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13 Rue Madeleine

James Cagney's straight-faced secret service agent is the perfect compliment to Henry Hathaway's "13 Rue Madeleine," which covers a fictional World War II operation taking place in a Nazi-occupied France in the months following Pearl Harbor. With the creation of the new V-2 missile, the Germans appear to have the upper hand, leading the United States to form a new branch of the military comprised of secret agents who are taught to lie, cheat, steal, and kill without hesitation. Cagney plays Bob Sharkey, who heads up this effort, but with one setback in mind: one of his agents, Bill H. O'Connell (Richard Conte), is actually a double agent for the German Gestapo. When one of the American agents, Jeff Lassiter (Frank Latimore), mysteriously loses his life in a parachute jump, O'Connell disappears, and Sharkey, knowing that the enemy already knows too much, makes the decision to go in after him. ***

This plays out against the backdrop of war as seen through the eyes of the filmmakers, most noticeably influenced by producer Louis De Rochemont's background as a documentarian for Time-Life. With a cross-section of actual location shooting and footage taken during combat, there is a sense of realism that enhances the authenticity of the proceedings; when coupled with the at-times suspenseful story, the film can reach some pretty spectacular heights. Scenes involving mere dialogue exchanges would otherwise seem redundant and obligatory were it not for the sharp delivery from the actors, all of whom do a commendable job of keeping the proceedings lively and intriguing. While certainly not one of the most memorable films with a war centerpiece, "13 Rue Madeleine" manages to be less strenuous and iresome than some of its classical counterparts.

This DVD presentation is meaured at 1.37:1. Struck from a nearly pristine source print, there is very little in the way of scratches or speckle, and while film grain is a bit heavy in places, it's perfectly acceptable given the film's age. The black-and-white photography has survived the decades and looks terrific, with solid blacks and good contrast and shadow detail. Clarity is much bettter than expected, with very sharp edges that are lacking in enhancement artifacts. Very good! ***

The sound is mastered in the same old Dolby 2.0 Mono track, but considering the fact that much of the movie consists of dialogue exchanges, a remaster isn't of great importance. Actually, the mono track sounds pretty decent, with very little hiss or background noise to contend with. Dialogue sounds fairly natural, while the sparse sound effects are less harsh than other mono tracks would be. All things considered, it's slightly above average.