Cloak & Dagger [DVD]

Fritz Lang was the giant of German expressionist cinema who inspired a young English graphic designer to choose film as his new career. His name was Alfred Hitchcock. With the masterful Dr Mabuse, the science-fiction epic Metropolis and cinema’s first-ever serial-killer police procedural, M, under his belt, Lang was offered the chance to run the German Cinema Institute by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. It was 1933. Austrian-born Lang was no fan of the Third Reich. He scarpered to the United States. Once WWII was underway, Lang resisted no opportunity to make anti-Nazi movies: the Hitler-baiting Man Hunt (1941) and Hangmen Also Die! (1943) were followed by the espionage pictures Ministry of Fear (1944), from Graham Greene’s story, and Cloak and Dagger, in which American physicist Gary Cooper is asked by the OSS to discover how close the Germans are to devising an atomic bomb. Hitchcock might have made slightly more of the suspense, but this is an emotional and gripping adventure. Warner Bros placed up front a big ‘Introducing’ credit for Lilli Palmer even though she’d been making films in Europe for a decade, including Hitchcock’s Secret Agent (1936). Cooper signed on for Lang’s movie after belatedly realising he’d made a mistake in turning down the lead in Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940). It worked both ways: Hitchcock borrowed a key scene from Cloak and Dagger when he came to make Torn Curtain some 20 years later.

This is a review of the 2020 Region B2 Dual Format in Eureka!’s ‘Masters of Cinema’ range. The HD digital 1080p transfer with mono audio provides an excellent viewing experience: the picture is beautifully clear, and brightly black and white.Undoubtedly, not even their biggest fans would suggest that this is either actor Gary Cooper OR director Fritz Lang’s best film. Cooper, one of the greatest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, shone in Westerns ~ ‘High Noon’(1952); Romantic Comedies ~ ‘Mr Deeds Goes to Town’(1936); War films ~ ‘Private York’(1941). He won the OSCAR twice and was nominated three further times. Lang, an Austrian, was one of the most brilliant practitioners of Germany’s early ‘Expressionist’ cinema, with iconic works such as ‘Metropolis’ (1927) and ‘M’(1931). Half-Jewish, he emigrated to Paris in 1933 and to Hollywood in 1936, where his successes included ‘Fury’(1936) and ‘The Big Heat’(1953).This film is no match for any of those listed. There is even a question mark as to why ‘Eureka!’, one of a small but distinguished list of labels keeping the great titles of world cinema alive and available, should bother with it! We watched it, and my husband’s rejoinder at the end was ‘Poor’. Personally, I think this is harsh, but I also think this film is worthy of study for reasons other than just it’s immediate artistic merit.Artistically, this is a bleak, sober and evocative story, and it is nicely and authentically shot. I think it captures well the sense of unending deprivation, gloom and toil, and the soul-destroying lack of hope, experienced by those suffering under the yoke of Nazi occupation and Fascist dictatorship. It also demonstrates nicely the distasteful feeling that in occupied countries, even in those bordering them, nothing was what it seemed, no-one could be taken at face value. There is also a sense (unusual in post-War American films) that it wasn’t JUST the Americans who won it! There are a number of references to, and accurate inclusions of, the British.Lilli Palmer, also a German-Jewish emigré, stars here in her first American film. She was 32, but, as Italian partisan Gina, looks far younger. She conveys well the fear, frustration and bitter, bitter anger consuming her. ‘Coop’, as physicist Professor Jesper, is solid, but has been better. That said, he is involved in one of the most brutal, viscerally uncompromising fights you will ever witness on film. But the real significance of this film is its unwavering political stance. From early on, the position taken is that nuclear power, in ANY form, is a threat to humanity. For America, post-Hiroshima, this was tantamount to heresy. Several of those involved in the script were later blacklisted as Communists. The ending devised by Lang, was ditched by the studio.So, an eviscerated, flawed masterpiece? Hardly! But a piece of fascinating movie history? Certainly! Watch and consider.

I only got this Combo because I love (most of) the film and my old copy from Palladium Entertainment doesn't have subtitles. The BLU RAY is excellent. Crystal clear picture on what looks like and enlarged 4.3 ratio, with good Subtitles. There is a booklet, but not, in my opinion a very good one for once. No cast./credits and the essay didn't work for me. Extras include an amazing collection of the Radio episodes from the late 40's. I must add that the BLU RAY FROZE half way through, so i just put on the DVD to finish the film and whilst it is perfectly watchable there is quite a difference in the picture even to my untrained eye. Love the film as I do, I don't find it without it's faults. The middle section tended to drag for me, and Cooper's mannerisms did get on my nerves. Crinkling his face/eyes just made him look odd, and, in truth, I think he was miscast. Still a great wartime Spy/thriller, and well worth a go.

Gary Cooper (Professor Jesper) is a nuclear scientist who is sent on an espionage assignment into Switzerland to discover and report back what progress the Nazis have made in developing an atomic bomb. It's World War II and the race is on to blow each other up. He is told that respected scientist Helen Thimig (Katarin Lodor) is to be his point of contact but his assignment turns into a rescue mission on meeting her. When this fails, he switches his focus to Italy where he links up with the Italian Underground movement in order to rescue Vladimir Sokoloff (Polda), another super-brain scientist.The film reminded me of a James Bond style spy story. The cast are all OK and there are plenty of sequences that propel the plot forwards, although the film loses it's pace a bit with the romantic section between Cooper and Resistance fighter Lilli Palmer (Gina), which slows things down for about 20 minutes.As regards the plot, I'm not sure it makes sense. Jesper is sent to find out information and report back, but he ends up in the front-line as a spy with a gun who has to fight and defend himself and is involved in a kidnapping plot. Totally unreal but it really doesn't matter. It's an enjoyable film with a collection of memorable sequences, eg, the French Resistance at the beginning, the scene when Cooper confronts undercover Gestapo agent Marjorie Hoshelle (Ann Dawson), the Italian Resistance and the episode in the truck, and the fight scene between Cooper and Marc Lawrence (Luigi).