy movie, after all — and more than that, it’s a film noir spy movie. Betrayals and double-crosses are part and parcel with both genres, and you won’t lack for it here.
The curious thing, however, is that Hardt is the main character, and the film goes out of its way to make him sympathetic. It opens up in Germany, where he’s visiting the hotel he’s staying at after returning from a mission, only to soon be shipped off yet again. The food situation in Germany is shown to be pretty bad — almost everything is unavailable at the hotel restaurant, infuriating Hardt, and just the presence of real butter in the UK is enough to make him swoon. Yet he remains dedicated to his mission above all else.
Veidt was a veteran actor by the time he starred in this film and he brings a sharp charisma to the character. Veidt, whose wife was Jewish, had no love for Germany after having fled the Nazis in 1933; he had to be talked into the role, but he discharges it well.
Powell’s direction has created a sharp, moody film. Pivotal scenes are masterfully done, and he makes good use of lighting and shadow and fog. Later scenes make good use of special effects as a ship is attacked by a German sub.
It’s interesting how this film approaches the German and British characters on the eve of World War II. While the film may be explicitly set in March of 1917, it definitely feels like a bold commentary on what must have to some felt like an inevitable sequel.
Making the protagonist German feels like a bold move, in particular, because his primary characterization is that of a man driven by integrity and dedication, who follows orders even when they’re morally dubious, such as sinking merchant ships.
It’s this integrity that is in fact his downfall — he makes for a terrible spy, which is commented on. And while he tries to justify his actions as a submarine captain it’s clear from the start of the film he’s not completely at ease with it.
This feels like a prescient commentary on the events of World War II and the “just following orders” defense. (Though one could probably make value judgments for sinking merchant vessels vs. the Holocaust.) While this doesn’t quite feel like the kind of moral relativism that drives much of radical centrist bothsidesism, one does have to wonder — what exactly is the message to this film? Especially considering that Germany’s plot fails and Hardt goes down with the ship.
While we can only speculate as to the thinking behind this film, it’s still a solid spy noir thriller with a solid cast and top-shelf acting from a one-time silent film star. It’s a fantastic early entry in the genre and well worth tracking down a copy.
