Invisible Agent

Easily the worst of the Universal "Invisible" series, this barely qualifies as horror. Mostly, it's a lot of embarrassing buffoonery about winning the war that must have lowered morale in theaters all over Allied territory. "You Naszty Spy" and "I'll Never Heil Again" look like Lubitsch in comparison.

Like most American war propaganda films, this film probably presented the perfect propaganda needed at the time to rally a nation, but viewing it today it manages to make the allied forces (and most specifically Americans) look like racist ignorant buffoons in the process. It makes no excuses for it's blatant propaganda messages and obvious opinions of the German or Japanese ("I can't tell you people apart", to quote one of Hall's lines), nor does it even attempt to understand their cultures (Hari Kari, for example, is grossly misunderstood and misrepresented in this film). But I won't argue the issue, because, after all, it's only a movie, and America needed their villians clearly cut and defined to swallow the bitter pill of war. But honestly, how inept is our "hero" in this film? He's supposed to be on a serious mission to thwart an air raid on New York city (I consider that pretty serious), yet the minute he touches ground on German soil he takes great risks in exposing himself by opting to make his presence known by playing pranks rather than staying low and "out of sight". He frequently jeopardizes the success of the mission because he can't resist grabbing a chicken leg or a glass of wine while in the company of the Gestapo, or falling asleep in facial makeup. And while it makes for some entertaining scenes that utilize the invisible effects, his behavior is completely implausible and downright ridiculous. Think of how easy his mission would have been had he just quietly moved about and retrieved the info he needed without bringing attention to himself. (But that doesn't make for a very entertaining movie, now does it?). If I were the Maria Sorenson character in this film, I would have kicked him in his unmentionables.

This is not the James Whale's Invisible man, far from that, but it's still quite interesting on an historical point of view: America can involve ANY of "her" heroes in wars, even the psychotic one created by Wells. And besides that… it's funny! The hero is dumb (what a pitiful spy!), but this can be related to the original movie (the first Invisible man became insane because of the drug, this one becomes stupid and suspicious - kind of a "war symptom" for America… or France!). Some scenes reminded me of the Whale's movie (which had also a lot of humorous parts), like the barn scene. The directing is correct, not great (Marin is not Whale), and the editing is poor. Characters are sympathetic (the villains, anyway: Lorre and co can manage that). What gives the movie his "power" (on a low level: it's not Lubitsch's To be or not to be) is the distance taken with the story told, which is plain silly (how come a dumb like Griffin Jr Jr can make the drug by himself? And if he can't, this drug has an impressive power of conservation, having been made half a century ago!). But before all that, what keeps this kind of movie alive are the wonderful special effects created by John Fulton. The parachute scene is quite impressive, and so is the cream scene. An enjoyable movie, representative of the Universal's evolution at that time, when the studio capitalized on the "addition principle" (pardon me for my poor English): since we are in war and since Frankenstein can meet the werewolf, why couldn't the Invisible man fight the Gestapo? After all, Nazis were way much scary than any Universal monster… because they were real (nevertheless, America ignored the horrors of concentration-camps at that time, that's why Nazis could still be funny in the movies). A regret anyway: where the hell are Claude Rains and his incredible voice?

Enjoyed this great 1942 comedy starring Jon Hall, (Frank Raymond) and Peter Lorre, (Baron Ikto) and Cedric Hardwiche, (Conrad Staffer). Frank uses his grandfather's secret formula which can make a person become invisible in order to find out secret information from Nazi Germany. It is believed that the Nazi's are going to bomb the United States and Frank is set to find out this information. Cedric Hardwicke. (Conrad Stauffer) plays the role as a Nazi officer who wants to catch the Invisible Agent and obtain his secrets. Ilona Massey, (Marie Sorenson) helps Frank Raymond who is very suspicious of her involvement in this situation. There is lots of comedy and Peter Lorre gave a great supporting role. Enjoy.

When a bunch of Nazis come calling on Jon Hall at his print shop in New York City, they seem to know all about him and the background he has tried to hide. Seems as though an ancestor of his was none other than Claude Rains who as John Griffin invented that invisibility formula that had the entire United Kingdom on edge. Hall barely escapes from the agents who include Cedric Hardwicke for the Nazis and Peter Lorre as a visiting ally from Japan. Right after Pearl Harbor like Wonder Woman, Hall decides his talents are best put to use in the Allied Cause. His condition is that he alone will be given the invisibility drug, mindful of the bad side effects it has including causing the madness that killed Claude Rains back in the day. Hall finds out some vital information, like the day the Axis is going to invade the USA and who their agents are in America. He has the help of the beautiful Ilona Massey, but he's not quite sure what side of the fence she's playing. The Nazis are stupid, even more stupid than usual in these films, but they've also got a lot of intrigues going among each other, between Cedric Hardwicke and J. Edward Bromberg to see who will be top dog under Himmler in the S.S. And Peter Lorre does not think terribly much of German efficiency and with these two around who could blame him. Maybe the Japanese ought to gain the secret of invisibility and they might be calling the tune in the Axis. It all makes for one horrific wartime propaganda flick that would be hooted off the screen by some and would offend others. Peter Lorre who was Jewish Hungarian, gets to do his Mr. Moto act with malevolence saying such things as you occidentals have this really big * about your white women and Hall coming back that he can't tell any of you monkeys apart. To be fare to Hardwicke, Lorre, and Bromberg, it's not easy dealing with an invisible man. Too bad they were at war with the British or they could find out how Claude Rains ultimately met his end.

