13 Rue Madeleine

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Henry Hathaway's 13 Rue Madeleine (1946) is the most enduring of a tiny group of postwar feature films dealing with the OSS, or Office of Strategic Services -- precursor to the CIA -- that went into production soon after the end of World War II. Its mix of a documentary approach and the best elements of the spy thriller, and some of the best performances ever given by its supporting cast members, has allowed the film to endure in popularity across the generations. The movie was long a staple of broadcast television, though this reviewer doesn't remember it looking quite this rich or sharp, or being as seamless as it plays back here. The film captured the best elements of documentary/newsreel realism and movie studio smoothness, and the rich full-frame image (1.33-to-1) on this DVD brings those elements out in ways that no presentation since 1947 has managed to do. The 18 chapters are more than adequate for the briskly paced 95 minute movie, which is supplemented by its original trailer (which makes this intelligently wrought plot sound a bit more overheated than it is). Among the bonus features, for no obvious reason we're treated to a Fox-Movietone newsreel dealing with the German V-weapons. Additionally, there are trailers for five more movies in the same round of releases from Fox's "War Classics" series, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, The Desert Fox, The Enemy Below, Sink The Bismarck, and The Blue Max. All of this material is accessible through an easily navigable triple-layer menu that opens automatically on start-up. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital
• Screen: Black and White
• Subtitle: Spanish, English
• Features:
  • cc [None specified]

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       James Cagney - Bob Sharkey
       Annabella - Suzanne de Bouchard
       Roland Belanger - Joseph
       Richard Conte - Bill O'Connell
       Frank Latimore - Jeff Lassiter
       Walter Abel - Charles Gibson

• Director:

  Henry Hathaway

• Producer:

  Louis de Rochemont

• Screenwriter:

  Sy Bartlett, John Monks, Jr.

• Cinematographer:

  Norbert F. Brodin

• Composer (Music Score):

  David Buttolph, Alfred Newman

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  David Buttolph, Alfred Newman

• Editor:

  Harmon Jones

• Art Director:

  James Basevi, Maurice Ransford, Lyle Wheeler

REVIEWS:

• {#13 Rue Madeleine} is never as gripping and thrilling a {\spy} story as one may want, but it's serviceable and mildly engaging -- certainly worth a viewing by those who enjoy espionage tales. Modern audiences will probably be amused by the somewhat stiff {\documentary}-style voice-overs that introduce the film, and there's something "square" about the entire enterprise, but these flaws don't seriously detract from the film. What is a bit more of a problem is the lack of real suspense. The audience is clued in on many important developments too early, almost as if director {$Henry Hathaway} felt as if he couldn't string the viewer along and let the tension build up in any one sequence for too long. Things, therefore, are presented a little too straightforwardly for this kind of film, and this dampens its ultimate impact. Fortunately, {#Madeleine} has a very fine cast to keep the viewer's interest, lead by the solid, persuasive performance of {$James Cagney}. {$Frank Latimore} is a bit amateurish as {%Lassiter}, but he's the only real weak link. The real O.S.S. footage is also a plus, especially for history buffs. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
• 13 Rue Madeleine is never as gripping and thrilling a spy story as one may want, but it's serviceable and mildly engaging -- certainly worth a viewing by those who enjoy espionage tales. Modern audiences will probably be amused by the somewhat stiff documentary-style voice-overs that introduce the film, and there's something "square" about the entire enterprise, but these flaws don't seriously detract from the film. What is a bit more of a problem is the lack of real suspense. The audience is clued in on many important developments too early, almost as if director Henry Hathaway felt as if he couldn't string the viewer along and let the tension build up in any one sequence for too long. Things, therefore, are presented a little too straightforwardly for this kind of film, and this dampens its ultimate impact. Fortunately, Madeleine has a very fine cast to keep the viewer's interest, lead by the solid, persuasive performance of James Cagney. Frank Latimore is a bit amateurish as Lassiter, but he's the only real weak link. The real O.S.S. footage is also a plus, especially for history buffs. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

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