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Conspirators, The (1944) |
World War II anti-Nazi resistance members use old coin to identify members
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The 1944 film "The Conspirators" is set during World War II in Lisbon.
Portugal was a neutral country and the city is full of refugees, spies, and, yes, conspirators.
Vincent Van Der Lyn (Paul Henried) is a Netherlands resistance man who flees the Nazi Gestapo to Lisbon.
He meets Irene Von Mohr (Hedy Lamarr) who is married to a Nazi official.
A British agent is carrying a rare coin used to identify himself. The agent is murdered, the coin stolen,
and Vincent and the others try to find it along with identifying a traitor amongst them.
The coin used in the film is a prop coin token, possibly a game or gambling token.
1. Title
Lisbon is identified as "the only remaining open port on the continent of Europe."
Embassies of both the Allies and Axis are there and the airport services flights from both sides.
A German Embassy official gets a telephone call.
2. A Nazi gets the word
The telephone call warns the official to be on the lookout for Vincent Van Der Lyn,
a Dutch agent known as the "Flying Dutchman."
Vincent is there and meets a contact person.
3. Vincent meets a contact
Do you know a good pawnshop?
There are no good pawnshops, my friend.
A pawnshop is the graveyard of dead hopes.
But still, you can direct me.
He then heads to a restaurant to order the first good meal he has had in years.
There he meets Irene Von Mohr who seats herself at his table.
4. Irene meets Vincent
Both are hiding from people and they become acquainted.
Outside the contact meets another man and gives him the coin.
5. Contact passes the coin
The coin is passed to Jennings, an agent who has arrived from London.
The coin is called an "Eagle" but is not an American ten dollar gold coin also known as an "eagle."
The coin is shown here but only one side which has the figure of an eagle holding a branch.
6. The coin reverse
The coin is a film prop coin or a game or bar token pressed into service.
Vincent is given the address of an antiques shop run by Ricardo Quintanilla, a former writer.
Ricardo is the head of a local group of exiles from Nazi-occupied countries.
One of the men is Jan Bernazsky who tells his story.
7. Ricardo watches Jan tell his story
Oh, its really nothing.
You see, the Nazis had heard of my collection of clocks, and as they all are notorious lovers of art.
Well, they decided to move the collection to their beloved Berlin.
There was one clock, 16th century masterpiece, exquisite.
As the hour struck, the tiny, little doors opened and out came the apostles.
At 1:00 Saint John, at 2:00 Saint Luke, and so on.
The gentlemen of the Gestapo were fascinated so they sent for their commander.
He was a particularly energetic collector of art in the services of his excellency Field Marshal Göring
I slipped out of the house and left them waiting for Saint Peter.
They didn't have to wait long, the little door opened, out came Saint Peter.
But I had taken the liberty of providing the saint with a little dynamite.
Later Vincent and Irene visit a Fado club:
8. Vincent and Irene at the Fado club
Irene tells Vincent what the Fado song is:
Fado means fate
To me all these songs are sad like the first fado I ever heard.
The words still haunt me.
For the love of you, I lost God.
For the love of you, I lost myself.
Now I see myself alone, without God, without love, without ... you.
Vincent finds Jennings dying without the coin in his hotel room and the police arriving, he is arrested by
Captain Pereira. He later escapes from the local jail and heads for a meeting of the group.
Hugo Von Mohr is Irene's husband, a German official who is a member of the group.
Ricardo tells the others that another agent is being sent to replace Jennings and that Jennings was killed
by one of the group who is a traitor.
Ricardo gives the new agent's hotel room number to each member of the group separately;
a different number for each member.
At the casino the traitor gives "his" room number to a German official.
9. The traitor gives himself away
Hugo runs out of the casino chased by Vincent and a gunfight ensues with Hugo dying.
10. Vincent finds the coin
He flips the coin over showing a little of the obverse and the previously shown reverse.
11. The coin obverse and reverse
The obverse appears to show a stylized Greek male head.
Captain Pereira arrives to sort things out.
12. Vincent explains the coin to Captain Pereira
A very rare coin ... with an eagle.
That is the man who killed Jennings.
Captain Pereira lets Vincent go when and Irene arrives.
13. Vincent says goodbye to Irene
Vincent tells her that he is the new agent and is going back to the fight.
Both declare their love for each other and Vincent leaves.
So many months later, I can still see her face, shining like a silver image.
Through the darkness in which I live and do my work.
I can still see her loveliness, and I know we'll meet again in Paris or London
Or in Berlin itself when this horror is over.
In the love of you I lost myself, and now I'm alone no more.
But with God, with love, with you.
14. Irene waiting
Cast, Directors, Writers:
Hedy Lamarr as Irene Von Mohr
Paul Henreid as Vincent Van Der Lyn
Sydney Greenstreet as Ricardo Quintanilla
Peter Lorre as Jan Bernazsky
Victor Francen as Hugo Von Mohr
Joseph Calleia as Police Captain Pereira
Director: Jean Negulesco
Writers: Vladimir Pozner, Leo Rosten, Jack Moffitt, Fredric Prokosch (novel)
Paul Henreid as Vincent Van Der Lyn
Sydney Greenstreet as Ricardo Quintanilla
Peter Lorre as Jan Bernazsky
Victor Francen as Hugo Von Mohr
Joseph Calleia as Police Captain Pereira
Writers: Vladimir Pozner, Leo Rosten, Jack Moffitt, Fredric Prokosch (novel)
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