Under Secret Orders
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''Under Secret Orders'', also known as ''Mademoiselle Doctor'', is a 1937 British
spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films) ...
directed by
Edmond T. Gréville Edmond T. Gréville (born Edmond Gréville Thonger; 20 June 1906 – 26 May 1966) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was married to the actress Vanda Gréville. Career Gréville began his career as a film journalist and critic. ...
and starring
Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...
, John Loder,
Dita Parlo Dita Parlo (born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt; 4 September 1908 – 12 December 1971) was a German film actress. Early life and career Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in Stettin, Pomerania, then in the G ...
and
Claire Luce Claire Luce (October 15, 1903 – August 31, 1989) was an American stage and screen actress, dancer and singer. Among her few films were ''Up the River'' (1930), directed by John Ford and starring Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart in their ...
. It is an English-language version of the French film ''Mademoiselle Docteur'', also known as ''Salonique, nid d'espions'', and released in the United States as '' Street of Shadows'', which was filmed at the same time under the direction of
G. W. Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...
. Both films have exactly the same plot, but there were differences in the cast between the two: in particular, von Stroheim was not in the French version.Thames, Stephanie
"Stamboul Quest (1934)" (article)
on
TCM.com Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of Atl ...


Premise

During the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, a woman doctor falls in love with one of her patients who turns out to be a German spy. She herself ends up working for German intelligence.


Cast

*
Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, actor and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. H ...
as Col. W. Mathesius / Simonis * John Loder as Lt. Peter Carr *
Dita Parlo Dita Parlo (born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt; 4 September 1908 – 12 December 1971) was a German film actress. Early life and career Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in Stettin, Pomerania, then in the G ...
as Dr. Anne-Marie Lesser *
Claire Luce Claire Luce (October 15, 1903 – August 31, 1989) was an American stage and screen actress, dancer and singer. Among her few films were ''Up the River'' (1930), directed by John Ford and starring Spencer Tracy and Humphrey Bogart in their ...
as Gaby, Rene's girl *
Gyles Isham Sir Gyles Isham, 12th Baronet (31 October 1903 – 29 January 1976) was an English aristocrat, actor (who appeared in several films in the 1930s) and historian. Life and career Gyles Isham was born 31 October 1903 in Lamport, Northamptonshire, E ...
as Lt. Hans Hoffman * Clifford Evans as Rene Condoyan *
John Abbott Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (March 12, 1821 – October 30, 1893) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Abbot ...
as Armand * Anthony Holles as Mario *
Edward Lexy Edward Lexy (18 February 1897, in London – 31 January 1970, in Dublin) was a British actor. He was born Edward Little. Career He made his London stage début in 1936, and his first film the following year. His film roles were a mixture of s ...
as Carr's orderly *
Robert Nainby Robert Nainby (1869–1948) was an Irish male actor. Filmography References External links * 1869 births 1948 deaths Male actors from Dublin (city) Irish male film actors 20th-century Irish male actors {{Ireland-actor-stub ...
as French General *
Bryan Powley Bryan Gilbert Powley (16 September 1871 – 18 December 1962) was a British stage and film actor. He began his career in the era of silent film. Life Powley was born on 16 September 1871 in Reading, the son of the Rev. Matthew Powley and Louis ...
as Col. Burgoyne, French Secret Service *
Molly Hamley-Clifford Molly Hamley-Clifford (born Irene Leila Hamley Clifford; 1 August 1887 – 7 June 1956) was a British stage and film actress. Early life Clifford was born on 1 August 1887 in Exeter the daughter of George W and Eliza Clifford. Selected filmo ...
as Madame Samuloi, Proprietor of the Blue Peacock *
Raymond Lovell Raymond Lovell (13 April 1900 – 1 October 1953) was a Canadian-born actor who performed in British films. He mainly played supporting roles, often somewhat pompous characters. Lovell initially trained as a physician at Cambridge University ...
as Col. von Steinberg * Frederick Lloyd as Col. Marchand, Carr's boss * Claude Horton as Captain Fitzmaurice Cast notes: *
Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...
appears in a small role


Reception

Writing for '' Night and Day'' in 1937,
Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
gave the film a poor review, summarizing it as more movie than cinema. Greene described the writing as "a really shocking script, with childish continuity" and criticized the dialogue as "it ambles flatly along". (reprinted in: )


See also

* ''
Stamboul Quest ''Stamboul Quest'' is a 1934 American spy film set in World War I, directed by Sam Wood, starring Myrna Loy and George Brent and featuring Lionel Atwill. The screenplay was written by Herman J. Mankiewicz from a story by Leo Birinski. Plot In 1 ...
'' – 1934 American film starring
Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...
* '' Mademoiselle Docteur'' (also known as ''Salonique, nid d’espions'' and ''Street of Shadows'') – 1937 French film directed by
G.W. Pabst Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the Weimar Republic. ...
* ''
Fräulein Doktor ''Fräulein'' ( , ) is the German language honorific for unmarried women, comparable to Miss in English and Mademoiselle in French. Description ''Fräulein'' is the diminutive form of ''Frau'', which was previously reserved only for marrie ...
'' – 1969 film, an Italian/Yugoslavian co-production


References


External links

* * 1937 films British spy thriller films Films directed by Edmond T. Gréville World War I spy films British multilingual films British black-and-white films 1937 multilingual films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-film-stub