Madeleine Street, No. 13 (1947)
The OSS officer Bob Sharkey (James Cagney) is commissioned to train a new group of would-be spies, the group 077. When applicants arrive at the training center, Sharkey receives notice of his superiors that one of them is a German agent infiltrated. Sharkey soon discover that this is Jeff Lassiter (Frank Latimore), agent actually called Kuncel Abwerh , but decides to pursue his training to provide false information to the Germans through it. However, when Lassiter is parachuted into Europe, killing one officer and manages to escape, endangering the entire mission organized by the OSS spy on the French coast before D-Day
number 13 is a somewhat atypical film as a tribute to the fighters of the war invisible world of espionage agents. In this case, the director Henry Hathaway was inspired partly the history of the OSS director William Donovan , and intelligence official Peter Ortiz, who served as historical advisor to the production, to create this intense espionage thriller, set in the months before the landing in Normandy. Since at that time the activities and even the existence of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) were still classified, the producer received the notice from the U.S. government that did not mention OSS in the film, an omission that was fulfilled when to prepare the script for the film, which never mentions these acronyms.
Entered to value film must say first that it shows that this is a story that draws on sources very close to the facts he narrates. The realism of the film is absolute, to the point of describing in a voice that at times seems almost documentary, training of agents, their preparation for all secret missions and the inner world of espionage. A realism that is reinforced by the fact that, as the prologue indicates, the shooting took place in real locations featured in the film. With a rather lively pace, the film peels the double game between the intelligence services when they discover that Lassiter is actually an enemy agent, and as they try to use disinformation German intelligence service.
I especially liked the character Sharkey, very well played by James Cagney , and as this emphasizes the need to set aside moral considerations, stating that " In espionage, the only loyalty is to comply mission at any cost . " Besides the training sequences, fights, and even the dialogues ooze realism, and of course the heroic flee free. Thus, the spies are trained to lie, steal and kill as necessary, and face the enemy in a life or death struggle where any error is paid with their lives.
I especially liked the character Sharkey, very well played by James Cagney , and as this emphasizes the need to set aside moral considerations, stating that " In espionage, the only loyalty is to comply mission at any cost . " Besides the training sequences, fights, and even the dialogues ooze realism, and of course the heroic flee free. Thus, the spies are trained to lie, steal and kill as necessary, and face the enemy in a life or death struggle where any error is paid with their lives.
In conclusion, number 13 Madeleine Street, offers a more interesting story about the secret operations of the OSS during World War II. It is a relatively unknown title, but has amazingly high doses of realism, intense narrative rhythm, and very believable atmosphere that manages to create for the viewer enters the plot. Of the best spy movies I've seen.
Rating: 7 / 10
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