The Conspirators ***½ (1944, Hedy Lamarr, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, Joseph Calleia) – Classic Movie Review 3884

Warner Bros reassembles three of Casablanca’s stars in the 1944 film The Conspirators. Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre play World War Two resistance workers plotting in Lisbon with a Dutch freedom fighter (Paul Henreid).

In 1944 Warner Bros reassembles three of Casablanca’s star players to try to reprise their great success as Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre play World War Two wartime resistance workers plotting in Lisbon with Dutch guerrilla leader freedom fighter Vincent Van Der Lyn (Paul Henreid). The film features a plot about anti-Nazi intrigue, as well as music by Max Steiner and cinematography by Arthur Edeson, who both worked on Casablanca.

To escape the Nazis, Van Der Lyn is forced to flee to neutral Lisbon, where he meets a band of underground conspirators led by Ricardo Quintanilla (Greenstreet), who needs Van Der Lyn to help identify a traitor in their midst.

Based on a 1943 novel by Frederic Prokosch [credited as Fredric Prokosch], the setup is fine but it turns into a rather poorly developed story in a slightly struggling screenplay by Vladimir Pozner and Leo Rosten.

However, the film remains well worth seeing for the performances of the three stars plus lovely Hedy Lamarr as Irene Von Mohr, the femme fatale mystery woman Henreid’s Van Der Lyn falls for, Victor Francen as Hugo Von Mohr and Joseph Calleia as Police Captain Pereira.

The Conspirators (or originally Give Me This Woman, its working title) is an intriguing enough mix of film noir, World War Two drama, spy movie and thriller film, so it starts off with all the right ingredients and then falters. But, though it is never in the Casablanca class, director Jean Negulesco keeps the film on the rails, stirring up enough involving atmosphere and tension.

Also in the cast are Carol Thurston, Vladimir Sokoloff, George Macready, Kurt Katch, Steve Geray, Eduardo Ciannelli [Edward Ciannelli], Monte Blue, Doris Lloyd, Louis Mercier, Billy Roy, David Hoffman, Otto Reichow, Leon Belasco and Frank Reicher.

It is one of nine movies Greenstreet and Lorre made together, starting with Casablanca.

Don Siegel was to have made his directorial debut with this film, but after a disagreement with studio boss Jack L Warner, he was demoted to assistant director and his debut had to wait till The Verdict (1946), also with Greenstreet and Lorre.

Filming took place from late April 1944 to mid-May 1944.

Hedy Lamarr was borrowed from MGM.

Producer Hal B Wallis asked Ayn Rand to rewrite the love scenes but only a few of her lines are in the film, and she is uncredited.

After some poor reviews by film critics, novel Frederic Prokosch got his revenge on the film reviewing himself in the American magazine The New Republic.

The credited cast are Hedy Lamarr as Irene Von Mohr, Paul Henreid as Vincent Van Der Lyn, Sydney Greenstreet as Ricardo Quintanilla, Peter Lorre as Jan Bernazsky, Victor Francen as Hugo Von Mohr, Joseph Calleia as Police Captain Pereira, Carol Thurston as Rosa, Miguel’s daughter, Vladimir Sokoloff as Portuguese fisherman Miguel, Eduardo Ciannelli [Edward Ciannelli] as Police Colonel Almeida, Steven Geray as Dr Schmitt, and Kurt Katch as Otto Lutzke.

Among the large uncredited cast are George Macready, Steve Geray, Monte Blue, Doris Lloyd, Louis Mercier, Billy Roy, David Hoffman, Otto Reichow, Leon Belasco and Frank Reicher.

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© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3884
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