the audience applauded

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

George Sanders makes his last appearance as Gay Lawrence, aka the Falcon, in this fun if fairly standard B mystery. There's a corpse in an ocean liner stateroom; the victim is apparently Tom Lawrence, the Falcon's brother; Gay Lawrence goes aboard and quietly identifies the body. Not surprisingly, it's not as simple as all that.A clever shot introduces Tom Conway as the Falcon's brother: First we watch the Falcon, just off of the ship, race off in a taxi following another taxi as the cops hop into their car to follow him. Then, over in a shadow, we see a dark figure strike a match and light a cigarette, his face lit up just for a moment before the match goes out and he is in darkness again. It's the Falcon's brother—not so dead—watching it all from the shadows.Eventually we learn that the plot involves Nazi espionage, some South American spies, and a fashion magazine. The cast of characters includes the usual grumpy police inspector (Cliff Clark, this time, as an Inspector Donovan) and dumb assistant detective (Edward Gargan back as Detective Bates, always saying "Sorry, Chief").Jane Randolph is lively and funny as the usual spunky girl reporter who sticks her nose in and helps out: "Well, I'm only a fashion reporter," she admits early on, "but I'll get a police beat someday!" Conway is good as the new Falcon, stepping into the role quite confidently. Sanders, on his way out of the series, is perhaps a little less interested…but fun to watch nevertheless, especially in the couple of scenes he shares with brother Conway.

Brothers play brothers in this crossroads episode of the forties series (Louis Hayward played him in the 30s) that has brother Tom Conway replacing George Sanders as the Falcon. Tiring of the role which followed on the heels of another serial( The Saint ) and with more lucrative opportunities on the horizon Sanders gladly takes a Nazi bullet to save a diplomat and pursue better paydays handing the series over to Conway without missing a beat.Harmless, clumsily rushed and populated with stereotypical villains and holdover buffoonish cops the Falcon series appeal was to be found in the charming sophistication of the urbane Sanders sans cad mode. Conway who would do another nine episodes may not have had George's talent and range but he showed less condescension and less of a British accent than Sanders. This said it should be noted that both brothers were pre-teen refugees from Bolshevik Russia.The series itself remained inane with transparent plots and bad actors. Whether it be a George or a Tom, if you saw one you saw them all.

How do you keep a franchise going when your lead actor tires of the role? Bring in his brother and keep going with him. Its brilliant move that allowed for George Saunders to get away from the programmers he was stuck making (he had been in the Saint series prior to this) and allowed him to go do other things. Tom Conway, who took over the role, is just as good, and perhaps better than his brother since he managed to both be above everything like his brother, but he also came across as actually caring about the mystery at hand. Lets face it Saunders really didn't seem to care by this stage, though to be honest he did put in bit of effort here since I'm guessing he knew he was free. I like this film a great deal, as I like the entire series. Its worth seeing either because you want to see a footnote film in a movie history or because you want to see a really good mystery.

Fast-moving espionage mystery, last for George Sanders, in the Falcon series. Plot include a fairly neat transition to real-life and character brother to take over and continue the fight against Nazi Germany. George is suave with the ladies (because he knew it was his last film in the series?). Lots of twists and turns as we weave our way through poisoned cigars (La Prima Donna), break ins, impersonating an officer, clues that disappear, house of fashion and a fashion magazine. In the end, the Falcon takes the shot meant for a Latin American diplomat and brother Tom Lawrence accepts the challenge from a foreign voice on the phone who warns him that he will get what his brother did if he doesn't leave well enough alone. Well, it was 1942 and no self-respecting producer wasn't going to have his hero support the war effort. Not a great movie, but enjoyable and about as good as these ever got. Recommended.