World War One in Classic Film Blogathon: Dark Journey (1937)

Dark Journey Poster

Vivien Leigh viewed Dark Journey as a “personal failure.” It was her sixth film, but “her first true leading role,” and her lack of confidence during the production made her overly critical of her performance. She might not have counted it among her best, but she plays the part of Madeleine Goddard better than she thought. A double agent during World War One, her Madeleine is a mixture of surface, poise, nerves, and daring. Whether brought out intentionally or accidentally, all are qualities suitable to the role.

Dark Journey Meet the Baron

Her recollections likely were influenced by the movie’s complicated plot, which can be hard to follow. Technically neutral Stockholm, is swimming with spies for all sides. Keeping track of who is an agent and for what side is a task. Then romance is added via Conrad Veidt‘s Baron Karl Von Marwitz. He’s the German secret service leader sent to ferret out the the top spy of French counter-espionage in Stockholm–Madeleine. The theme of star-crossed lovers fighting for opposing sides becomes central to the film, but its most fascinating aspects are the dangers and mechanics of spying.

Dark Journey 1930s Coat & Hat

How accurate is the film at portraying World War One? In regard to portraying certain aspects of the times, you’ll have to suspend your disbelief intentionally. The film was released in 1937. It is set in 1918. Its fashions, make-up, and hairstyles are au courant to 1937. No attempt is made to dress characters in period clothing or stylings. Musically the movie is more faithful to its setting. Its main theme song is a romantic classical piece. Diegetic music in dancing, music hall, and concert scenes are period-appropriate. In street scenes, carriages and early model cars carry passengers to and fro.

Dark Journey Lupita

Any viewer will have to carefully watch performers and their costuming to track their characters’ nationalities. This is a London Films Production, and it’s a very obviously British-made film. The majority of cast actors are British, and only one British actress attempts her character’s accent. Joan Gardner‘s accent for Lupita may not sound quite Brazilian, but it helps keep her distinct, even before stealing scenes with her comedic chops. There’s a submarine scene in which actors speak German, which lends momentary authenticity, but the majority of the movie’s dialogue is in English. Conrad, as a German-born native in real life, sports his natural accent for his role. German, Swedish, French, and Belgian parts are portrayed with British accents.

Dark Journey Cherry Orchard

More care was taken in depicting the wartime activities that occurred in Sweden. The film’s director Victor Saville travelled there for research and met “a retired vice navy admiral who had run the Swedish counterintelligence bureau during the war.” The former officer acted as a technical adviser to the film. His help may be partially why the spy scenes are weightier than the romance. The film starts with Madeleine’s sea journey interrupted by a German submarine. Although the waters between Paris and Stockholm are neutral, her ship is stopped, boarded, and searched for a spy by the German soldiers. Each time she crosses a similar scene occurs, suspense builds as she wonders when they will be searching for her. At customs and immigration checkpoints, political activities are cautioned against, and potential agents are detained. There’s a club called the Cherry Orchard, full of spies partying and paying for information.

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The cleverest incident of espionage depicted involves the dresses Madeleine imports personally from Paris for her shop. Hidden among the normal frocks are ones with coded messages. The first shown is a sheer number with embroidery. She places it over a lampshade and lines up their markings. The lampshade’s once innocuous map design decodes secret troop movements when paired with the lamp. Coordinates were sewn onto the dress. A fellow spy rushes upstairs to unpack a near empty suitcase. Inside he pulls out a flat surface and what looks like a very basic, flat skeleton of a puppet. He’s setting up a shadow show in front of the window. He projects the image of  the apparatus’s moving arms. They act as and are interpreted like semaphores by another spy on a ship in nearby waters. That is how a message from France decoded in Stockholm gets passed on to Berlin.

Dark Journey Close-Up

Back to the romance, it is not fully believable for reasons outside of plot. Vivien Leigh is photographed beautifully, and she’s dressed and styled impeccably for most of the movie. Even without being investigated by multiple intelligence agencies, her Madeleine would be pursued by many men. Conrad Veidt looks handsome, and he adds class to some lines of dialogue that would have sounded smarmier coming out of another mouth. His Karl may be older than Madeleine, but neither that nor their spying is what makes them seem an unlikely match. They do not have chemistry even though both actors try very hard to create it. The ultimate example of this is a kiss that’s supposed to be their most romantic; it looks very awkward, and the moment falls flat for me. Their ardent fans watching this film will feel their charisma, and any attractions to the performers might be projected onto the lovers they portray. Their star power might make this a quibble to some.

Dark Journey

This is not a movie for history purists, who cannot enjoy one with anachronisms. If you want to experience World War One Stockholm exactly as it was, you will be disappointed with this film. Those wanting an entertaining film with moments of genuine suspense and intrigue will get what they seek. Vivien Leigh and Conrad Veidt fans should watch this, even if they are not completists. Vivien fans will get to see her two years before Gone With The Wind, and they’ll see how much she developed as a screen actress between both films. She, also, has relatively few films to see for a star of her magnitude. While he has many more credits due to starting in the silent film era, he would only live for six years more after making this film. He may be playing yet another German officer as he did during his talkie career, but he brings more to the role than is written, both in its dramatic and comedic scenes. This film captures the moment before one performer’s stardom, and another’s unexpected twilight.

