The Conspirators

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Trailer—The Conspirators

The Conspirators

C+ Warner Brothers Effort with Hedy Lamarr cast as the femme fatale, a mysterious woman with an aura about herself. She meets up with Paul Henried,in neutral Lisbon, during World War 11. Henried has fled from Holland where he has committed acts of sabotage. The film lacked considerable excitement. You know something is funny when Lamarr was freed from Dachau and married her liberator, the usually evil Victor Francen. The amazing thing about this film is that both Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre are good guys. That's why they both, with Lorre in particular, are given little to do here. Naturally, there is leak within the partisan group and Henried, framed for a murder that the Nazis committed, comes up with a plan to uncover the traitor. The ending is pure Warner Brothers, so similar to that of "Casablanca," of 2 years before. In fact, the film is rather a weak imitation of the Oscar winner. Lamarr was no Ingrid Bergman.

Paul Henreid is man of action, a Dutchman who sabotages military trains in the mountains of his native lands Of course, the Nazis drive him out of the country, to Portugal where he plans to have a good meal and fly to England, until native French woman Hedy Lamar has one of her agents killed. So she sits down at Henreid's table and drags him into the shadowy world of double agents in Lisbon. Hollywood's shaky concept of European geography and nationality side, it's a nice, dark little thriller, with a lot of references to CASABLANCA, including the cast (Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre) and plot details. It's uncertain as to the loyalties of the characters; in fact, that's a major plot point at the end. It's definitely a programmer rather than a major vehicle, but there are plenty of details that keep up interest.

A fine cast throughout. Lorre, Greenstreet, Lamarr, Heinreid. I had even heard of this film before I saw it on Turner Classic Movies. It is certainly not in the class of Casablanca, but it is an excellent WWII thriller. Yes, Lamarr shines in every scene she is in. In fact, she is the main reason to watch this film. She is never more beautiful than in this film, and she certainly is one of the film beauties of all time. But Heinreid is perfect for the lead. It is a bit melodramatic, but we should remember the times when this film was made. The plot is complicated, and this is not a film to "sample" -- the writing is fine, but with few memorable quotes. The black and white photography is excellent. All in all, an excellent film of its type. I recommend it.

I really enjoyed this movie and it is one of my favorites for WWII intrigue. I consider this a sequel to Casablanca, taking off from where The Flying Dutchman left Casablanca and lands in Portugal. I liked enough that I bought the original book (searched and found it online). Definitely worth watching as it is also a good play on romanticism of the era. During World War 2 underground movements all through Europe helped thwart the Nazi movement. In this movie a portrayal of the underground in 'neutral' Portugal is similar to what went on in Europe. Only one cheesy scene in the move, where a secret security camera is used. But that is a brief scene and does not detract from the film. Because of this movie Paul Henreid is one of my favorite actors along side Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. My first viewing was on a Sunday morning when a local TV station aired the movie. Finally I was able to see it again and record from TCM.

Paul Henreid was stalwart and in earnest, but, let's face it. He's not Humphrey Bogart, despite his efforts to be a tough leading man and willingness to face danger unafraid. The rest of the cast is excellent, with several familiar faces in Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, and Hedy Lamarr is gorgeous. In fact, the story is a good one, as has been reiterated by other contributors. There is some tension and suspense at the end of the film, as they try to uncover the traitor in their midst. But Bogey's not there, with his signature snarling inflections and scowling face. Still, it's entertaining on it's own terms and holds the interest throughout. 7/10 - Website no longer prints my star rating.

Hedy Lamarr is never more beautiful and it is always a pleasure to see Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre together. The story line is fairly good for the era but the on-screen results disappoint. The movie is justifiably compared with the much much better Casablanca. Paul Henreid is escaping from the Nazis in neutral Lisbon. Hedy, Sydney, and Peter all offer help but there are complications. Conspirators abound -- who is to be trusted? All is revealed an a too predictable ending. See this film as an example of movie making during the war or to round out your viewing of its cast. On the other hand, my wife loved it! Go figure.

Others have commented on the (same) awesome cast, many from Casablanca, so I won't spend much time on that. Begins in the netherlands, where Van der Lyn (Henreid) must get from netherlands to portugal quickly to escape. When he arrives, the germans (and others) take notice of him. He meets up with Irene (Hedy Lamarr), who seems friendly enough, but in wartime, one is never sure who they can trust. Van der Lyn hooks up with a rebel group of the underground, and gets caught up in one of their adventures (recover the eagle!) on the way to his own mission. He spends the rest of the film trying to figure out who to trust... and i guess that's the reality for a spy during wartime. It's entertaining enough. Henreid made this right after Casablanca. Directed by Jean Negulesco.