Lancer Spy

This uninspired "Prisoner of Zenda" ripoff has little to recommend it, and certainly not George Sanders, who's as unconvincing as an English action hero as he is as a Stroheim-style Prussian. Peter Lorre seems to be here mainly for the marquee value of his name, as he's given absolutely nothing to do.

George Sanders speaks in an German accent in this film and would go on to play a German in both 'Confessions of a Nazi Spy' and 'Man Hunt'. His German is quite good, and his stiff wooden acting makes him convincing as a German. Here you see him being trained as an Englishman to speak German, and you can see his evolution from an Englishman to portraying future German roles. I've never been a fan of Peter Lorre so I haven't got much to say about his contribution to this film, although he does play a minor role and keeps low profile. This is more like a workshop for Sanders to evolve into a German character rather than a film that stands by itself.

A good cast is the highlight of the 1937 film, Lancer Spy, starring George Sanders, Delores Del Rio, Peter Lorre, Virginia Field, Sid Rumann, and Joseph Schildkraut. Sanders plays an English soldier in World War I who bears such a strong resemblance to a captured German prisoner that he is sent in to replace him and learn valuable information. When the German officers become suspicious, they send a spy (Del Rio) in to find out if he is in fact the German officer. 20th Century Fox used this film to promote George Sanders as a star; however, he had been in previous films for the studio, including Lloyds of London. He is very good, as he always was. Del Rio is impossibly beautiful. Schildkraut gives his role an amusing characterization. For me he can never go wrong. Peter Lorre has a small role. Not much of a story, since in these films, stealing information is always right there in the file cabinet. However, this is an entertaining film.

This movie is a real must see for Sanders fans. It's an adaptation of the "Prisoner of Zenda"...Sanders plays an unwilling part in a Great War "sting", to capture vital enemy secrets, due to his uncanny resemblance to a top German officer. The result is an action packed thriller with a nice quirky ending. Watch out for Dolores Del Rio as a splendid Marta Hari figure....just darn excellent!