Films set in and around trains with spies or gun runners were clearly the rage in the late 30s.Those that come to mind are Oh Mr Porter(Ghost Train remake),The Lady Vanishes,Night Train To Munich,The Ghost Train(another remake with Arthur Askey) and this film.The other 4 films had the advantage of skilled directors ,inventive screenwriters ,and a good cast.Alas this film had none of these attributes.This film ignored the first basic rule of these type of films.Namely keep it simple.So we are faced with an over elaborate plot.The cast ,Harrison apart,are not the best,and Verne is no Lockwood.However what is most lamentable is the finale.Jerry Jackson,the associate producer,produced many of Michael Powells quota quickies.Irving Ahad been head of production for Warners Teddington studios,turning out support features for Warners Hollywood imports.So maybe the fact that they did some location work in Paris made them decide to save money on the climax.as a result it looks as if the finale was filmed in the toy train department in Hamleys in Regent Street.It is possibly the worst use of models that i have ever seen.It singlehandedly destroys any tension that the film might otherwise have generated.Harrison is his usual debonair self.However he would utilise this quality to much greater effect in Night Train To Munich,which shows how this sort of film should be made.
Review of Missing Ten Days
