No matter how hard they tried Warner Brothers just could not duplicate the magic that was Casablanca. They tried it was in Background To Danger where George Raft who was considered for Humphrey Bogart's role got the lead. It was a routine action/adventure film set in Turkey.
In The Conspirators this time it was Hedy Lamarr who was originally considered for Ingrid Bergman's part finally made it to Warner Brothers. She is the wife of Victor Francen who is a German embassy official and both are part of an underground group which Sidney Greenstreet heads and Peter Lorre is also a member.
Into all their lives comes Dutch resistance fighter Paul Henreid and the two have big eyes for each other, but there is a traitor in that little underground group who is spoiling things all around political, geographic and personal. A murder is committed and Henreid is the suspect and both the underground and the Portugese police in the persons of Eduardo Ciannelli and Joseph Calleia are on his trail.
The atmosphere of intrigue in World War II Lisbon just as in World War II Casablanca is nicely created by director Jean Negulesco. But the magical chemistry of Bogey and Bergman just isn't there. Like Background To Danger, The Conspirators is just another action/adventure film with an exotic background.
In The Conspirators this time it was Hedy Lamarr who was originally considered for Ingrid Bergman's part finally made it to Warner Brothers. She is the wife of Victor Francen who is a German embassy official and both are part of an underground group which Sidney Greenstreet heads and Peter Lorre is also a member.
Into all their lives comes Dutch resistance fighter Paul Henreid and the two have big eyes for each other, but there is a traitor in that little underground group who is spoiling things all around political, geographic and personal. A murder is committed and Henreid is the suspect and both the underground and the Portugese police in the persons of Eduardo Ciannelli and Joseph Calleia are on his trail.
The atmosphere of intrigue in World War II Lisbon just as in World War II Casablanca is nicely created by director Jean Negulesco. But the magical chemistry of Bogey and Bergman just isn't there. Like Background To Danger, The Conspirators is just another action/adventure film with an exotic background.