INTERNATIONAL LADY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 143, 20 March 1942, Page 14

INTERNATIONAL LADY

(United Artists)

D ESPITE a i_ considerable amount of factual evidence to the contrary, Hollywood’s favourite conception of a spy is

still a beauteous foreign damsel who is willing to put the claims of country before everything except those of True Love. So, instead of ending in front of a firing squad she usually manages to end in front of the altar, since G-Men and Scotland Yard officials are notoriously sentimental. The International Lady of this particular piece of romantic frippery doesn’t quite get to the altar, but having been put to bed with a bullet wound gained in saving the G-Man’s life she is apparently quite content to remain there until the war is over and the G-Man is free to claim her as his bride. Tracking down a Nazi spy ring engaged in sabotaging American supplies of war ’planes to Britain is the general assignment of the F.B.I.’s George Brent and the C.I.D.’s Basil Rathbone: keeping an eye on Germany’s singing secret agent Iona Massey soon turns out to be their special job, with occasional diversions in the way of attending parties given by wealthy American fifth column-

ists, and friendly rivalry over who shall get to home base first with (a) the girl, and (b), the credit for smashing the spy ring. Handsomely produced, International Lady is often amusing but seldom genuinely exciting. It is too polite and too cut-and-dried for that. Therefore I can only suggest that the reason why it is attracting large crowds is that it takes one’s mind off the war!