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The Adventures of Tartu, aka Sabotage Agent (1943)

6/1/2014

24 Comments

 
Officer #1:  [leans in]  "This is a sabotage job..."
Officer #2:  "...and a pretty long shot, what ever way you look at it.  No one would blame you if you               don't think you're up to it."
Stevenson:   When would you want me to start, sir?"
Officer #2:  "Tonight!"

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As we begin,  we see the bombed-out husk of a hospital in downtown London,  apparently right in the middle of Hitler's brutal Blitz.  Our hero,  Captain Terence Stevenson (played by Robert Donat) sits,  straddling an unexploded bomb, half-buried in the dirt.  Above him,  in what remains of the hospital,  lies a small boy who cannot be moved,  attended by his nurse.  Stevenson gets out his tools;  it's his job to diffuse the device, and, as the constantly Nazis made ever-changing designs with increasingly creative detonators,  this is a job for a creature with iron-hard guts.  The little boy, curious,  asks Stevenson questions,  and as the officer dissects the workings of this killer, he chats with him, calm as can be. 

This is how we're introduced to the 1943 British production,  The Adventures of Tartu,  also known as Sabotage Agent.  It's a perfect start to a perfect spy film;  the trail ahead is constantly changing and treacherous,  and without a quick wit and a steady hand, death is possible with the slightest mistake.  It's this bravery that brings him to the attention of British military intelligence.  Stevenson,  a Romanian-born Brit who went to university in Germany (studying chemical engineering), and perfectly fluent in both languages, is chosen to go into Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to destroy a munitions factory that is producing poison gas "on a huge scale".  He's given a cover alias,  that of Romanian chemist Jan Tartu, a chemical expert, and a member of the pro-Nazi Romanian "Iron Guard".

Contrary to the typical spy archetype, Tartu is a bit of a twit.  He's a twit,  a charmer, a dapper slickster, and a gigolo, described by a Brit agent as
"an officer, but not a gentleman".  He dazzles the Nazis with double-speak and tomfoolery, all the while disguising a hard, metal gaze.  It's very much along the line of Tyrone Power's magnificent killer buffoon in the 1940 classic, The Mark of Zorro.  Donat plays most every moment with guile and mobile charm.  There are no wasted facial expressions,  and his timing is that of a master comedian; constantly shifting, adapting to every new danger.  There are, in spite of these skills, moments when Captain Stevenson is forced to bear some completely intolerable stuff, and we do see him peer out of his Taru mask,  horrified.  Stevenson, after all, is not the fool that Tartu is;  he's a very human being...one who feels every atrocity to the bone.

Donat is really impressive in this one.  He has all the charm of a Ronald Colman,  and that classic British steel that one requires for this type of thing is his in spades. In many ways, this film is more John Buchan-esque than Donat's actual Buchan film, The 39 Steps.  Tartu could very well be one of Buchan's stalwart, stiff-upper-lip British heroes,  playing the fool one moment,  then killing the enemy with a chilling calm the next.   It's amazing to me how exciting and ever-shifting the vibe is throughout Tartu,  when one considers that the director,
Harold S. Bucquet, was mostly known for the Dr. Kildare series.  I enjoyed those Kildare movies for sure,  but I had no idea that something this amazing was in him!  It goes to show that a solid director,  given a  killer script,  and an amazing cast (Valerie Hobson, co-star of another spy-type  masterpiece,   Q Planes, was in-credible here), can produce miracles!

