This is a thoroughly adequate film and not much more. It was intended to try to capitalize on the success of CASABLANCA. Despite Warner Brothers trying to recapture the magic of this earlier film, THE CONSPIRATORS just can't compare--mostly due to a very poor script and some poor performances. Now the parallels to CASABLANCA are there but the film isn't a remake. Instead, it's a slight reworking of the ideas and a few plot points. Many of the stars in the film were actually originally in CASABLANCA (Paul Henreid, Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorr).
Henreid plays a Dutch freedom fighter who has escaped to neutral Portugal. His hope is to go from there to Britain, since he is a wanted man in Nazi occupied Europe. However, once in Lisbon, there is a long and complicated web of Nazis and anti-fascist operatives. Uncovering who were actually friends and who were double-agents was the main theme of the film.
As for Henreid and Hedy Lamarr, they are agreeable enough people but just don't have the charisma to make us forget Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from CASABLANCA. Henreid isn't really bad--he just isn't Bogie. As for Lamarr, she is the weakest link in the film. Like so many of her films, she is essentially a walking mannequin--wearing lots and lots of expensive costumes (common for her films) but also delivering a rather flat and emotionless performance. Had the part been written more multi-dimensionally, perhaps she would have been a greater asset to the film. Aside from her beauty, she added little to the film--especially since her romance with Henried seemed to come out of nowhere and there was little chemistry between them.
As for the intrigue, it wasn't bad but it also wasn't particularly good. Plus, so many plot holes and inconsistencies made the film very slow going at the end. The finale seemed to drag and much of it just didn't make sense.
Still, this is a decent wartime film--not great, but a decent enough time passer.
Henreid plays a Dutch freedom fighter who has escaped to neutral Portugal. His hope is to go from there to Britain, since he is a wanted man in Nazi occupied Europe. However, once in Lisbon, there is a long and complicated web of Nazis and anti-fascist operatives. Uncovering who were actually friends and who were double-agents was the main theme of the film.
As for Henreid and Hedy Lamarr, they are agreeable enough people but just don't have the charisma to make us forget Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from CASABLANCA. Henreid isn't really bad--he just isn't Bogie. As for Lamarr, she is the weakest link in the film. Like so many of her films, she is essentially a walking mannequin--wearing lots and lots of expensive costumes (common for her films) but also delivering a rather flat and emotionless performance. Had the part been written more multi-dimensionally, perhaps she would have been a greater asset to the film. Aside from her beauty, she added little to the film--especially since her romance with Henried seemed to come out of nowhere and there was little chemistry between them.
As for the intrigue, it wasn't bad but it also wasn't particularly good. Plus, so many plot holes and inconsistencies made the film very slow going at the end. The finale seemed to drag and much of it just didn't make sense.
Still, this is a decent wartime film--not great, but a decent enough time passer.