Contraband

A film set in London at the start of the Second World War. Andersen is master of a cargo ship flying the flag of a neutral country. The ship is stopped at a British control point and its cargo inspected; a normal wartime procedure. Two passengers go ashore without permission. Andersen follows to bring them back. London is under blackout. The street lamps are out, the windows are covered and the city is entirely dark; that sets the visual language of the film. Andersen finds the woman and she gives him the slip. Then the two meet again and the situation changes: she is working in intelligence and he has fallen into the middle of it without knowing. From there the film becomes a chase. Restaurants, night clubs and finally a warehouse in the dark. The register sits between spy thriller and comedy; Andersen is a serious man and is constantly surprised by what is happening. Conrad Veidt plays Andersen and Valerie Hobson the woman. Michael Powell directed, with Emeric Pressburger on the screenplay; it is among the early works of the pair. It was made during the war and is one of the first films to use the blackout directly as an element of narrative. An enjoyable choice for anyone who likes classic spy films and British wartime cinema. For a viewer expecting a tight thriller, the film moves lightly and makes room for humour.