British Agent

Plot synopsis:
In the days leading up to the Russian Revolution, Stephen Locke (Leslie Howard), a minor British diplomat, watches rioting in the streets. Revolutionary Elena Moura (Kay Francis) shoots it out with a Cossack soldier; when she retreats onto the grounds of the consulate, the soldier follows, forcing Stephen to intervene to protect British extraterritoriality. After the Cossack leaves, Elena emerges; she and Steven are attracted to each other, but their politics clash. Elena departs.
After the Russian Empire is overthrown and the Soviet Union is born, most of the Western diplomats evacuate. Stephen is left behind with just a servant, "Poohbah" Evans. Day after day, he waits with mounting frustration for instructions, passing the time with others in the same situation, American Bob Medill (William Gargan), Gaston LeFarge (Phillip Reed) and Tito Del Val (Cesar Romero).
His boredom is lifted when he meets Elena again. She is now an important member of the government, working for Commissioner of War Trotsky (J. Carrol Naish). He romances her, and they quickly fall in love.
However, her first loyalty is to her country. She demonstrates this when Stephen finally receives orders from England. He is to try to prevent the Soviet Union from concluding a separate peace with Imperial Germany, which would free up large numbers of German soldiers for the Western Front; however, he is warned that he is only an "unofficial" British representative. Stephen carelessly reads the message in Elena's hearing. She passes along the information to her boss. As a result, when Stephen pleads with the Soviet government in Moscow to keep fighting, his arguments are undercut by their awareness of his status. He manages to get a delay of three weeks, to see if he can persuade his superiors to agree to Soviet demands: £50 million, five army divisions and munitions. Instead, without Stephen's knowledge, the British send a force to Archangel to fight alongside the internal enemies of the Soviets.
After the Czar is executed, Medill, LeFarge and Del Val persuade Stephen to join them in supporting counterrevolutionary forces. When Lenin is seriously wounded in an assassination attempt, the Soviets initiate a harsh crackdown. LeFarge and Del Val are killed while attempting to contact a rebel military leader in the city. Medill tries to do the same, but is caught and tortured for Stephen's whereabouts. When he refuses to crack, he is sentenced to die by firing squad the next day.
Elena is ordered to persuade him to tell her where Stephen is; knowing she is in love with Stephen, Medill gives her the address. She reluctantly gives the information to Trotsky, who orders soldiers to level the building. Elena sneaks into the building, determined to die with Stephen. They are reprieved, however. Just as the soldiers start shooting, news arrives that Lenin will recover, and that he has ordered the release of all political prisoners. Later, Stephen and Elena depart for England; at the train station, Medill requests they send him a supply of bubble gum.

Tags: murder

Review:
"never mix business with pleasure" - but this film is an exception to the rule.
"British Agent" succeeds in being both thought-provoking, and emotionally engaging.
It would've been easy to lose the characters in the history lesson, but, fortunately, even the supporting cast make an impression and make you care about what happens to them.
I thought there was a good balance between expository dialogue and action scenes, as well.True, at 80 minutes the story is rushed - it could've been a bit longer, especially to give more depth to the relationship that develops between Steve (Leslie Howard) and Elena (Kay Francis).
One feels sympathy for all the characters, and understanding of both sides - no small feat, considering the opposing political views.This film provides an effective introductory history lesson, a relatively unbiased portrayal of two different countries/ideologies, and a gripping love story.
It's not easy to juggle all these elements into a cohesive whole, but I believe "British Agent" does a fine job of educating *and* entertaining.
Apparently based on the memoirs of Sir Robert Hamilton Bruce Lockhart, this film pits Leslie Howard versus the tumultuous events in Russia during 1917, and 1918.
Though this film leaves out any mention of someone named Sidney Reilly (the infamous "Ace of Spies", whose exploits were also recounted by Lockhart), and Kay Francis steps in as a Russian firebrand.
Meeting by accident the night of the first revolution, "Locke" and Elena are instantly smitten.When Locke is sent back to Petrograd to stall the Soviet's armistice with Germany (which would endanger the Allies on the western front), Elena is now secretary to a certain V.
Short on romance, but long on suspenseful political drama and schemes.
Leslie Howard is terrific as usual, and Michael Curtiz' direction is crackling.
