''Operation Secret'' is a 1952 American

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Lewis Seiler Lewis Seiler (September 30, 1890 – January 8, 1964) was an American film director. He directed more than 80 films between 1923 and 1958. Seiler was born in New York City, and died at UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, Los Angeles. Partial fi ...

and written by Harold Medford and James R. Webb. The film stars:

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...

, Steve Cochran, Phyllis Thaxter,

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American stage, movie and television actor who first achieved acclaim in the original Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's '' All My Sons'' and Tennessee Will ...

, Paul Picerni and

Lester Matthews Arthur Lester Matthews (6 June 1900 – 5 June 1975) was an English actor. Career In his career, the handsome Englishman made more than 180 appearances in film and on television. He was erroneously credited in later years as Les Matthews. M ...

. The film was released by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

on November 8, 1952. The film is based on the exploits of US Marine Corps Major Peter Ortiz.

Plot

The story is told through testimonial flashbacks at a

military tribunal Military justice (or military law) is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states us ...

held in Paris after the end of World War II. Its purpose is to investigate and uncover the identity of a traitor reputed to have fed information to German Occupation forces. In its efforts to find the truth, four witnesses are called to testify: (a) Peter Forrester, an American, ostensibly OSS, who served with the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

movement; (b) Maria Corbett, a Resistance member who posed as a Catholic nun; (c) Marcel Brevoort, a Resistance leader who served with Forrester before and after France's fall; and (d) Major Latrec, the most zealous anti-Nazi in the group, demonstrably loyal to the Underground's cause. Testimonial recall of their unit's activity during the war builds to a surprising revelation.

Cast

as Peter Forrester * Steve Cochran as Marcel Brevoort * Phyllis Thaxter as Maria Corbet *

as Maj. Latrec * Paul Picerni as Capt. Armand Dupree *

as Robbins *

Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (1 May 1919 – 17 February 2005) was an Irish actor. His best-known roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the title character in Luis Buñuel's ''Robinson Crusoe'' (1954), Brigadier General Warren A. Black in ...

as Mike Duncan *

Jay Novello Jay Novello (born Michael Romano, August 22, 1904 – September 2, 1982) was an American radio, film, and television character actor. Radio career Novello began his 47-year acting career in the 1930s, performing as a character on radio. ...

as Herr Bauer * Wilton Graff as French Official * Dan Riss as German Sergeant * Harlan Warde as Maj. Dawson *Kenneth Patterson as General *William F. Leicester as Capt. Hughes *Gayle Kellogg as Corporal

Critical reception

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

said the film "spins its story vigorously but with little impact. This dissipation of potential tension may be attributed to the fact that the self-effacing bravery displayed here has been in evidence on film before, and with greater effect." Crowther said that even though it was based on fact, "this annal of dedicated men braving dangerous assignments appears to be largely hackneyed deeds out of an old and not too thrilling history." A ''

New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...

'' critic observed that earlier films about the underground in Europe had presented all the fighters as "heroes and patriots." but that "now, apparently, it can be told that some of the leaders of resistance movements were fighting first for Russia and only incidentally for their native lands." She praised Wilde for an "effective performance."

References

External links

* 1952 films 1950s war drama films American war drama films Films directed by Lewis Seiler Films scored by Roy Webb Films with screenplays by James R. Webb Films about the French Resistance World War II spy films Warner Bros. films Films adapted into comics 1952 drama films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films English-language war drama films Films set in London Films set in Paris Films set in Marseille {{WWII-drama-film-stub