British Agent (1934)

• Year: 1934
• Released: 15 Sep 1934
• Country: United States
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024915/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/british_agent
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Russian, French
• MPA Rating: Passed
• Genre: Drama, History, Romance
• Runtime: 80 min
• Writer: R.H. Bruce Lockhart, Laird Doyle, Pierre Collings
• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Cast: Leslie Howard, Kay Francis, William Gargan
• Keywords: spy, pre-code, russia, revolution, bolshevik,

	6.2/10
	40% – Audience

British Agent Storyline

1917. Stephen Locke, whose deceased father was a diplomat, has recently been appointed British consul to Moscow, a job he considers rather mundane. A revolution in Russia which deposed the Czar has led to a provisional government. The allied forces need that provisional government to remain in the world war rather than sign a separate peace deal with the Germans, as such a peace deal would free up those Germans fighting on the eastern front to move to the western front. A second revolution occurs in Russia bringing swiftly into power a Bolshevik government led by Vladimir Lenin, they who are more apt to signing that peace agreement with the Germans as viewing the war as a battle between the Germans and the west. Most of the allied powers have left a skeleton staff at their Russian embassies in not recognizing the Bolsheviks in power, Stephen who is the sole high ranking representative for the British based in the capital of what is now called Petrograd. He receives news from the home office that he is to do whatever he can in an unofficial capacity (i.e. without British government assistance, protection or authorization) to ensure that that peace agreement between the Russian and German governments is not signed, this the type of exciting work for which he was hoping even if only in this unofficial capacity as a simple British citizen. Personal complications ensue when Stephen and a Russian revolutionary named Elena Moura fall in love with each other, each knowing who the other is and their positions. They have to reconcile their feelings for each other against their political ideals which may place them at odds with each other. That reconciliation has to prioritize which is more important between their love and their politics and what they are willing to do to advance their political beliefs which may harm the other directly, especially as Stephen decides to take some political gambles in his official unofficial job, these gambles, which if they do not pay off, may mean his life as long as he stays in Russia.

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British Agent Movie Reviews

Early espionage rare film set in revolutionary Russia

The cast is tremendous in this 1934 Warner Brothers film, “British Agent.” Based on a 1932 book, the movie takes place mostly in Russia in the early days of World War I and of the Bolshevik Revolution. My high rating of the film is partly because of its historical value. It depicts very well those events and that time in history. Few movies have been made of these two events in relation to each other. Even with Hollywood changes and the natural nuances of the source writer, R.H. Bruce Lockhart in his memoirs, the movie has value for the historical events it covers. It also is credible in its portrayal of the culture and people, as well as costume and dress of the time.

It would be interesting to know how much the characters in the film are based on real people. Some are obvious – Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. But many others have fictitious names. Still, some are obvious from people in Lockhart’s book. It’s not hard to get his connection with the male lead, Leslie Howard. In name – Lockhart and Locke, as well as in character. Howard plays Steve Locke who is vice-consul to the British embassy in St. Petersburg and Moscow. When the revolution breaks out and the embassy officials are called back to England, he is left behind as the sole British representative. He’s then the acting Consul for Great Britain to Russia. In real life, Bruce Lockhart was Acting British Consul- General in Moscow when the first Russian revolution broke out in early 1917. But he returned to England before the Bolshevik Revolution of October. In January of 1918, he returned as the UK’s first envoy to the Bolsheviks. His main purpose was to persuade Russia not to sign a peace pact with Germany, and to come into WW I on the side of the Allies. That’s very close to the portrayal of Locke’s character and his movements in this film, if not the exact titles he carried.

Kay Francis plays Elena Moura. She is the secretary to Commissioner of War Trotsky. She and Locke are the romantic element of this film, and it comes across as a believably deep-felt love between the two. Howard and Francis carry off this relationship very well, with a respect for each other’s ideology. In real life, Lockhart did not have this romance, but he helped the couple that did. British writer Arthur Ransome had been living and writing in Russia when he met Trotsky’s secretary, Evgenia Petrovna Shelepina. After the end of the Bolshevik Revolution, Lockhart helped her get to England. She later married Ransome who became famous for his children’s books.

Lockhart’s life itself is very interesting for his wide travels and experiences. It’s every bit as intriguing as this film that is based on a short span of that life. Sir Robert Hamilton (R.H.) Bruce Lockhart, was a journalist, author, secret agent, British diplomat to Moscow and Prague, with other travel and business experiences as well. He also played football at Cambridge. He was a secret agent also in his consulate positions in Russia. He was a friend of Sidney Reilly. Lockhart’s son, Robin, wrote the book about Reilly, “Ace of Spies.” It was the basis for the 1983 TV miniseries, “Reilly, Ace of Spies.”

