The early portions of this film are ill-constructed, but the later half makes up for it. The story is about a Dutch resistance fighter who works with British intelligence during WWII. Code named "Rembrandt", Colonel Pieter Deventer (Clark Gable) agrees to work as a liaison between the British and the Dutch. They bring on a mysterious woman named Carla Van Oven (Lana Turner) to facilitate communications between the Brits and the notorious Dutch freedom fighter called "The Scarf" (Victor Mature).
The romance in the film is lukewarm, at best, leaving the viewer to wonder how deep the feelings run. Carla embeds herself in the Dutch resistance as the Allied forces move across Europe and make plans to invade Holland.
The film gets much more interesting when they believe they have a double agent working against them. The story turns into a mystery, and everyone is a suspect. At this point, as all alliances are being examined, the vague romantic connections might actually advance the story.
In the end, the traitor is exposed, but the viewer needs a very good reason for the betrayal to feel satisfaction. The explanation given feels weak, so the film ends on a low note.
The romance in the film is lukewarm, at best, leaving the viewer to wonder how deep the feelings run. Carla embeds herself in the Dutch resistance as the Allied forces move across Europe and make plans to invade Holland.
The film gets much more interesting when they believe they have a double agent working against them. The story turns into a mystery, and everyone is a suspect. At this point, as all alliances are being examined, the vague romantic connections might actually advance the story.
In the end, the traitor is exposed, but the viewer needs a very good reason for the betrayal to feel satisfaction. The explanation given feels weak, so the film ends on a low note.