ADVENTURES OF TARTU (1943) Robert Donat, Valerie Hobson & Walter Rilla | Retro Movie

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The Adventures of Tartu (alternate British title and American release title: Sabotage Agent, also known as Tartu) is a 1943 British Second World War spy film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Robert Donat.[2] It was a morale booster of the era portraying Nazis as highly corruptible due to their desire to seduce women and to gain personal advancemenT.

Synopsis

British Captain Terence Stevenson accepts an assignment even more dangerous than his everyday wartime job of defusing unexploded bombs. Fluent in Romanian and German and having studied chemical engineering, he is parachuted into Romania to assume the identity of Captain Jan Tartu, a member of the fascist Iron Guard. He makes his way to Czechoslovakia to steal the formula of a new Nazi poison gas and sabotage the chemical plant where it is being manufactured.

However, his contact is arrested before he can arrange for a job in the factory. Tartu is instead assigned work as a foreman at a munitions factory, where he is issued a German uniform. He is billeted in the house of Anna Palacek and her daughter Pavla, who works in the plant; also living there are German Inspector Otto Vogel and the lovely Maruschuka Lanova, who lives well by making herself popular with the German officers.

At work the next day, Pavla is seen attempting sabotage. She whispers to Tartu to protect himself by denouncing her. He does, and she is summarily executed. The factory manager rewards Tartu by arranging the transfer he wants, to the chemical plant.

The same day, Maruschuka contacts Dr. Novotny, the leader of the local resistance group, and says she trusts Tartu. However they have already concluded that he had saved Pavla as a trick to win the confidence of the underground and order him killed. To arrange this while avoiding the execution of 200 Czechs by the Nazis in retribution, Maruschuka returns home and comes on seductively to Vogel. She tells him she is sure Tartu is a spy and Vogel says he will call the Gestapo. But she suggests Vogel advance his career by taking the initiative and killing Tartu himself. Vogel wants evidence, so she goes out again with Tartu that night, so that Vogel can overhear them talking. But they are interrupted before this can happen.

The next day, Tartu goes to work for Dr. Willendorf, the head of the chemical plant. He is dismayed to learn that the first shipment of gas is scheduled for the following night. Desperate to reach the resistance, he pretends to get drunk in a bar and brags that he knows of six Czech resistance members about to be arrested and killed. His idea works: he is abducted by the underground, and with a great deal of effort, finally convinces them they are on the same side. Working all night, they manufacture enough miniature bombs to demolish the plant if properly placed.

At the Palacek house, Vogel checks up on Tartu's credentials and happily informs Maruschuka that Tartu is indeed a spy. She believes Vogel and, trying to stop him telling anyone else, accidentally kills him. She hurries to the chemical plant to warn Tartu that he is in danger. He sounds an air raid alarm and runs through the plant setting the bombs in their places. The Germans quickly realize he is a saboteur, but he just manages to complete his task and escape from the heavily guarded plant, which blows up as he is driven away.

Finally he, Maruschuka, and a pilot steal a German bomber and fly to safety as he proposes "just a simple little wedding".

Cast & Crew

Robert Donat as Captain Terence Stevenson
Valerie Hobson as Maruschuka Lanova
Walter Rilla as Inspector Otto Vogel
Glynis Johns as Pavla Palacek
Phyllis Morris as Anna Palacek
Martin Miller as Dr. Novotny
Anthony Eustrel as German Officer
Percy Walsh as Dr. Willendorf
David Ward as Bronte
Mabel Terry-Lewis (credited as Mabel Terry Lewis) as Mrs. Stevenson
Frederic Richter as General Weymouth
John Penrose as Lieutenant in gas factory
Hubert Leslie as Peter Valek
Miki Iveria as Female worker at Skoda
Lawrence O'Madden as Col. Perry
Josephine Wilson as Nurse

Directed by: Harold S. Bucquet
Written by:
John C. Higgins
Screenplay by: John Lee Mahin, Howard Emmett Rogers, Miles Malleson (uncredited)
Produced by: Irving Asher
Starring:
Robert Donat as Stephen Neale
Valerie Hobson as Carla
Walter Rilla as Dr. Forrester
Glynis Johns as Mrs. Bellamy
Cinematography: John J. Cox
Edited by: Douglas Myers
Music by:
Louis Levy
Hubert Bath
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios
Distributed by: Loew's Inc.
Release Dates:
U.S.: September 24, 1943
UK: November 15, 1943
Running Time:
111 minutes (UK)
103 minutes (U.S.)
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English