The rest of the cast in this film are excellent. William Gargan, Cesar Romero, J.Carrol Naish, and several others play their parts superbly. The only drawback to this film is the sets and quality of the film. In places it seems very stagy.

As I said the historical aspects and book connection raise this film a couple notches. The only criticism I have is with the conduct of Howard’s character, Locke. I don’t know if Lockhart or anyone else in British intelligence of the time advised on this film. But if British intelligence operated as loosely in that day as it appears in this film, it would be no wonder to any viewers how the enemy could find out so much about Britain’s operations. An example is the repeated scenes when Elena is visiting Steve and someone brings him information. Old Steve leaves doors open and talks freely about the matters so she can overhear him with no difficulty. And then, when he sees she’s gone a couple of times after that, he doesn’t seem to think any more about it, or he disregards it. I would suppose that by WW II, British intelligence would have improved to a point that such loose and stupid behavior would get one shot or locked up as a collaborator or very bad source of leaks at the least. I wonder that no one thought about that when making the movie. Or was it shown that way on purpose? Perhaps it really was that way?

The movie opens in 1917 Petrograd outside the British embassy. The city’s name had been changed from St. Petersburg at the outbreak of WW I. St. Petersburg/Petrograd was then the capitol of Russia. In 1924 its name was changed to Leningrad, and after the fall of the Iron Curtain and collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city’s name was changed back to St. Petersburg. There are many more interesting details about that time and those events. History buffs will have no difficulty finding articles on line. In the meantime, and for all others, this film serves as a good peek at the events and time. And, it’s a film that most people should enjoy.

Despite a completely unbelievable romance, the film has got something…

Hollywood and the American people seem to know very, very little about the Russian Revolution–I should know, I am a retired history teacher. In particular, few would realize that portions of Russia were occupied by foreign troops to ostensibly guarantee the safety of their nationals–though the US, Britain and others actually helped the White Russians (the anti-Communists) militarily during the period near the end of WWI up until about 1920. So, the fact that “British Agent” is set in Russia during this period makes it very interesting and unique. Aside from the very leftist film “Reds” (don’t get me started on my I dislike this dull film) and “Dr. Zhivago”, this is the only mainstream film I can think of that actually tries to discuss this period in history.

Leslie Howard plays a government agent sent to Russia following their first revolution–the one that preceded the Communist revolution five months later. The brand-new Karensky government replaced the Czars and tried to strike a balance between conservative and liberal camps. Unfortunately, they chose to try to remain in WWI–something that the people just couldn’t take, as Russian losses had been staggering and the people were starving. So Howard is given the impossible task to convince this teetering government to stay in the war because the Allied forces were afraid Russia exit would doom them to lose. And, such missions to Russia DID occur–but they had absolutely no effect and the country soon had a new revolt and they simply quit fighting.

All this is pretty interesting and here is where the film starts to bog down–even though it’s actually supposed to be based on the true story of a lady revolutionary. Kay Francis plays this woman and although Leslie is not in the least sympathetic to the communist cause, they inexplicably fall in love. Perhaps in real life this made sense but in the movie they simply went from point A to point C–skipping the explanation as to WHY they fell in love and why she was suddenly willing to abandon the nation she so loved. Why?! According to this movie, it was almost a whim! My other gripe against the film is small and very typical for movies of the era. This is that no one in the film really looked or sounded Russian! Heck, most didn’t even bother to put on a fake Russian accent! Still, if you can ignore these two problems, the film is interesting and informative. And, that makes it worth seeing.

Romance And Counterrevolution

Purportedly based on the memoirs of R.H. Bruce Lockhart, the UK’s man on the ground during the days of the Russian Revolution, Leslie Howard plays the consul general at the British Embassy whose other tasks include fomenting a little counterrevolution on the side. That’s constantly getting in the way of his romance with Bolshevik Kay Francis.

What was fascinating here was that the spy Howard was so terribly indiscreet as to allow Francis to gain valuable information for her side. As a British Agent it seemed like everything that Howard was trying came up real short except in the romance department.

But Howard and Francis are a good match in screen chemistry in the romance department. As history British Agent leaves a lot to be desired. I think had the film been done by a British studio it probably would have turned out better.