Sidney Gilliat (1908–1994)

“I’m a retired spy.” — Deborah Kerr to Trevor Howard

If ever a film about a young Irish lass so passionate in her distaste for the English that she ends up working as a German spy during WWII could be described as airily charming, this is it. A pleasant Irish lilt can be heard and felt in Deborah Kerr’s enchanting performance as the feisty but quite naive Birdie Quilty. Regaled by her father’s tales of the Irish from the time she was a wee lassie, as a young woman she sets out to find the man he supposedly fought with and join in the rebellion. Her father’s tales were pure blarney, of course, and when rebuffed, she becomes a spy for the Germans simply because they’re against the Brits!

Frank Launder and Sidney Gillant concocted this tasty Irish stew as pleasant to look at as it is to savor, thanks to photographer Wilkie Cooper, and a breathtaking Deborah Kerr. Birdie’s inner thoughts are given voice by Kerr throughout the film and offer more than a small amount of humor. Trevor Howard proves quite likable as the Army Intelligence Officer who is quite smitten with Birdie, despite her bewildering behavior. Even knowing she dumped a body into the ocean for some peculiar reason can’t keep him from chasing her. He was already a goner, of course, and had asked her to do it to protect herself.

Birdie ends up way over her head and once she realizes Irish lives are at stake, has a change of heart. It’s not so easy to just quit, however, especially when those bad guys want the information you’ve destroyed. A fun escape through an Irish funeral procession and mad dash for Eire, cap off a unique film. But just because she’s one of the good guys now, doesn't mean she's a bit less Irish!

Once the viewer settles in to the special mood of this delightful and pleasant film they’ll have an excellent time.… (more)

An interesting Gainsborough Picture that sees the once notable scientist Dr Laurence (Boris Karloff) becoming consumed by controversial research into mind transference. He is joined in his research by the brilliant young doctor Clare Wyatt (Anna Lee) but when his funding is withdrawn he resorts to criminality and murder to keep his pseudo-science project alive. "The Man Who Changed His Mind" is a short (66 minutes) but effectively atmospheric and moody piece by director Robert Stevenson. There are great gothic sets and plenty of great electrical driven quack-science machines in Laurence's laboratory which contain more than a hint of Frankenstein's lair. Scriptwriters John L. Balderston, Sidney Gilliat and L. du Garde Peach pile on the weird science in between philosophical interludes about the mind, consciousness and the nature of reality. The acting is good, with Boris Karloff bringing a level of complexity and appropriate obsessiveness to the role of the mad scientist. Anna Lee has the more interesting role, however, playing Dr Wyatt as a liberated, intelligent headstrong woman who is very much the equal (if not the better) of the men in the film. This is a powerful role and all the more surprising for being in a genre film of this vintage. Overall this is a classy and intelligent little picture that is skilfully presented by director Robert Stevenson and delivers a couple of outstanding central performances.… (more)