I have always found Joan Bennett to be one of the most beautiful of the 40s stars. She's just so graceful and elegant that you can't help but be mesmerised by her screen presence.
Here Bennett plays Sophia, the wife of an the infamous German Consul Karl Baumer who is in deep water after having squandered money for the sole purpose of sabotaging an American Port at the end of a radio speech made by Hitler. After former police officer Moe is ordered to become Karl's bodyguard he makes friends with Sophia, who confides in him that she loathes and detests her husband and has only stayed with him to make sure her father is released from prison. Moe also finds Karl a horrendous human and cannot understand how anyone can support his regime. Add into the mix Karl's secretary who is becoming less and less dedicated to Karl as he asks him to complete tasks he does not morally accept. Tensions are running high as the radio speech approaches, but who will crack first?
Otto Preminger does a fantastic job as the morally bankrupt Consul and the panic and stress is outlined beautifully. This was an incredibly powerful, sharply executed piece of film work.
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