Secret Agent

"Dead Women Tell No Tales Was The Motto of This Charming Lady Killer!"

1936 1h 26m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 177

ThrillerMysteryRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During World War I, a novelist declared dead is recruited by British intelligence and sent to Switzerland under a new identity to assassinate a German spy. Teamed with a fellow agent posing as his wife and an eccentric assassin known as “the General,” the trio close in on their target — until two of them grow ambivalent when their duty to the mission clashes with their consciences.

“Dead Women Tell No Tales Was The Motto of This Charming Lady Killer!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Cast

Madeleine Carroll
Elsa Carrington
John Gielgud
Richard Ashenden / Edgar Brodie
Peter Lorre
The General
Robert Young
Robert Marvin
Percy Marmont
Caypor
Florence Kahn
Mrs. Caypor
Charles Carson
"R"
Lilli Palmer
Lilli

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Charles Bennett, Ian Hay, Jesse Lasky Jr.
Languages: English, German
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Bernard Knowles. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Frend shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Madeleine Carroll and John Gielgud and Peter Lorre carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Dead Women Tell No Tales Was The Motto of This Charming Lady Killer!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028231 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alfred Hitchcock directs. Bernard Knowles behind the camera. Charles Frend cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
290 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.
4Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, shot by Bernard Knowles. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Charles Frend shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Madeleine Carroll and John Gielgud and Peter Lorre carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Dead Women Tell No Tales Was The Motto of This Charming Lady Killer!".
8IMDB entry: tt0028231 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bernard Knowles
Editing: Charles Frend
Costume design: Joe Strassner
Runtime: 86 min · 1h 26m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Secret Agent (1936)

Also by

Alfred Hitchcock

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-19
★ 6/10
John Gielgud charmingly portrays the novelist-cum-officer dragooned by the British spy service into travelling to Switzerland on the trail of a Nazi spy. He is assigned two assistants - a rather naive, but keen, Madeleine Carroll "Elsa" and a suitable sleazy, but lethal, Peter Lorre "as The General". Their first attempt to fulfil their mission goes awry somewhat, as they dispatch the wrong person. It is at this point their consciences start to kick in and they question the morals of their mission - particularly when they actually do discover the identity of the enemy secret agent. Hitchcock and Charles Bennett adapt the Somerset Maugham story with plenty of attention to the detail and the characterisation; the direction is taut and the suspense on the train towards the end keep this enthralling.

Production companies