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Robert Donat is one of those interesting, nearly-ignored figures in pre-40's film (though he did work post-1940,  it seems that his only recognised works are in the 30's).  Like Ronald Colman, and to a lesser degree William Powell,  that 1940 cut-off point left much of his best work relegated to us film geeks,  with one or two currently known features to their names.  I think it's tragic.  If it hadn't been for films like The 39 Steps, Lost Horizon, and even The Thin Man, these amazingly skilled and charismatic actors would be almost completely unknown outside the "movie buff" ghetto.  It amazes me when I'm talking with people who love film, yet haven't heard of some of their other classics.
In any case, for any lover of classic spy films, Republic serials, and also of pulp magazines,  there is no movie that feels more as if it has been lifted right off the pages of a Pulp!  The Adventures of Tartu is pure old school espionage in motion,  and Robert Donat plays it as perfectly as a Pulp fan would wish!  Add to that the original James Bond-type powerhouse ending (very nearly science fiction), and you have nothing short of perfection!

I really can't urge a fan of classic film too strongly to see this;  it's just about my favourite adventure movie of all time!

A side note:  Beware hacked-up versions.  The Adventures of Tartu is 103 minutes!
There is a very good complete version on this inexpensive set (HERE)

For an additional bit of Spy fun, continue on to the next review below for a Harry Houdini silent (or click HERE to go directly).  A nod to our Blogathon host, Movies Silently!

This is my pick for the Snoopathon, a Blogathon of Spies!   Click the banner to the right to see some of the other blogs and their picks!
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24 Comments
Patricia Nolan-Hall (Caftan Woman) link
6/1/2014 12:04:29 am

A couple of years ago I enjoyed "The Adventures of Tartu" on TCM one afternoon and immediately afterward they ran "Sabotage Agent". Either somebody wasn't paying attention or somebody is one big Robert Donat fan.

Reply
Clayton
6/1/2014 03:16:42 am

Hahaha...so nice, they had to screen it twice! Well, it beats listing the William Powell MY MAN GODFREY and actually showing the Niven! Oh, the horror of it! :)

I wish that there had been more than one Tartu film; that would be incredible! Thanks for the fun comment!

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Fritzi Kramer link
6/1/2014 10:18:44 am

Sounds like a ton of fun! I haven't seen this film but the twittish description reminds me of the OSS Agent 117 films. How could it go wrong? Thanks so much for joining the event

Reply
Clayton
6/1/2014 01:31:31 pm

It's really quite excellent! I've seen OSS 117 picture Cairo, Nest of Spies, and I thought it was fun; this isn't like that; it's a bit of a more serious Mark of Zorro. Lots of people die, or are afraid of death. It's really exciting.

I love a good blogathon; thanks for hosting!

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Joe Thompson link
6/2/2014 12:41:37 pm

I love Robert Donat, but I have never seen this one. I'm adding it to my list. I really want his voice.

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Clayton
6/2/2014 02:10:56 pm

Totally worth it.

Imagine such a great voice, and apparently he had near crippling Asthma, which, though apparently psychosomatic, limited his career to a very short list of movies.

Thanks for your comment!.

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Todd Benefiel link
6/2/2014 01:38:35 pm

If someone is this enthusiastic about a film I've never heard of, it means it's going on my must-see list! And thanks for the link! I like the title 'Sabotage Agent' much better than the other; I wonder if it was changed for a re-issue, or the US wanted something different...hmmm.

Reply
Clayton
6/2/2014 06:08:01 pm

As far as I can tell, "the Adventures of..." (which I think suits the pulpy tone of it), was a contemporary title in America. I guess them Americans just gotta be different! :)

Thanks much for the comment!

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Cameron link
6/3/2014 12:41:40 am

Great post! I haven't seen this but now I want to! Especially since it features a character who is "a twit, a charmer, a dapper slickster, and a gigolo, described as a Brit agent as "an officer, but not a gentleman". Sounds amazing! Thanks for a great read!

Reply
Clayton
6/3/2014 04:57:49 am

You flatter me, sir. :)

This is one of the great unsung spy pictures of all time, and I just gotta spread the word! So nice to find the hidden treasures; to me, that's what Blogathons are all about.

Thanks for your comment!

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Silver Screenings link
6/3/2014 11:57:02 am

I'm another one who hasn't seen this, but I will watch for it. (Thanks for the tip re: the 103-minute run time.) Robert Donat always gives a person their money's worth, doesn't he? I can only imagine how terrific he is here.