 

WWI Blogathon Banner of the Big Parade

This post was part of the World War One in Classic Film Blogathon, hosted by  Fritzi from Movies Silently and Lea at Silent-Ology. Please click the banner above to be brought to a list of the blogathon’s other participants! They’re a great  group covering a wide range of silent and classic films, celebrated and obscure, about the first Great War.

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Beth Ann Gallagher

16 Comments

  1. Reply

    Patricia Nolan-Hall (@CaftanWoman)

    September 7, 2014

    The memory of the “spying” sections of the film really do have a lasting power. I haven’t seen this film in many years, but that remains. In my memory I always mix this one up with “The Spy in Black”. That’s what comes from staying up to watch the late movie on a school night.

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 7, 2014

      Ah, so the spying aspects of the film had the most impact for you, too! It is substantiating to read that from someone who has not seen the film in a while.

      Before researching Dark Journey, I was not aware of how Conrad Veidt became a start of British cinema for some years. I specifically did not know of The Spy in Black until you mentioned it, but how can I resist viewing an unseen Powell and Pressburger? It is added to my watch list now!

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I’m looking forward to reading your piece on Ever in My Heart!

  2. Reply

    Movies, Silently

    September 7, 2014

    Thanks so much for joining in! Conrad Veidt always makes a movie worth seeing for me, even if he is not in tip top form. In addition to the aforementioned Spy in Black, I also enjoyed him very much in Contraband.

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 7, 2014

      You’re welcome! He definitely performs his character better than written. I imagine it was hard to create chemistry with someone so nervous about filming as Vivien was at the time. She worried about everything from hitting her marks to not understanding the script.

      I love Powell and Pressburger movies! I’ve not intentionally been parceling out my viewings of them to keep some unseen. Contraband is another one add to my watch list!

  3. Reply

    girlsdofilm

    September 7, 2014

    I agree that Leigh was overly critical of her performance. She looks wonderful (of course) but sometimes she seems overwhelmed by the role. I’m sure I read somewhere that she thought she never fully understood the part! Although an unexpected pairing, her and Veidt have a really natural chemistry, I wish they’d starred in more films together.

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 7, 2014

      She does look very beautiful in this movie! She’s glows in this film as her face is lovingly filmed. Those who watch one of the film’s murkier prints won’t get the same experience of gazing upon her via a restored one.

      I’m curious how their working relationship was. Did he help her through the filming since she was so nervous? He seems like he was a good man, so I’d like to think so.

  4. Reply

    karentheknowitall

    September 8, 2014

    I thought Vivien Leigh’s onscreen nerves and insecurity were absolutely appropriate to the part. She was playing a spy living and working in troubled and dangerous times and, unless the spy had nerves of steel, even a real espionage agent would have been quite scared. Thank you for your great writing on your blog.

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 11, 2014

      I’m glad you agree! Even as an experienced spy, a young woman would have gotten nervous and felt in over her head by what was going on. Thank you for the compliment, Karen!

  5. Reply

    kristina

    September 9, 2014

    good post, definitely a movie worth seeing because of the leads, regardless of what flaws it has, like you say it just looks so fantastic.

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 11, 2014

      Thanks, Kristina! It’s definitely worth seeing. The version with the cleaned up print looks very good! There are some others floating around online, like on YouTube, that look a little muddy.

  6. Reply

    Silver Screenings

    September 10, 2014

    I enjoyed your review very much, and would like to see this film despite its shortcomings. For one thing, what’s not to love about Vivien Leigh and Conrad Veidt? Plus, that wardrobe looks too fabulous!

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 11, 2014

      I think you’d enjoy it! It’s mainly a dramatic film, but there are some comedic bits to bring some light relief. The women who play Vivien’s feuding shopgirls are very funny and armed with some zingers. Writing that to you, now I feel I should have mentioned them in my review! Vivien’s wardrobe is very befitting a dress shop owner. She wears some lovely pieces!

  7. Reply

    Joe Thompson

    September 10, 2014

    Now I understand why the spy bits are much more interesting than the human bits. Thank you for explaining that. The 1937 clothes and hair in 1918 bothered me, too. Thank you for sharing with us all.

    • Reply

      msbethg

      September 11, 2014

      You’re welcome, Joe! I see you blog, too. I’m going to check yours out later. Have a great night!

  8. Reply

    Erin

    September 8, 2023

    It’s interesting to learn that she didn’t like herself in this. I thought she was wonderful. Her and that hiked eyebrow of hers. Ha.

    • Reply

      Beth Ann Gallagher

      September 10, 2023

      It is odd that our experience of her performance was so different of her perception of it, Erin. I think it speaks to her work ethic. She had high standards, and she was probably the harshest judge of her own work.

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