Also hard to overlook is a young actor named Cesar Romero, displaying a light comedic touch..
Well, a film starring Leslie Howard and Kay Francis and directed by Michael Curtiz could never be a complete disaster.
"British Agent" from 1934 is far from that, but because of the script, it's a little strange.This film is based on the memoirs of R.C. Lockhart.
"British Agent" is only 80 minutes long and it packs in a tremendous amount of plot.
Leslie Howard is Steven Locke, who works for the British embassy in Russia at the time of the revolution.
He falls for Elena Moura (Francis), a woman he saves.
This is the first problem because they meet in one scene and are madly in love in practically the next.Locke is instructed to keep Russia from signing a separate peace with Germany, which would be harmful to England.
Elena holds to a different ideology, being a follower of Lenin.
That's the second problem -- in the midst of a revolution, Locke receives a dispatch from London and reads it out loud while Elena is in the house.Elena continues to be in love with Locke, betraying him at the same time.The acting is very good, and Howard and Francis have wonderful chemistry.
Possibly if the love story had been developed more, it would have been more believable.It's always a delight to see Leslie Howard in a film, as well as Kay Francis.
I'll take them any way I can get them, and here, it's in "British Agent.".
Early espionage rare film set in revolutionary Russia.
The cast is tremendous in this 1934 Warner Brothers film, "British Agent." Based on a 1932 book, the movie takes place mostly in Russia in the early days of World War I and of the Bolshevik Revolution.
My high rating of the film is partly because of its historical value.
It depicts very well those events and that time in history.
Few movies have been made of these two events in relation to each other.
Even with Hollywood changes and the natural nuances of the source writer, R.H. Bruce Lockhart in his memoirs, the movie has value for the historical events it covers.
It also is credible in its portrayal of the culture and people, as well as costume and dress of the time.
It would be interesting to know how much the characters in the film are based on real people.
Still, some are obvious from people in Lockhart's book.
It's not hard to get his connection with the male lead, Leslie Howard.
In name – Lockhart and Locke, as well as in character.
Howard plays Steve Locke who is vice-consul to the British embassy in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
When the revolution breaks out and the embassy officials are called back to England, he is left behind as the sole British representative.
He's then the acting Consul for Great Britain to Russia.
In real life, Bruce Lockhart was Acting British Consul- General in Moscow when the first Russian revolution broke out in early 1917.
But he returned to England before the Bolshevik Revolution of October.
His main purpose was to persuade Russia not to sign a peace pact with Germany, and to come into WW I on the side of the Allies.
That's very close to the portrayal of Locke's character and his movements in this film, if not the exact titles he carried.
Kay Francis plays Elena Moura.
She and Locke are the romantic element of this film, and it comes across as a believably deep-felt love between the two.
Howard and Francis carry off this relationship very well, with a respect for each other's ideology.
In real life, Lockhart did not have this romance, but he helped the couple that did.
British writer Arthur Ransome had been living and writing in Russia when he met Trotsky's secretary, Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina.
After the end of the Bolshevik Revolution, Lockhart helped her get to England.
Lockhart's life itself is very interesting for his wide travels and experiences.
It's every bit as intriguing as this film that is based on a short span of that life.
Sir Robert Hamilton (R.H.) Bruce Lockhart, was a journalist, author, secret agent, British diplomat to Moscow and Prague, with other travel and business experiences as well.
He was a secret agent also in his consulate positions in Russia.
Lockhart's son, Robin, wrote the book about Reilly, "Ace of Spies." It was the basis for the 1983 TV miniseries, "Reilly, Ace of Spies."The rest of the cast in this film are excellent.
William Gargan, Cesar Romero, J.Carrol Naish, and several others play their parts superbly.
As I said the historical aspects and book connection raise this film a couple notches.
The only criticism I have is with the conduct of Howard's character, Locke.
I don't know if Lockhart or anyone else in British intelligence of the time advised on this film.
But if British intelligence operated as loosely in that day as it appears in this film, it would be no wonder to any viewers how the enemy could find out so much about Britain's operations.
And then, when he sees she's gone a couple of times after that, he doesn't seem to think any more about it, or he disregards it.
I would suppose that by WW II, British intelligence would have improved to a point that such loose and stupid behavior would get one shot or locked up as a collaborator or very bad source of leaks at the least.