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Clayton
6/4/2014 05:24:24 am

You're quite welcome! He's about as charming as one could possibly be, and Valerie Hobson is also very good here, too.

That era has so many great hidden movies; It's a great age when we can spread the info to other fans! Thanks for your comment. :)

Reply
Jeff
6/3/2014 10:10:31 pm

This was a good read, Clayton! I love your description of Robert Donat's cover persona here. I haven't seen this one but it sounds awesome! So the quality is decent on that 50 War Movie pack you linked to? There doesn't seem to be any official studio DVD release, alas.

It's also good to see you champion Robert Donat, another great presence unfairly neglected today, other than, as you say, a handful of his most famous films. I want to see KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOR as well...that'd be a good spy-tastic double feature!

Reply
Clayton
6/4/2014 05:21:37 am

Thanks! Yes, the version on that Combat set is very good, and there are a bunch of other fun, low-budget war curios on there to flesh out the value of your spending dollar..

I've seen KNIGHT WITHOUT HONOUR...it's like TARTU crossed with NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA. I'd love to get that one on DVD!

Between this and the Houdini review, this blogathon has been GREAT. Thanks for your comment!

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kristina link
6/4/2014 09:36:04 am

this movie was recently recommended to me and I actually have it right by the tv to watch very soon so I was extra interested in this post. Big Donat fan myself. having the best time reading these and will be back soon to catch up on your other posts

Reply
Clayton
6/4/2014 10:24:03 am

Hi Kristina! It's good to hear that people are recommending it! For the longest time there were only a few pretty poor, chopped releases; I'm glad to see a few decent options!

Thanks for your comment; I really do appreciate them.

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Ruth @ The Counterfeit Writer link
6/5/2014 05:03:14 pm

Great review! Robert Donat was a superb actor, and "The Adventures of Tartu" is a fun movie. Your comparison of Tartu to Zorro is spot-on.

I'm glad you warned people to look for the complete version. I lucked out and watched the 103-min version first, before running into copies that cut out the entire introduction. You can't miss the introduction!

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Clayton
6/5/2014 09:21:29 pm

Yeah! The intro shows us his steely nerve; without it, he might actually be a twit, wot? Any guy who'll sit on an unexploded bomb is just the guy to outwit the Nazis, hahaha.

Thanks for your comment!

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Amy J link
6/6/2014 06:31:58 am

Thanks for posting about this--it's on my Amazon watchlist now. Who doesn't love Robert Donat?!

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Clayton
6/6/2014 07:36:41 am

Who doesn't like Robert Donat? Well, I'm sure there's someone, but they're probably in prison, or they live in a cave underground, gnawing on rat bones...and justifiably so, in both cases.

Let me know what you thought about TARTU when you've seen it!

Thanks for your comment!

Reply
Colin link
6/20/2014 01:14:51 am

For some reason I've never seen this film, and I like Donat a lot. He was terrific in THE 39 STEPS and I'm fond of KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOR too.
I guess his poor health played a part in his lack of film roles after 1940 - a shame really.

Reply
Clayton
6/20/2014 05:14:51 am

It is a shame, and, it seems, an even greater tragedy in that his condition (according to various sources) was apparently mental. So many great artists have ball & chain about the throat, whether it be an illness, an extreme political viewpoint, or even a difficult temperament. It sure is tough to be a human, wot?

Thanks for your comment!

Reply
Colin link
6/20/2014 05:25:06 am

Now that I didn't know. If it was indeed primarily a psychological matter then it really is tragic. Such a warm and pleasant screen personality.

Reply
Clayton
6/21/2014 06:28:01 am

The path to legend status is a rough one; I think a great many talents missed it by such a very small margin. Robert Donat had everything it took to be up there with the Bogart-types, but his spare filmography and being relegated mostly to the 1930's ghetto were major barriers.

If not for THE 39 STEPS, then what?

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