The Saint in London (1939)

Truly Dreadful Film

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Enjoyed this great Classic 1939 film in black and white and enjoying the very young George Sanders as Simon Templar/The Saint who is investigating a counterfeit ring of crooks in London and is working with Scotland Yard without the local London police knowing just what he is doing. Sally Grey, (Penelope,'Penny' Baker) is a sweet sexy looking blonde who never seems to want to leave Simon Templar and follows him everywhere he goes no matter where it is and how dangerous it might turn out to be. Simon Templar hires a pickpocket goon to become his Valet named Dugan who sure has a definite New York accent with all his strong "R's" being pronounced through out the picture. If you are a big fan of George Sanders, this film you will definitely enjoy viewing.

Of all the B-movie detective series made in the 30s and 40s, The Saint ranks around the middle for quality. While not nearly as fun as the Charlie Chan or Sherlock Holmes films of the time, they still are well-polished and fun--mostly thanks to the excellent screen presence of George Sanders as the title character. He's just so witty, debonair and cool that it's a pleasure to watch him gracefully walk though this pedestrian film. The actual plot involving an attempt on the life of a foreign national in order to facilitate a counterfeiting scheme is only okay--not bad, but not all that interesting. And the supporting characters aren't all that compelling, either. However, considering the modest pretensions of this RKO serial, I think overall it did a good job of delivering the goods.

Or my favorite, at least. I like the other Sanders entries, Hugh Sinclair's two shots at the role, and Louis Hayward's SAINT IN NEW YORK, but this one just seems to completely capture the lighthearted and eccentric but adventurous feel of the classic British "thriller" to a tee. The slightly giddy but very beautiful Sally Gray is a wonderful leading lady, and David Burns (a versatile and talented Broadway performer) is easily the Saint's best sidekick; he's tough and smart and not a buffoon in the least. Henry Oscar is also a classic villainous "Mr. Big." The dialog is sharp and witty throughout. Highly recommended.

Forget Val Kilmer -- to find out what the Saint is all about, watch this entry, or 1938's Saint in New York or 1941's The Saint's Vacation. These three are closer to Charteris's literary creation (with Ian Ogilvy's TV series, Return of The Saint, in the late Seventies) than anything else. As Simon Templar, George Sanders is ruthless, cool, clinical and just on the right side of legality by a cat's whisker. Directed by John Paddy Carstairs (whom Leslie Charteris dedicated a book of short stories to 'for all the nice things he's (sic) done for the Saint)), the only director to work on both the films and the Roger Moore TV series, this hits the spot in a way most other entires don't. While Moore made the character his own, no one played Charteris's Saint better than Sanders on screen and Vincent Price on radio. Do youself a favour and watch this film to find out why.