First off, I'll state that I enjoyed "Secret Agent", however on reflection, the story doesn't hold up realistically as the espionage drama it sets out to be. Not that it couldn't have been, it's just that the story development overlooked some important considerations. The main one is the integrity of Madeleine Carroll's character, Elsa Carrington. Presumably, Elsa is an agent assigned to assist novelist/aviator Edgar Brodie (John Gielgud) in his new identity, that of Richard Ashenden. When the going gets tough after she gets romantically involved with Ashenden, she's ready to ditch him and seek escape in the company of their known target, a German courier named Robert Marvin (Robert Young). Had the British government known how wishy washy she was, would she have ever been given such an important mission? Come to think of it, how did she even become a spy? And how does Ashenden decide he's simply going to quit the mission after the wrong man is killed? Fortunately that didn't have to be answered, because he was back on the case quicker than a commercial break.
There are some other elements that stretch credibility also. While I can accept an intangible connection between a man and his pet, I found Caypor's dachshund to be absolutely psychic, so tuned in was he to his master's unfortunate death.
On balance though, the film is somewhat redeemed by an amazingly adept performance by Young's character as he attempts to woo Elsa, even though her cover was as wife of Ashenden. Director Hitchcock's reliance on humor was served well by their steady comedic banter which had a genuine naturalness to it. I won't get into Peter Lorre's characterization as the hairless Mexican, as even the film admits coming up short on that one. Lorre is gleefully crazed as he pounds walls with his fist and attacks a roll of toilet paper, which by the way, wasn't exactly in a bathroom, was it?
I don't quite know what to make of the climactic closing sequence. With Elsa once again changing stride in midstream, the British agents confront their quarry in a confined railroad car, the rest of the train brimming with German military. As English planes commence a bombing run and destroy the tracks, the train collides in a heap, leaving the four principals dazed in their compartment. As they all slowly come to, The General (Lorre) sets his handgun in front of the German agent, presumably to elicit his own suicide in a hopeless situation. Bad move, he uses it on The General. It reminded me of an earlier quote uttered by both Ashenden and The General in unison - "He hasn't got a copy of the rules".
There are some other elements that stretch credibility also. While I can accept an intangible connection between a man and his pet, I found Caypor's dachshund to be absolutely psychic, so tuned in was he to his master's unfortunate death.
On balance though, the film is somewhat redeemed by an amazingly adept performance by Young's character as he attempts to woo Elsa, even though her cover was as wife of Ashenden. Director Hitchcock's reliance on humor was served well by their steady comedic banter which had a genuine naturalness to it. I won't get into Peter Lorre's characterization as the hairless Mexican, as even the film admits coming up short on that one. Lorre is gleefully crazed as he pounds walls with his fist and attacks a roll of toilet paper, which by the way, wasn't exactly in a bathroom, was it?
I don't quite know what to make of the climactic closing sequence. With Elsa once again changing stride in midstream, the British agents confront their quarry in a confined railroad car, the rest of the train brimming with German military. As English planes commence a bombing run and destroy the tracks, the train collides in a heap, leaving the four principals dazed in their compartment. As they all slowly come to, The General (Lorre) sets his handgun in front of the German agent, presumably to elicit his own suicide in a hopeless situation. Bad move, he uses it on The General. It reminded me of an earlier quote uttered by both Ashenden and The General in unison - "He hasn't got a copy of the rules".