If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Beautiful, moving film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

I noticed a discrepancy with the running time of the version of this film I downloaded for free at archive.org--it runs 81 minutes, not 86. IMDb says there's a severely truncated version at 65 minutes...but this one I saw was missing only five minutes or the running time listed on IMDb is incorrect.When the film begins, Susan (Carla Lehmann) awakens in a hospital bed as there are celebrations for the combined Allied landing in North Africa. The film then jumps back to before this and explains what exactly had happened to Susan.A desperate escaped POW takes shelter in Susan's home in Algeria. At this point, the Vichy French and Americans were not at war with each other and so despite the Vichy being essentially a vassal state to the Nazis, American nationals are allowed in this part of France even though the US and Germany are at war. So, if Susan wanted to, she simply could have turned in Alan (James Mason) and been safe. But instead he soon convinces her to help him obtain a camera filled with important film...film which COULD hamper the Americans and Free French from invading North Africa. And, as a result of her choice, Susan is in almost constant peril.This is a pretty exciting war film--one obviously meant to drum up sentiment in favor of the Allied cause. While technically this is a propaganda film, it's a good one and doesn't come off as jingoistic or which depicts the Germans as monsters like many other films. Because of this, it holds up pretty well, though most viewers today might not understand the context for the film--such as what was Vichy France and how were the Free French very different. Still, an enjoyable little film. Oh, and although it doesn't matter, the American lady, Susan, was played by a Canadian. And, there also is a bit of a plot hole as the film really did NOT explain why Susan was in the hospital--particularly as just before this she seemed healthy and just fine on the ship. Odd...as was the ending, though that was odd in an enjoyable sense.

CANDLELIGHT IN ALGERIA 1944This wartime thriller is both a spy adventure, and a film noir. The headliners are played by James Mason, Carla Lehmann, Walter Rilla, Enid Stamp-Taylor, Pamela Stirling and Leslie Bradley. The film is directed by the under-rated George King. The film is set just before the US/UK invasion of Vichy Algeria in Nov 1942. American Carla Lehmann gets herself mixed up with British secret agent James Mason. Mason is on the lam from the Nazis who are dogging his every step. It is all about a camera and film both sides want. Mason breaks into Lehman's house looking for some food and a place to lay low. Lehman, in Algeria visiting her aunt, pulls a pistol on Mason and prepares to summon the Police. Mason tells her a tale of needing help evading the Nazi types chasing him. Mason appeals to her patriotism and asks for her help. Lehmann agrees and stashes Mason under some stairs just as the Nazi's arrive. The chief villain here, played brilliantly by Walter Rilla, is a smooth talking killer in a nice suit. Lehmann pretends to know nothing about any "prowler" in the area. Rilla does not buy her act for a moment, but begs her pardon and leaves. Mason, rested up and fed, asks Lehmann to meet him in 2 days in Casablanca. He wants her to visit a woman, Enid Stamp-Taylor, there. This is where the all-important camera and film are hidden. Along the way Lehman notices she has picked up a Gestapo tail. Once Lehmann gets hold of the camera, the hi-jinks start, with Lehmann, Mason and the Germans in a cat and mouse game through the night time alleys etc of Casablanca. Mason gets the film developed and they discover that it is a map showing a secret meeting location on the Algerian coast. At the meeting will be American, UK and Vichy French military types. This is all to lay out the times and places for the Allied Invasion of North Africa. The Germans want the meeting location so they can swoop in and capture everyone. Also in the mix here, is Pamela Stirling as a French barmaid, and Leslie Bradley as a Vichy officer helping the Allies. Rilla nearly puts the grab on Mason but is interrupted by Miss Lehmann. There is a quick exchange of blows with the Nazi being laid low. The pair then swipe Rilla's car and speed off to the now, not so secret location. Mason wants to warn whoever about the German plot. And as it would so happens, the meeting is in full bloom with Allied and Vichy types settling the invasion details. Speed is of the essence here, as Rilla has recovered from his thumping and is in hot pursuit. Mason and Lehmann reach the house and deliver the warning. And just in time as some Vichy French Policemen are snooping around nearby. The meeting is wrapped up and the Allied officers retreat to a waiting submarine. Mason and Lehmann now lead Rilla and company on a wild car chase along the coast. Lehman is shoved out of the car and Mason roars off into the night. Lehmann wakes up in a hospital wondering if Mason made it to safety. Needless to say he now puts in an appearance. Plenty of pace here with director King keeping things hopping. King was best known for a string of Tod Slaughter films such as, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, THE FACE AT THE WINDOW and THE CRIMES OF STEPHEN HAWKE. King also helmed a pair of first rate film noir, THE SHOP ON SLY CORNER and FORBIDDEN. The look of the film is excellent with two time BAFTA nominated (one time winner) Otto Heller handling the cinematography duties. Heller's work includes, THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE, NOOSE, QUEEN OF SPADES, THE CRIMSON PIRATE, THE SQUARE RING, THE LADYKILLERS, RICHARD III, THE SILENT ENEMY, ALFIE and his BAFTA winner, THE IPCRESS FILE. There is some real witty dialogue supplied by screenplay writers, Brock Williams, Kate Strueby and John Clements working from a Dorothy Hope story. Several of the better cracks are, Miss Lehmann telling a Nazi officer to try some "prairie oysters" (bull testicles) Villain Rilla has a great line when he tells Vichy officer, Bradley, "The French are good at appearing to be Brave."A much better film than I was expecting. Canadian Carla Lehmann was in several wartime thrillers such as, SECRET MISSION and COTTAGE TO LET

I rated this film 6/10 having discovered it in a rare film emporium in Camden Market, North London, last Sunday.I am a forties film aficionado but had never seen this title before.One thing British/American films constantly do in war films is to assume all German/French characters speak fluent English (to make it easy on audiences who will mostly only speak this language), and this film was no exception, (although marginally less so than most US 40s films of the time).What is especially laughable is when German characters speak in English to other German characters!On the other hand, this 1944 film did not take itself too seriously especially the end scene, when Carla Lehmann describes to James Mason how Hollywood would have filmed the self same scene, (all done to keep up the nation's morale!).A more enlightened treatment of showing various European languages on film is for producers to hire actors German/French who can speak in their own native tongue but then show English sub-titles for that part of the plot as in Darryl F Zanuck's ground breaking epic, "The Longest Day" (1962).The two US reviewers above seemed to have enjoyed this film, so I suppose it served its purpose however I could not award it more than just above an adequate rating.

You can get this film from Movies Unlimited. However, it is not 85 minutes long as advertised in IMDb and other places. It's about 63 minutes long, but the story seems complete enough. The interplay between the American heroine and her English secret agent boy friend is snappy and sassy. If you have ever wondered why James Mason was once considered the "Cambridge edition of Clark Gable", then look no further than this film. I particularly like the scenes where he is running around with a fez on his head for no apparently good reason. This was one of three films Mason did where he played the "good" guy (before the Brits figured out he'd be much more of a box office hit playing slightly sadistic anti-heroes). The other two are "Hotel Reserve" and "Secret Mission".