Contraband
Stop that man and woman! His mission is deadlier than that of the enemy in the sky. Her beauty is a dangerous weapon of war!
1940 | 91m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Michael Powell |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Emeric Pressburger |
| Staring: |
| When a neutral Danish merchant ship is forced to put into port after trying to evade British wartime contraband control, its captain becomes involved in a beautiful British Naval Intelligent agent's efforts to capture a group of German spies operating from a London cinema. | |
| Release Date: | May 11, 1940 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Michael Powell |
| Writer: | Emeric Pressburger |
| Genres: | Thriller, War |
| Keywords | world war ii, smuggling (contraband) |
| Production Companies | British National Films |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $4,490,331 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 (Update) Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Conrad Veidt | Capt. Andersen |
| Valerie Hobson | Mrs. Sorensen |
| Hay Petrie | Axel Skold |
| Joss Ambler | Lt. Cmdr. Ashton |
| Raymond Lovell | Van Dyne |
| Esmond Knight | Mr. Pidgeon |
| Charles Victor | Hendrick |
| Phoebe Kershaw | Miss Lang |
| Harold Warrender | Lt. Cmdr. Ellis |
| John Longden | Passport officer |
| Eric Maturin | Passport officer |
| Dennis Arundell | Lieman |
| Molly Hamley-Clifford | Baroness Hekla |
| Eric Berry | Mr. Abo |
| Paddy Browne | Singer in 'Regency' |
| Henry Wolston | First Danish Waiter |
| Julian Vedey | Second Danish Waiter |
| Sydney Moncton | Third Danish Waiter |
| Hamilton Keene | Fourth Danish Waiter |
| Leo Genn | First Brother Grimm |
| Stuart Latham | Second Brother Grimm |
| Peter Bull | Third Brother Grimm |
| Olga Edwardes | Mrs. Abo |
| Toni Gable | Miss Karoly |
| Desmond Jeans | First Karoly |
| Eric Hales | Second Karoly |
| J.P. Roberts | Hanson |
| Manning Whiley | Manager of 'Mousetrap' |
| Frank Allenby | |
| Patrick Barr | Undetermined Role (uncredited) |
| Esma Cannon | Erik Skold's Niece |
| Albert Chevalier | |
| Erik Chitty | Cloakroom Attendant (uncredited) |
| Mark Daly | Taxi Driver |
| John England | |
| Cameron Hall | Naval Officer |
| Haddon Mason | |
| Bernard Miles | Man Lighting Pipe |
| Milo O’Shea | Air Raid Warden |
| Nicholas Phipps | Man in Car |
| Johnnie Schofield | Waiter at the Cab Drivers Shelter |
| Michael Shepley | Man in Club |
| Torin Thatcher | Sailor |
| Townsend Whitling | |
| Ben Williams | Man Selling Torches |
| Duncan Ross | |
| Milo O’Shea | Air Raid Warden (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Richard Addinsell | Original Music Composer |
| Michael Powell | Director, Scenario Writer |
| Freddie Young | Director of Photography |
| Emeric Pressburger | Writer |
| John Greenwood | Original Music Composer |
| Muir Mathieson | Music Director, Music |
| John Seabourne Sr. | Editor |
| Alfred Junge | Set Decoration, Production Design |
| C. C. Stevens | Sound Recordist |
| A.W. Watkins | Sound Recordist |
| Rahvis | Costume Designer |
| Brock Williams | Scenario Writer |
| Anthony Nelson Keys | Production Manager |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| John Corfield | Producer |
| Roland Gillett | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Trending Position
When Conrad Veidt's Danish freighter is routinely stopped by the Royal Navy in search of contraband; he is held over for 24 hours. He manages to get hold of two shore passes for himself and his first mate, but they are stolen and as he investigates, he encounters Valerie Hobson, the mysterious "Mrs. ... Sorensen" and soon is embroiled in a top secret Nazi espionage conspiracy. Just as with "the Spy in Black" (1939) the two stars gel well, Weidt has a sort of suave, debonair style about him that complements his stylish co-star well and the writing gives ample opportunity for some humour as the gently suspenseful, if maybe just a tad too contrived, mystery moves along. Set at the start of WWII, the storyline lacks some of the more sinister aspects of later British-made war films, and much of the style and pace of the story still depicts an optimism that the conflict would be short-lived.