Tonight's Movie: I See a Dark Stranger (1946)

I SEE A DARK STRANGER, originally shown in the United States as THE ADVENTURESS, is a very good British suspense film from the team of Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder. Later in 1946 Gilliat and Launder made GREEN FOR DANGER; like GREEN FOR DANGER, I SEE A DARK STRANGER features humor and romance along with scary chills and wartime anxiety, which all combine for an interesting, unusual film.

Beautiful young Deborah Kerr plays Bridie Quilty, an Irish lass who hates the English with a passion and -- it's a long story -- becomes mixed up with German spies on the eve of the D-Day invasion.

As Bridie meets and evades spies in Ireland and later on the Isle of Man, she is followed on her adventures by David Baynes (Trevor Howard), a British army officer on leave who is besotted -- and baffled -- by the strange but lovely girl.

As viewers follow David and Bridie on their journey, the film calls to mind Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS (1935) and SABOTEUR (1942) -- perhaps not surprisingly, as Launder and Gilliat cowrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES (1938), and Gilliat also worked with Hitchcock on JAMAICA INN (1938).

Kerr and Howard are wonderful, and -- as with THE 39 STEPS -- my only wish for this film would have been that they have even more screen time together, as they have an excellent rapport.

Kerr has the difficult task of making a girl who initially wants to aid the Germans likeable, and she succeeds, helped along by her huge, expressive eyes; she's ditzy enough to be sympathetic, yet so beautiful that it's believable that Howard's sane, mature character would be intrigued and follow her hither and yon. Howard has charisma to spare, which has made
me interested in seeing more of his films. Kerr's fiery Bridie made me think a bit of Maureen O'Hara in 1952's THE QUIET MAN.

 
Raymond Huntley has a memorably creepy scene as a German spy. Look for David Tomlinson (Mr. Banks in MARY POPPINS) among the large cast.

I SEE A DARK STRANGER was shot in black and white and runs 98 minutes; the original British print ran 112-114 minutes, depending on the reference source. I can't help wondering if the additional scenes I was wishing for between Kerr and Howard might be in the footage missing from this U.S. print.

The music score is by William Alwyn and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, which also performed Alwyn's score in GREEN FOR DANGER.

The film was directed by Frank Launder; coauthors and producers Launder and Gilliat took turns directing and Gilliat thus helmed their film GREEN FOR DANGER.

I SEE A DARK STRANGER is available on DVD and VHS.