Invisible Agent has had a pretty low reputation for years amongst horror fans, but that is probably to do with the type of story on display here rather than the quality of the film itself. It's a good, enjoyable adventure movie, a world away from H.G. Wells perhaps; but one only has to look at Universal's identi-kit Mummy series to realise that can only be a good thing. This is a welcome change of pace from the usual formula. Jon Hall plays Frank Griffin, Grandson of Claude Raines' original Invisible Man (and like Lon Chaney Jr in The Wolfman about a foot taller than his progenitor!) Guardian of the secret formula for invisibility he's approached first by the Nazis and then the Allies for aid in the war effort. Guess whom he chooses? In a quite startling opening sequence the head Nazi, played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke in his usual phoned-in style, prepares to use torture to get what he wants, ably aided by Peter Lorre's sinister Japanese Baron, who wants to rid Griffin of several of his fingers... Escaping and later Parachuting into Germany, Griffin, now invisible himself, stumbles on a plot to invade America. With the help of a double agent, the gorgeous Ilona Massey, he sets about turning the tables on Hitler's henchmen. It's slightly curious that the film features both comic and genuinely sinister Nazis who commit torture, shoot people, break old men's fingers etc. But the only real fault is the inclusion of a comedy dinner sequence where the Invisible One mocks J.Edward Bromberg's attempts to woo Massey during a cosy meal for two. It goes on much too long and isn't funny at all. That aside, this is a rewarding and entertaining sci-fi spy thriller, which builds to a rousing climax and is graced by John P Fulton's engaging special effects and the ever brilliant Lorre, possibly the only Hungarian who could convincingly play Japanese. A unique, immensely talented, and fascinating actor; Invisible Agent is worth seeing for him alone.

Wow, this movie is a perfect blend of intrigue, comedy and action, and it's done with quite a bit of flair too. Definitely corny at times, but that's part of the fun. As is the case with all Universal Horror pics from 1930-45, this chiller is incredibly moody and atmospheric. 8/10. Watch it with the lights off.

Another really big-budget sequel to the original Invisible Man, this one has a screenplay that's witty yet adventurous and packed with hair's-breadth escapes. It also provides great opportunities for some of our favorite character players including a delightful trio of treacherous heavies: Peter Lorre, J. Edward Bromberg and Sir Cedric Hardwicke. It's also good to see the lovely Ilona Massey, who made only eleven Hollywood movies between 1937 and 1960 (this is the fifth), though it's disappointing that she doesn't get to sing. Never mind, she does wear some really lovely gowns. Jon Hall is personable enough as the reluctant hero, though he fails to handle the switch in his feelings towards the heroine with complete conviction. Marin's direction is admirably fast-paced (we suspect producer Frank Lloyd took a hand in the action sequences) and other credits, including Lester White's attractive photography, are equally outstanding. Special effects fans will not go away unhappy either.

Of the "Invisible Man" series made by Universal, I was only familiar with the first two (both of which I'll rewatch again presently) - the James Whale original being one of my all-time favorites. Ever since it was released as part of the "Legacy" set, I had mostly read negative opinions about this film - and even Leonard Maltin gives it a pretty low rating. However, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it! True, the leads are rather bland (why on earth is Ilona Massey credited before Jon Hall?!) but, then, INVISIBLE AGENT has a formidable trio of villains - Peter Lorre, Sir Cedric Hardwicke and J. Edward Bromberg - going for it (who even make Curt Siodmak's script sound better than it is). Besides, I must say that I'm a sucker for both WWII and espionage movies, so that's a big plus as well...which, I guess, means that it isn't really a horror film and that The Invisible Man is the hero! Oh well, you can't have everything! John P. Fulton's still-impressive special effects (exposed a bit here by the extra clarity of the DVD transfer) deliver the goods and, all in all, the film made me keen to get to the remaining titles in the series.

Invisible Agent (1942) ** (out of 4) Strange mixture of sci-fi, WW2 propaganda and comedy has Universal trying to hit several genres at once but failing all around. Jon Hall plays Frank Raymond, the grandson of the scientist from the original James Whale film, who is asked by the American government to use his invisible potion to sneak behind German lines and spy on the enemy. Despite the attractive cast this here is pretty bland from start to finish. The biggest problem is the B-movie script, which is just too silly to be all that entertaining. The film's screenplay is also all over the place because it doesn't know what type of movie it wants to be. One minute it tries being all serious but then the next we get slapstick scenes like the one early on where the invisible man spills food all over a German man. The humor didn't work that well but neither does the drama because it's just so poorly written. I remember enjoying this film more as a child and perhaps this is due to me not really knowing everything I now know about the war. The "drama" the film tries to get by talking about a suicide mission attacking New York City is something I'm sure freaked people out back in the day but today it just seems rather tasteless. Hall is pretty good in the role, although he's certainly no match for Raines or Price. Ilona Massey is wasted in her non-believable role as is Peter Lorre. Sir Cedric Hardwicke delivers a fine performance as does J. Edward Bromberg. Those two almost save the film but they're not enough to make this one here a winner.