In an earlier post, I listed 10 films about ‘Good Spies.’ Now I want to take on their opposite. Let’s call them ‘Bad Spies.’ The focus is on Early Espionage, so all but two of the films are about World War II. Whether British or American, the work reflects the mores and conflicts of the times, revolving around wartime enemies and sexual stereotypes.
Here are 8 films for you to choose from.
International Settlement (1938: Internet Archive) – The film takes place in Shanghai during the Sino-Japanese War. It opens with newsreel footage of a military assault on China by land and air. Before the film’s conclusion, there is a 17-minute scene of an aerial attack on Shanghai, with the city’s population fleeing from bombs, crumbling buildings, and massive fires. The story is about an American drifter (George Sanders) who is taken for a gunrunner and must flee Shanghai with a singer (Dolores del Río).
Blockade (1938: Tubi) – Henry Fonda stars as a farmer who must protect his land at all costs while falling for the daughter of a Russian spy during the Spanish Civil War.
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942: YouTube) – Starring Basil Rathbone, the film is a 1942 American mystery thriller based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Holmes is recruited by British Intelligence to help stop Nazi saboteurs operating in Britain. Activities are announced in advance radio broadcasts by “The Voice of Terror,” spreading panic throughout the country. In this instance, the ‘bad spy’ is the German saboteur.
Warn That Man (1943: DailyMotion) – During the war, Nazi agents devise a plan to kidnap British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. They are going to abduct Churchill with the help of Nazi agents and sympathizers already in England and take him back to Germany. (DailyMotion is a French movie site like YouTube. The film is in English.)
The Spy in Black (1939: YouTube) – Political intrigue surrounds the arrival of a German sub in the Orkney Islands during World War I, where a double agent foils the submarine commander-turned-spy.
Cottage to Let (1941: YouTube) – A 15-year-old Londoner evacuates to a small Scottish village and is placed in the home of an inventor and his eccentric wife. He discovers that the inventor is working on a secret weapon and is certain that he has uncovered a dastardly spy plot.
The Next of Kin (1942-1943: Internet Archive) – A compelling government-produced action-docudrama which effectively shows how careless words at home can lead to combat losses overseas. Supposedly, Churchill wanted to ban this film.
The Lone Wolfe Spy Hunt (1939: YouTube) – Former safe cracker Michael Lanyard is now working on the right side of the law. But his past still follows him around, this time in the form of an old rival who tries to frame him as the one responsible for the theft of top-secret documents.
Are Spies Born Bad — Or Are They Made?
After watching the films, you may wonder about the inner life of a spy. Are they born bad? Or does something happen to them that changes the trajectory of their life? What tips the scales? Like the nature vs. nurture argument, I’m not sure there’s an answer to this. I’d love to hear your opinion. Make sure to add your comment at the end of this post or in the Cold War Studies Facebook group.
