Cloak and Dagger (1946)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Albert Maltz (screenplay) and
Ring Lardner Jr. (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 September 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Adventure | Thriller | War

Tagline:

RELENTLESS SUSPENSE! (original ad - all caps)

Plot:

Toward the end of World War II, the allied secret service receives a partial message indicating that...

Plot Keywords:

Italy | Switzerland | Oss | Scientist | Resistance

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Prof. Alvah Jesper
Lilli Palmer	...	Gina
Robert Alda	...	Pinkie
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Giovanni Polda
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Trenk
Marjorie Hoshelle	...	Ann Dawson
Ludwig Stössel	...	The German (as Ludwig Stossel)
Helen Thimig	...	Dr. Katerin Lodor
Dan Seymour	...	Marsoli
Marc Lawrence	...	Luigi
James Flavin	...	Col. Walsh
Patrick O'Moore	...	The Englishman (as Pat O'Moore)
Charles Marsh	...	Erich
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Burke	...	OSS Agent (scenes deleted)
Robert Coote	...	Cronin (scenes deleted)
Vernon Downing	...	British Sergeant (scenes deleted)
Ross Ford	...	Paratrooper (scenes deleted)
Holmes Herbert	...	British Officer (scenes deleted)
Clifton Young	...	American Commander (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #11630) | UK:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16

Company:

United States Pictures

Trivia:

Cooper's role was based on the real life exploits of Michael Burke, who would later become President of the New York Yankees.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Top Secret! (1984)

Soundtrack:

Gschichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods), Op. 325

Suspenseful and Full of Action Romance in Times of War

Toward the end of World War II, the allied secret service receives a partial message indicating that the Germans are researching nuclear energy to build atomic bombs. In Midwestern University, the scientist Alvah Jesper (Gary Cooper) is called up by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to meet his former colleague Dr. Katerin Lodor (Helen Thimig) in Switzerland and bring her to North America. However, his mission fails and Dr. Lodor is killed by the Nazis but first she informs that Alvah's acquaintance Dr. Giovanni Polda (Vladimir Sokoloff) is working for the Nazis in Italy. Dr. Jesper travels to Italy and with the support of the Italian partisans leaded by Pinkie (Robert Alda) and Gina (Lilli Palmer), he has a meeting with Dr. Polda that is under the surveillance of the Gestapo. The scientist tells him that his daughter Maria had been abducted by the Gestapo and Alvah makes a deal with Dr. Polda, promising to release Maria first and bringing them to North America. While Pinkie travels to rescue Maria, Alvah stays with Gina and they fall in love for each other.

"Cloak and Dagger" is a suspenseful and full of action romance in times of war. The enjoyable story has good moments of tension but it is only a reasonable work of Fritz Lang. Gary Cooper's character seems to be a skilled and well-trained agent and not a scientist in many moments and Lili Palmer performs a strong female character in one of her first works. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Grande Segredo" ("The Great Secret")