Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

clanciai 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. This one however is outstanding for the fact that it deals directly with reality. 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.

mark.waltz 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. He delivers a powerful performance equivalent to the same year's "The Scarlet Pimpernel". 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. I can see now why: it has a rather oddly paced structure where you have to really listen to every word and take in every frame to really comfortably follow it.

blanche-2 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. The two clash, and when Elena finds out Locke's assignment, she's quick to tell the other side. 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. It's just not very plausible. 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."

bkoganbing 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.