The Spy in Black

Infobox Film
name = The Spy in Black
(U-Boat 29)


image_size = 225px
caption = U.S. film poster
director = Michael Powell
producer = Alexander Korda
Irving Asher
writer = J. Storer Clouston "(novel)"
Roland Pertwee "{scenario)"
Emeric Pressburger "{screenplay)"
starring = Conrad Veidt
Valerie Hobson
Marius Goring
Sebastian Shaw
music = Miklós Rózsa
cinematography = Bernard Browne
editing = Hugh Stewart
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = 12 August fy|1939 "(UK)"
5 October "(NYC)"
7 October "(US general)"
runtime = 82 minutes
country = United Kingdom
language = English
budget = £47,300 "(est.)"
imdb_id = 0031968

"The Spy in Black" (fy|1939) was the first collaboration between the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda to make this World War I spy thriller by Joseph Storer Clouston into a film. Powell and Pressburger went on to make over 20 more films together.

"The Spy in Black", which was released in the US as "U-Boat 29", stars Conrad Veidt, Valerie Hobson, Sebastian Shaw and features Marius Goring.

Plot

Captain Hardt (Conrad Veidt), a World War I German submarine commander, is ordered to lead a mission to attack the British Fleet at Scapa Flow. He puts ashore on the Orkney Islands to meet his contact but finds more than he bargained for in the local schoolmistress (Valerie Hobson).

Cast

Cast notes:
*Bernard Miles, the character actor who would be knighted in fy|1969 and made a life peer in fy|1979, has a small uncredited part as "Hans, the hotel receptionist." [imdb name|0587061|Bernard Miles]
*Graham Stark, who is best known as the friend of Peter Sellers who played a number of roles in the Pink Panther film series, has a uncredited part as a bellboy. [imdb name|0823174|Graham Stark]

Production

Irving Asher, the producer of "The Spy in Black", was the head of British production for Columbia Pictures, and the film was made as a "quota quickie", films made by the British units of American studios in order to fulfill a requirement of the British government that British cinemas show a certain amount of British product. Early in his career, director Michael Powell made quite a few of these films.

"The Spy in Black" was filmed at Denham Studios, with location shooting at Northchurch Common in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire and in Orkney, Scotland. [IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031968/locations Filming locations] ] The film wrapped production on 24 December fy|1938 [IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031968/business Box office/business] ] and was released in the U.K. on 12 August fy|1939. It's American premiere was held in New York City on 5 October of that year, and it went into general release two days later. [IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031968/releaseinfo Release dates] ]

Awards and honors

This film was named by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of fy|1939.TCM [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=91168&category=Notes Notes] ]

Notes

External links

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* [http://www.powell-pressburger.org/Reviews/39_SiB/index.html "The Spy in Black"] reviews and articles at the [http://www.powell-pressburger.org Powell & Pressburger Pages]
*. Full synopsis and film stills (and clips viewable from UK libraries).