It's 1938 France. Austrian medical student Peter Vadassy (James Mason) is a guest at the Hotel Reserve. He's a refugee on the verge of gaining French citizenship. He is brought in by the police for suspicion of espionage. The evidence points to his innocence. Using threats of deportation, the police recruits him to find the real spy among the guests.
The basic structure is an old fashion mystery. Instead of a murder, it's a spy hunt. It works a bit better because the other characters do not suspect. I do like the construction of the premise although it's hard to buy that the spy wouldn't be gone. The issue is containment. A real hotel would have guests coming and going all the time. Once the photos are lost, the clock is ticking on the spy. I also thought a better twist is that the spy isn't one of the guests. All in all, this is fine. James Mason keeps the whole thing afloat.
The basic structure is an old fashion mystery. Instead of a murder, it's a spy hunt. It works a bit better because the other characters do not suspect. I do like the construction of the premise although it's hard to buy that the spy wouldn't be gone. The issue is containment. A real hotel would have guests coming and going all the time. Once the photos are lost, the clock is ticking on the spy. I also thought a better twist is that the spy isn't one of the guests. All in all, this is fine. James Mason keeps the whole thing afloat.