kcfl-1 If you take the US History SAT, you're likely to encounter a question like this: "The main reason the North won the Civil War was...?' The answer is along the lines of "the War lasted too long." That is, the North had an advantage in numbers and industrial base, and wore down the South. However, this wonderful movie shows the real reasons the South lost:1. Their officers were stupid. Marion Davies plays a slave in blackface. Anyone looking at her should be able to tell she's about as black as Jeff Davis. But Confederates must have believed no white would want to pose as a black.2. Their officers were naive. We see them trusting blacks and minstrels implicitly, never believing any would be a Northern sympathizer.3. They spent most of their time dancing. In half the scenes, Reb officers are at balls.A fantastic film. Davies is wonderful as usual, and the film implies an anti-war message;both sides are brutal, with summary executions. It has an impossible happy ending.

montypython10 I'll give this move one thing-- it's pungent enough to cease being background noise and have me watch it. Other reviewers have explained the not-at-all intricate plot so I won't rehash it here (I'm a spy for the union, but I've fallen in love with a rebel!) but suffice to say, it's 80 minutes of disposable dialog and wooden acting interspersed with songs about "jungle fever" and "darkies in de Congo." Oh, and Marion Davies' terrible blackface disguise and scenery-chewing acting.This is a fine example of the time when movies were churned out like stamped sheet metal. It has worth if one considers using it as a part of a larger effort to explore historical depictions of race in American cinema, but otherwise it's a waste of time-- and an offensive one at that.

bkoganbing Let's understand one thing before talking about Operator 13. It is a Cosmopolitan Picture meaning it is a Marion Davies film first and foremost. And it's the kind of film that William Randolph Hearst wanted her to be seen it, as he saw her, the brave little heroine, in this case during the Civil War.Operator 13 is the kind of story that would have been popular on stage at the turn of the last century. It's also the kind of story that Cecil B. DeMille would have found appealing to do. I'm guessing that Hearst and DeMille would never have worked in tandem on any project given their egos.Marion is an actress and in the beginning of the story as the north is badly defeated at the second battle of Bull Run, Davies is appearing on stage in a play with one John Wilkes Booth. She's recruited by Union spy-master Allan Pinkerton played by Sidney Toler to accompany Katherine Alexander playing Union Spy Pauline Cushman as her octoroon maid. The term 'octoroon' was used back in the day to describe a person who was 1/8 black and has deservedly fallen out of fashion.Of course the various black stereotypes are present in force in Operator 13, however in Marion's case it can be forgiven somewhat as she is a spy on a mission and disguising herself. You might remember that in Going Hollywood she did the same thing to avoid the attention of Fifi D'Orsay.One person she does attract the attention of is Confederate Major Gary Cooper who is intrigued by her. Later on not in disguise, Davies is sent on another mission and she meets up again with Cooper. Once again he's suspicious, but by that time they're in love.If some of this sounds familiar you might recognize certain plot elements from MGM's later success, the musical The Firefly which starred Allan Jones and Jeanette MacDonald. That story is also about two rival espionage agents during the Peninsular War.In fact Operator 13 almost qualifies for a musical. Between the songs that Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn wrote, and the traditional Civil War era melodies sung by Davies, a campfire chorus and the Mills Brothers a lot of songs are packed into the 85 minute running time of the film.Operator 13 was old fashioned even in 1934. However the battle scenes are done quite well and director Richard Boleslawski does make the characters somewhat interesting.And apparently managed to work within the parameters of W.R. Hearst.

blighty-3 I came across this movie by accident and found a strong drama about people involved in espionage on different sides of a civil wardated of course, with assumption no thinking person would accept today, over dramatic? but very much in the style and mood of its ageone well worth watching if you are able to watch movies outside of modern style and ethics