I wonder that no one thought about that when making the movie.
Perhaps it really was that way?The movie opens in 1917 Petrograd outside the British embassy.
St. Petersburg/Petrograd was then the capitol of Russia.
There are many more interesting details about that time and those events.
In the meantime, and for all others, this film serves as a good peek at the events and time.
And, it's a film that most people should enjoy..
Purportedly based on the memoirs of R.H. Bruce Lockhart, the UK's man on the ground during the days of the Russian Revolution, Leslie Howard plays the consul general at the British Embassy whose other tasks include fomenting a little counterrevolution on the side.
That's constantly getting in the way of his romance with Bolshevik Kay Francis.What was fascinating here was that the spy Howard was so terribly indiscreet as to allow Francis to gain valuable information for her side.
As a British Agent it seemed like everything that Howard was trying came up real short except in the romance department.But Howard and Francis are a good match in screen chemistry in the romance department.
As history British Agent leaves a lot to be desired.
I think had the film been done by a British studio it probably would have turned out better..
Leslie Howard in the thick of things in the Russian revolution.
Much better than its reputation, this film has been treated rather unfairly by ignorants who haven't bothered to look deeper into it, like also other films of the Russian revolution, especially Sternberg's "The Last Command" and Marlene Dietrich's "Knight Without Armour", perhaps the best film of the Russian revolution.
Bruce Lockhart, who lived through this story himself, happened to be a legate at the British Embassy in Petersburg when the crisis grew crucial, and later was in the thick of things in Moscow.
He was the one who told the story of Sidney Reilly and his conspiracies and efforts to save Russia, and he later played an important part in the Second World War as Churchill's right hand in the propaganda war against Germany.
He wrote a series of extremely interesting memoirs and was also in the centre of things in Prague 1948 when Jan Masaryk was defenestrated and the communists took over.
Leslie Howard makes a very credible and true characterization of Lockhart's critical ordeals in the heart of the revolution at a loss against the lack of initiative, resolution and political insight in London.
He and Reilly could have saved Russia from the communists, if London had responded.
This film romanticizes the drama, of course, with some exaggerations and focusing too much on Kay Francis, while Lenin's would be murderess was much more interesting - she is only shown in the deed.
Although between "Of Human Bondage" and "Captain Blood", "British Agent" hardly deserves to be neglected..
Here's a side of the Revolution you didn't see in Warren Beatty's love-letter to Lenin, REDS.
The protagonists are a group of diplomats who are trying to counter the Red revolution by supporting the White army faction.
But they're being undermined by a beautiful Russian woman (Kay Francis) who happens to be having an affair with one of the English agents (Leslie Howard), and passes info on to Lenin himself.It's all kind of a muddle, with historical tidbits mixed in with a maudlin love story.
It's hard to think of Francis as a Russian, since she makes no attempt at an accent, and Leslie Howard is one of my least favorite actors of the era (he always seems like a weedy little wimp).
There are some nice sets, some war action, and a very young Cesar Romero.
Definitely not as good as other international spy pictures of the 30s-40s but it deals with events not often covered in filmdom, so it's worth a look..
You get Leslie Howard, Kay Francis, a flock of 'A' film character actors and Michael Curtiz to direct, and "British Agent" is the best you come up with?
My rating above is the best I can do for this stemwinder of a movie - and it's only 80 minutes long.
Where did they go wrong?For starters, the muddled plot is neither suspenseful nor compelling and the picture is saved only by its two stars.
It is always a treat to watch Howard, one of filmdom's brightest and best actors in any picture, even if it's beneath his considerable talent.
He had just finished "Of Human Bondage" and his next was "The Scarlet Pimpernel", so with "British Agent" he was in between pictures.
Kay Francis was so lovely in all her pictures (See "Jewel Robbery") - she did it for me the way film archaeologists describe Greta Garbo - that I forgive her for a lapse in judgment for taking on this one.
Normally glamorous and alluring, she was out of her element as a Russian revolutionary.
"Casablanca" was about 10 years off.I am certain the Russian Revolution was more interesting in person, but it is Hollywood's job to recreate events and make them exciting and entertaining.
Despite a completely unbelievable romance, the film has got something....
