The Spy In Black [DVD]

In the past Spirit Entertainment have taken quite a bashing here on Amazon,and rightly so.This bashing has largely been due to releasing films in the wrong aspect ratio.I am not 100% sure about the aspect ratio being correct on this release as IMDB list it as 1.37 and this release is in 1.33 which if you believe Wikipedia are one and the same.The 1.33 ratio was used for silent movies and is often put on dvd covers even though the film itself was actually shot in 1.37(The Academy ratio).
There are no extras on the disc just a scene selection menu.
One other thing before I get to the film itself is if you look closely at the product image supplied by Amazon you can see under the Actors names is a red banner which reads "digitally remastered version",this does not appear on the version you will receive.Once the film starts though there is a credit stating that this print has had a British Film Industry restoration.
Confused,I was and the film had not even started yet.
I have seen this film many times before,firstly on TCM,then I searched high and low for a dvd version and settled on the Australian region 4 release.I have now replaced my old version with this new UK release and enjoyed watching it again before writing this review.
This WW1 story of espionage is the first collaboration of the now legendary Michael Powell and Emerich Pressburger and stars the wonderful Conrad Veidt as the German U-Boat Captain Hardt who is sent on a covert mission to the Orkney islands.Here he is to meet Frau Teil (Valerie Hobson) who is posing as a local schoolteacher.With the help of Teil,Hardt enlists the assistance of treacherous British Naval officer Lt.Ashington(Sebastian Shaw).Their mission is to sink as many British ships as they possibly can.
This is how a film should be,great characters,wonderful story and expertly written and directed by Powell and Pressburger.There are some brilliant cameos in this film,Bernard Miles is great as the one armed lazy eyed German hotelier.Equally brilliant is the role of the German submariner looking for Hardt in the hotel,as is the role of the engineer of the passenger steamboat who's always worried about his "bottom end".The camera work is first rate with wonderful shots like the old lady stepping from the car showing only the furs on her coat as she exits the vehicle.There are some references to actual events too which adds authenticity to the story.The Old Man of Hoy gets a mention as does the Battle of Jutland which is filmed in a light hearted manner.
If you are a war film fan or a fan of espionage films or even a fan of films from this era you won't be disappointed.
Incidentally Conrad Veidt was born in Germany and was a staunch anti Nazi.He fled Nazi Germany in 1933 after becoming aware of a plot to assinate him and became a British Citizen in 1939.When Britain went to war he donated half his estate and a large portion of his salary from future roles to the British war effort.Sadly Conrad Veidt died of a heart attack at the early age of 50.

As Mr S. Palmer has written such an excellent review and said virtually all I wanted to say, let me keep it simple. Mr Palmer not only writes splendidly but is incredibly observant re the "Digitall Remastered...". This is, I think, the best we can expect, and it's a good version, sound and picture are fine. Just to keep up with the observations-The box for this DVD states the duration as 92' - it's 80' on the nose. Yes, I've seen this many may times and I love it. For it's atmosphere, cast (what fun trying to put a name to Mary Morris, Torin Thatcher, the afore mentioned B. Miles etc), direction, plot (even tho there are 1 or 2 holes), and of course, that most beautiful of English Roses, Valerie Hobson. Highly recomended for all film enthusiats, perhaps more so for those of a certain age - like me. One negative comment-Why couldn't Strawberry Media print a cast list on the cover? It's so helpful and would not have required any research on their part as there is one at the beginning of the film, but that's not the same. Godd price, good DVD. Get it and enjoy.

This really was a good movie. I like Conrad Veidt very much, he can be charming and deliciously bad at the same time. Good suspense and action. Enjoyed it very much.