Alex da Silva Ray Milland (Tom) is awaiting execution in Franco's Spain when he gets a last minute reprieve courtesy of his wife's intervention. Only his wife, Claudette Colbert (Augusta) isn't really his wife. She's a reporter looking for a story. They make a run for it when their deception is discovered and then the film plays out as a romance set against the beginning of World War 2.Basically, nothing happens in this film. It's very talky. The actors are just given too many words to rattle off to each other without the film ever going anywhere. After about an hour, when nothing had happened, I paused the film and went to have a poo. This gave me the very welcomed experience of actually being entertained as I got to read another chapter of my book – "And I Don't Want To Live This Life" by Deborah Spungen, mother of Nancy Spungen (as of Sid and Nancy fame/legend). When I resumed the film, it just continued in a very boring manner with not a lot happening and lots of words.Question – where are the Hebrides? The answer according to this film is off the coast of Ireland. Yeah, just like Spain is off the coast of Norway. At the beginning of the film, the best part, the soldier being executed marches in time with his executors to his fate. No way. Why is he marching in time to the tune of his enemy killers? While the 2 leads, Colbert and Milland, do work well together and are very likable stars, they unfortunately just get bogged down with sappy shenanigans. The story is just unbelievable tosh. I can't recommend it because the film is boring.

allans-7 This is a good movie, full of snappy lines, very capable acting and interesting scenes. Mitchell Leisen has an above average script to work with, and when this happens you can be assured of a very watchable movie. Well worth a DVD release (can you hear me Universal!), but this inexplicably has never even made it on to VHS.It features a strong capable woman (a trademark Leisen feature), but her male counterpart is no weakling is either, Ray Milland matches Claudette Colbert all of the way, helping create dramatic interest. The last section of the movie after the sinking of the Athenia is a bit underwritten and slightly unconvincing, but this is only a minor quibble.Very well worth watching.

SaraX626 Definitely in my all time top 10. The Milland/Colbert pairing is fantastic, there is wonderful chemistry between the two stars but it is Colbert who as the independent career woman Augusta Nash launched me on my love of 1930's/1940's films and I would recommend this as a fabulous example of what films of that era have to offer a modern audience. The opening sequences set the adventurous and romantic tone of the movie. The scenes in Maxim's and the in the horse drawn carriage on Monmartre are wonderfully romantic as Tom (Milland) plots to overcome Augusta's business only attitude. A fabulous film which gets home the patriotic message needed as WWII commenced without ever overwhelming the wonderful adventurous story.

dexter-10 In the final analysis, a film is about cinematography. From the very beginning at the Spanish prison, extraordinary cinematography is used to an exceptional degree, and it continues through the film. There are minor exceptions, as with the file film of airplanes flying. More importantly, the film claims the obvious: The Spanish government in 1939 had more than casual leanings toward Berlin. The bombing of Guernica by the Nazi air force is testimony, here reinforced. Tom Martin (Ray Millard) says he had a pet rat in his jail cell named "Adolph." Spain's neutrality during World War Two is in question with Paramount Pictures, as it was in diplomatic circles. Of course, a 1940 movie about event of 1939 has the advantage of historical retrospect, yet the public actions of the Spanish government stand. Claudette Colbert as Agusta Nash is the career woman whose career comes before love, who puts her career before all. Her assignment as Special Berlin Correspondent is to tell of Hitler and his gang. A series of unpredictable events leads her to redefine her sense of patriotism. There are, in effect, many loves which must arise and spite the envious moon. Cinematography, historical theme, and some darn good acting all unite for an effective historical perspective on life at the beginnings of World War Two.