Spione is a 1928Germansilent espionage thriller directed by Fritz Lang and co-written with his wife, Thea von Harbou, who also wrote a novel of the same name. The film was Lang's penultimate silent film and the first for his own production company; Fritz Lang-film GmbH. As in Lang's Mabuse films, such as and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Rudolf Klein-Rogge plays a master criminal aiming for world domination. Spione was restored to its original length by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung during 2003 and 2004. No original negatives survive but a high quality nitrate copy is held at the Národní Filmový Archiv in Prague.
Plot
Beautiful Russian spy Sonja Baranikowa seduces Colonel Jellusic into betraying his country for her employer, Haghi, a seemingly respectable bank director who is actually the criminal mastermind of a powerful espionage organization. Jason, head of the Secret Service, gives the task of bringing the mysterious Haghi down to a handsome young agent known only as Number 326 who believes his identity is a secret. Haghi is well aware of him and assigns Sonja to worm her way into 326's confidence; Sonja convinces him that she has just shot a man for trying to rape her and he hides her from the police. Haghi does not anticipate that the couple will fall in love. Unwilling to betray 326, Sonja quietly slips away after they spend the afternoon and evening together. He trails her to Colonel Jellusic, whom he mistakes for her lover. Haghi suspects Sonya's feelings for 326 and when she refuses to act against him, Haghi confines her to a room in his secret headquarters. Haghi is after a crucial, secret Japanese treaty. He blackmails Lady Leslane, an opium addict, into betraying what her husband knows of the negotiations. Akira Masimoto, the Japanese head of security responsible for the treaty's safekeeping, crosses paths with 326. When 326 seeks out Sonya, he finds her apartment stripped bare; Masimoto finds him drowning his sorrows in a bar and informs him that he would have arrested the woman as a spy. Masimoto gives three couriers a sealed packet each to deliver to Tokyo; he informs them that a copy of the treaty is inside one of them. Haghi obtains all three packages and finds only newspapers but he has one more card up his sleeve. Masimoto pities Kitty, a young woman he finds huddling in a doorway during a rainstorm and takes her in. When he prepares to leave for Japan with the treaty, she begs him to spend a few hours with her. He gives in, attracted by her beauty but when he wakes up later, she is gone with the treaty; disgraced, he commits ritual suicide. 326 tracks Jellusic down but too late, Haghi has already betrayed the colonel. When confronted by his superiors, Jellusic shoots himself to avoid a scandal. 326 wires the serial numbers of the bank notes used to pay Jellusic, which Jason passes on to agent 719, working undercover as a circus clown, to trace. On the train trip back, 326 is nearly killed in a trap set by Haghi. While he is sleeping, his car is detached and left in a tunnel. He awakens just before another train smashes into it. Sonya, tricked into trying to smuggle the treaty out of the country by Haghi's promise not to harm 326, learns of the crash, races to the site and is reunited with her love. 326 gives orders for Haghi's bank to be surrounded, then sends Sonya away with his trusted chauffeur, Franz, while he and his men search for Haghi. Haghi captures Sonya and Franz and sends 326 an ultimatum, clear the building within 15 minutes or Sonya will die. After agonizing, 326 continues searching, even after poison gas is released. Franz is able to free himself and hold off Haghi's assassins until 326 can find them. Haghi's minions are captured but there is no sign of the mastermind. Later, a clerk complains to 326 and Jason that the serial numbers he was given to trace do not match the bank notes. The two realize that 719 must be Haghi. When Haghi goes on stage to perform his clown act, he sees that he is surrounded by agents and shoots himself in the head. The audience, believing it is all just part of his act, applauds.
According to Robert Osborne, Lang was having an affair with Maurus during filming, even as his wife Thea von Harbou was involved writing the screenplay. Lang had earlier stolen the affections of Harbou from her first husband, Klein-Rogge, who played Haghi. In spite of this, Klein-Rogge worked with Lang and Harbou on various notable films, including Destiny, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Die Nibelungen and Metropolis. Spione was the screen debut for young Dutch actress Lien Deyers, who caught Lang's attention after winning a screening contest in Vienna. During the shooting of the movie, Lang developed a strong dislike for Deyers. Spione was made at a substantially reduced budget as the studio looked to cancel Lang's contract following the poor commercial return of his previous film, Metropolis. Despite this, the third act train crash in particular is considered an extraordinary technical feat which belied budgetary restraints.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on, with a weighted average rating of 9.2/10. Philip French of The Guardian wrote that the film "weaves together recurrent Lang themes of fate, fear, power and paranoia into a dynamic conspiracy thriller." Timeout described its tone as "somewhere between true pulp fiction and pure expressionism." Matthew Thrift of the British Film Institute meanwhile singled out the opening sequence as "a marvel of narrative economy in montage."
