1944 Spy drama
- • US • BW • 25mins •
- John Blythe John Dougall
- Dir:
- Scr:
- JOC Orton, Angus MacPhail, from an idea by Arthur Calder-Marshall
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Returning from Hollywood at the behest of the Ministry of Information, Alfred Hitchcock commanded a weekly rate of just £10 for this propaganda boost for the French Resistance. It also served to advocate general vigilance, as a superbly controlled flashback sequence reveals to doltish RAF pilot John Blythe the tell-tale signs he missed as he was escorted back from a PoW camp by a Gestapo agent masquerading as a Pole.
With its shocking denouement, this provocative short was atmospherically shot by the exiled Gunther Krampf, who'd also filmed such key expressionist silents as Pandora's Box.
In French with English subtitles.
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Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache are, if truth be told, little more than an interesting diversion. Of the two, it's Bon Voyage that is clearly the more accomplished, with a plot that holds the interest of the viewer, some decent characterisation and a genuinely shocking moment (the murder of Jeanne). Even though it's presented in French, Bon Voyage is an entertaining film and well worth a look.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of Aventure Malgache, which has to be the most tedious 35 minutes in the entire Hitchcock canon. There is no suspense, no involvement in the activities of the characters and a plot so limp it's barely noticeable.
Although it was conceived as part of the war effort, Aventure Malgache was never screened, as it would be unlikely to inspire acts of heroism from anybody. However, it's a great shame that Bon Voyage was never used to promote its 'careless talk costs lives' message, as it gets its point across economically and effectively.
Both films are available on one dvd from amazon.com.
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