I saw this movie last night. British Intelligence is a World War I spy thriller from Warner Brothers, based on a long running play. Boris Karloff appears as a butler who has a terrible scar on his face and walks with a limp. Is he just a normal butler, A German agent, A British Double agent or something else?
This is a very enjoyable movie and better than most similiar spy thrillers made with small budgets at the time (1940). There are more plot twists and surprises packed to the 61 minute running time than there are in many modern thrillers, and it also includes a few really good dramatic scenes for Karloff and the female lead Margaret Lindsay. The movie does end to a rather cheesy propaganda speech, which was typical at the time.
Even though this is not a horror movie, Boris Karloff manages to look extremely creepy and menacing. Just check out the scenes at nighttime where Karloff is just standing behind a door, with his simple but grisly makeup, the shadows and his facial expression creating a truly creepy expression. Karloff’s performance as the gentle (but scary looking) French butler / possible spy (I don’t want to spoil anything) is flawless.
A good movie, recommended viewing, and its available quite cheap on various dvd sets.
British Intelligence (1940) on Amazon
This is a very enjoyable movie and better than most similiar spy thrillers made with small budgets at the time (1940). There are more plot twists and surprises packed to the 61 minute running time than there are in many modern thrillers, and it also includes a few really good dramatic scenes for Karloff and the female lead Margaret Lindsay. The movie does end to a rather cheesy propaganda speech, which was typical at the time.
Even though this is not a horror movie, Boris Karloff manages to look extremely creepy and menacing. Just check out the scenes at nighttime where Karloff is just standing behind a door, with his simple but grisly makeup, the shadows and his facial expression creating a truly creepy expression. Karloff’s performance as the gentle (but scary looking) French butler / possible spy (I don’t want to spoil anything) is flawless.
A good movie, recommended viewing, and its available quite cheap on various dvd sets.
British Intelligence (1940) on Amazon