Hollywood and the American people seem to know very, very little about the Russian Revolution--I should know, I am a retired history teacher.
In particular, few would realize that portions of Russia were occupied by foreign troops to ostensibly guarantee the safety of their nationals--though the US, Britain and others actually helped the White Russians (the anti-Communists) militarily during the period near the end of WWI up until about 1920.
So, the fact that "British Agent" is set in Russia during this period makes it very interesting and unique.
Aside from the very leftist film "Reds" (don't get me started on my I dislike this dull film) and "Dr. Zhivago", this is the only mainstream film I can think of that actually tries to discuss this period in history.Leslie Howard plays a government agent sent to Russia following their first revolution--the one that preceded the Communist revolution five months later.
So Howard is given the impossible task to convince this teetering government to stay in the war because the Allied forces were afraid Russia exit would doom them to lose.
And, such missions to Russia DID occur--but they had absolutely no effect and the country soon had a new revolt and they simply quit fighting.All this is pretty interesting and here is where the film starts to bog down--even though it's actually supposed to be based on the true story of a lady revolutionary.
Kay Francis plays this woman and although Leslie is not in the least sympathetic to the communist cause, they inexplicably fall in love.
My other gripe against the film is small and very typical for movies of the era.
This is that no one in the film really looked or sounded Russian!
Still, if you can ignore these two problems, the film is interesting and informative.
Romance and intrigue in WW1 Russia.
It's always such a pleasure to see Leslie Howard.
His acting is superb and his romance with Kay Francis touching.
How director Michael Curtiz put so much plot and action into such a short film about the Russian Revolution is impressive.It is interesting to observe that the British Embassy was in Petrograd,and just a British Consulate in Moscow.
How the Embassy was able to amass all those guests, in all their finery, in the middle of war torn Russia on the brink of revolution, is surprising.Howard's cohorts, Reed, Gargan, and Romero were immensely enjoyable.
Gargan's addiction to gum was amusing and provided a light element to all the drama.When their world is about to blow up around them Howard and Francis are saved by the bell and they ride off into the sunset.
Big story, small picture.
How do you tell a story whose characters are involved in momentous historical events (the Russian Revolution's effect on World War I) in only eighty minutes - with a love story and international complications added for good measure?
You follow the unfortunate example of this picture, and condense everything: history, conflict, character motivation, plot resolution.
The result is a simplistic, unbalanced and inane account of choosing between love and duty (Kay Francis has the answer: she chooses both) while the bullets fly, bombs explode, and a wounded Lenin struggles to regain consciousness so that the lovers may flee to a happy ending.A solid cast - with an especially good performance by J.
The earth has turned 36,500 days since New Years 1917, and the end of the empire meant a new Russia, one that would impact world history.
As a new regime rises with a different style of leadership at the helm, the world held its breath, but certain governments were not about to stand idly by.
That's where the British coming in, sending secret agent Leslie Howard over to check everything out, hoping for the best as World War I airs its ugly head, but not taking any chances.
This involved the possible release of German soldiers, something that England and much of the rest of the world could not resist.Handsomely put together by Warner Brothers at their most lavish, it was under the direction of Michael Curtiz, one of the most versatile of all Hollywood directors.
Howard represents the English embassy after many British flee, and when he begins a romantic liaison with Russian revolutionary Kay Francis, his ideals are brought into question as more havoc breaks out.
On her part, Francis (who is first seen shooting at a Cossack) has strong ideals herself, and when asked to betray the man she lives, is torn apart.
Lavish but politically convoluted, thus is problematic because one should know more about the Russian revolution if one expects to understand everything.
A lot of footage appears to have been edited out and while the film tries to flow without cohesion, there's enough history brought up to tie together a few loose ends.The cast is fine, with Howard a hot leading man at the time with at least two other classics released at the time.
Francis is cast in quite a different role, not a majorly romantic part, and certainly far from her dozen of other films concerning mother love.
Her wardrobe is a far cry from her many clothes horse parts, and she does fine alternating between sympathetic and deceitful.Others who stand out include a young Cesar Romero and Irving Pichel, although some of the accents are questionable.
In Francis's case, it's nonexistent.
As a huge fan of hers, I've seen many of her films three, four times, some more.
But for some reason, prior to this viewing, I was unable to make it through the whole film.