I quite disagree with many of the reviews here of this film. I'm very impressed, overall, with this story because it is an unusual mix of humor, drama, and tragedy. An early scene -- where Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers meet for the first time -- unique with uncanny humor and chemistry. Contrast that with the scene where the two are imprisoned with Jewish rabbis possibly heading for a concentration camp and singing their Jewish prayers, followed by a scene where it is subtly thought that Rogers could be sterilized.
I'm not always a fan of old films that involve a little espionage as WWII breaks out. But this one is different. Here, Katie O'Hara (Ginger Rogers), an ex-American burlesque performer has landed an Austrian Baron (Walter Slezak) and is about to be married. An American news correspondent (Cary Grant) pretty much know that the Baron is a Nazi. After the marriage, Rogers begins to suspect that Grant's suspicions about the Baron are accurate. Rogers, with Grant's help, decides to flee Europe, but they are nearly sent to a concentration camp. An American double agent persuades Rogers to return to her marriage and temporarily work as a spy. The Baron becomes suspicious due to O'Hara's many questions, where early in their relationship she was quite content to ignore politics. Grant agrees to broadcast pro-Nazi propaganda -- which he plans to sabotage -- after the Baron threatens to turn Rogers over to the Gestapo. Rogers and Grant do escape, and board a ship for America, but guess who is also on board -- the Baron...heading for America to continue being subversive in the ultimate target -- the United States.
Unfortunately, after the Baron is pushed overboard and drowns, the heretofore relatively dramatic movie turns almost slapstick as Grant's conscience makes him tell the captain that the Baron has fallen overboard, the ship is turned around, but then they decide the Baron couldn't swim and it must be too late. The ship heads back toward America. This very last section of film is just plain dumb, and the one serious miscalculation of the film (were it not for this I would have given it an "8".
Grant here is wonderful, as he normally is. I've always thought as Rogers as a "good" actress, but she is better here than is typical. And, Walter Slezak does a fine job as the Baron. Few other actors are worth mention here, although Albert Dekker is quite good in his relatively brief, though key role. And, although you are unlikely to recognize him, John Banner -- much later Sergeant Schultz on Hogan's Heroes -- is a Nazi in the film.
I'm not always a fan of old films that involve a little espionage as WWII breaks out. But this one is different. Here, Katie O'Hara (Ginger Rogers), an ex-American burlesque performer has landed an Austrian Baron (Walter Slezak) and is about to be married. An American news correspondent (Cary Grant) pretty much know that the Baron is a Nazi. After the marriage, Rogers begins to suspect that Grant's suspicions about the Baron are accurate. Rogers, with Grant's help, decides to flee Europe, but they are nearly sent to a concentration camp. An American double agent persuades Rogers to return to her marriage and temporarily work as a spy. The Baron becomes suspicious due to O'Hara's many questions, where early in their relationship she was quite content to ignore politics. Grant agrees to broadcast pro-Nazi propaganda -- which he plans to sabotage -- after the Baron threatens to turn Rogers over to the Gestapo. Rogers and Grant do escape, and board a ship for America, but guess who is also on board -- the Baron...heading for America to continue being subversive in the ultimate target -- the United States.
Unfortunately, after the Baron is pushed overboard and drowns, the heretofore relatively dramatic movie turns almost slapstick as Grant's conscience makes him tell the captain that the Baron has fallen overboard, the ship is turned around, but then they decide the Baron couldn't swim and it must be too late. The ship heads back toward America. This very last section of film is just plain dumb, and the one serious miscalculation of the film (were it not for this I would have given it an "8".
Grant here is wonderful, as he normally is. I've always thought as Rogers as a "good" actress, but she is better here than is typical. And, Walter Slezak does a fine job as the Baron. Few other actors are worth mention here, although Albert Dekker is quite good in his relatively brief, though key role. And, although you are unlikely to recognize him, John Banner -- much later Sergeant Schultz on Hogan's Heroes -- is a Nazi in the film.