Fritz Lang (director)
Eureka! (studio)
Cert U (certificate)
153min (length)
17 November 2014 (released)
17 November 2014
This complex, labyrinthine espionage thriller from 1928 was the last silent movie by influential German director Fritz Lang, once again starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge (Dr. Mabuse films) as a criminal mastermind operating in many disguises.
Co-written by Lang’s wife Thea von Harbou, the multi-layered plot revolves around the sinister Haghi (R. Klein-Rogge), who successfully passes himself off as a highly respectable bank director, but manages in fact a powerful espionage ring. One of his spies is the devastatingly beautiful Russian Sonja Baranikowa (Gerda Maurus) who, with no great difficulty, manages to seduce Colonel Jellusic into betraying his country for Haghi. Enter the dashing ‘Number 326’ (Willy Fritsch), who in turn works for the Secret Service… his employer Jason (Craighall Sherry) instructs him with the seemingly impossible task of bringing Haghi’s reign of terror to an end. Always a few steps ahead, Haghi is only too aware of ‘326’ and once again sends Sonja on a mission to flirt her way into the young secret agent’s heart… though obviously not for romance’s sake! However, what Haghi doesn’t count on is the fact that Sonja and ‘326’ are about to fall in love for real and therefore she refuses to act against him. This enrages Haghi no end and he has Sonja captured and held captive in his secret chambers underneath the bank.
Meanwhile, Haghi has his evil mind set on acquiring the documents of a secret Japanese treaty, and blackmails opium addict Lady Weslane (Hertha von Walther) into revealing all that her wealthy husband knows about the political negotiations, or else Haghi will reveal to him that his wife is an addict. Enter Japanese head of security Akira Masimoto (Lupu Pick) who is responsible for the treaty’s safekeeping. When his path crosses of that with ‘326’, his reveals to him that his new love Sonja is in fact a cunning spy. To prove his point to the initially disbelieving ‘326’, they both find Sonja’s apartment empty and the beauty seemingly gone missing. Assuming that he has been used merely to get information out of him, ‘326’ drowns his broken heart and sorrows in booze. Masimoto, a man of discipline, cautions ‘326’ that emotions and beautiful women are the downfall of every secret agent (tell that to 007!) and mind and heart must remain uncorrupted in order to bring down mastermind like Haghi. That was a bit of a useless thing to say, for the scheming Haghi now sends the attractive Kitty to weasel her way into Masimoto’s apartment and his heart, and the dame is smart enough to know just how to go about it… Sure enough and before he even knows it, the usually disciplined Japanese has fallen for Kitty’s boxing clever tricks – proof that even a secret agent’s flesh is weak! She manages to get her hands on the secret paper and makes off with it to deliver them to Haghi. Upon realizing what has happened, the disgraced Masimoto commits harakiri.
The stage is now set for the grand showdown, and involves evermore deadly traps set by Haghi, ‘326’s race against time to save the woman he still loves, a near fatal train crash, poison gas, and a bizarre music hall clown…
This fast-paced and engaging adventure thriller has all the right ingredients, from nifty plotlines to intrigue, romance, visual delights, and an evil mastermind on a par with Professor Moriarty!
Released in Dual Edition format (Blu-ray and DVD), Spione offers the following SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Original German intertitles with optional English subtitles
• 69min docu about the film
• 40-page booklet with exclusive writings and essays
• New high-definition presentation of ‘Spione’ on Blu-ray