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Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent (not to be confused with Hitchcock's own film Secret Agent) provides the inspiration for one of the Master of Suspense's most puzzling works. The owner of a small movie theater (Homolka) secretly plots to destroy London, unbeknownst to his wife (Sidney) and her younger brother, who both live with him. This was the last film produced by Hitchcock for Gaumont-British, the company that pushed him toward his eventual place in Hollywood when they cut back on production costs.
Set during the Napoleonic era, the film begins with an order handed down to an aristocratic cavalry officer (Carradine) who is asked to imprison an officer of more common heritage (Keitel) for wounding a fellow cavalryman in a duel. The felonious soldier takes offense at the order and challenges the aristocrat to a duel which continues over the course of fourteen years. Director Ridley Scott gives a rich visual texture to Joseph Conrad's story of dying traditions.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
Ballad of a Soldier / The Forty-First
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Nightfall / Great Day in the Morning
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Verboten! / Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street
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I'll Never Forget What's 'is Name / The Jokers
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Hearts of the World / True Heart Susie
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Anna Christie / The Long Voyage Home
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Suddenly Last Summer / The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
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Quiet Days in Clichy / Henry and June
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The Freshman / The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
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The Sheep Has Five Legs / The Law is the Law
Hobson's Choice / Sidewalks of London
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I Know Where I'm Going / Outcast of the Islands
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An Inspector Calls / The Belles of St. Trinian's
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Mother Joan of the Angels / Thérèse
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Dawn of the Dead / Strange Behavior
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