The Spy in Black

The Spy in Black

Today's U-boat terror makes this the year's timeliest picture!

NR 1939 · 82 min · ★ 6.4 · War, Thriller

A German submarine is sent to the Orkney Isles in 1917 to sink the British fleet.

Directed by Michael Powell · Written by J. Storer Clouston

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

fuboTVCriterion Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 9m together

The Spy in Black

The Thief of Bagdad

Both from Michael Powell.

More from Michael PowellSee all →

EspionageEspionage · 1963
Espionage
★ 10.01963
SeriesAction & AdventureDrama
Pulled from actual case histories and utilizing newsreel and documented narratives, the activities of spies from various countries are depicted as far back as the American Revolution and as recent as the Cold War.
The Red ShoesThe Red Shoes · 1948
The Red Shoes
★ 8.01948
MovieDramaRomance
A fledgling ballerina falls in love with a brilliant composer, but the jealous head of the ballet company plots to drive them apart.
A Matter of Life and DeathA Matter of Life and Death · 1946
A Matter of Life and Death
★ 7.71946
MovieRomanceFantasy
A British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.
Black NarcissusBlack Narcissus · 1947
Black Narcissus
★ 7.51947
MovieDrama
A group of Anglican nuns, led by Sister Clodagh, are sent to a mountain in the Himalayas. The climate in the region is hostile and the nuns are housed in an odd old palace. They work to establish a school and a hospital, but slowly their focus shifts. Sister Ruth falls for a government worker, Mr. Dean, and begins to question her vow of celibacy. As Sister Ruth obsesses over Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh becomes immersed in her own memories of love.
The Life and Death of Colonel BlimpThe Life and Death of Colonel Blimp · 1943
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
★ 7.51943
MovieWarDrama
General Candy, who's overseeing an English squad in 1943, is a veteran leader who doesn't have the respect of the men he's training and is considered out-of-touch with what's needed to win the war. But it wasn't always this way. Flashing back to his early career in the Boer War and World War I, we see a dashing young officer whose life has been shaped by three different women, and by a lasting friendship with a German soldier.
Peeping TomPeeping Tom · 1960
Peeping Tom
★ 7.41960
MovieThrillerHorror
Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.
The Thief of BagdadThe Thief of Bagdad · 1940
The Thief of Bagdad
★ 7.11940
MovieAdventureFantasy
When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.
The Tales of HoffmannThe Tales of Hoffmann · 1951
The Tales of Hoffmann
★ 7.11951
MovieMusicFantasy
A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.
I Know Where I'm Going!I Know Where I'm Going! · 1945
I Know Where I'm Going!
★ 7.11945
MovieRomanceDrama
Plucky Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides in order to marry a wealthy industrialist. Trapped by inclement weather on the Isle of Mull and unable to continue to her destination, Joan finds herself charmed by the straightforward, no-nonsense islanders around her, and becomes increasingly attracted to naval officer Torquil MacNeil, who holds a secret that may change her life forever.
ContrabandContraband · 1940
Contraband
★ 7.11940
MovieThrillerWar
During early World War II, a Danish sea captain, delayed in a British port, tangles with German spies.
49th Parallel49th Parallel · 1941
49th Parallel
★ 7.01941
MovieWarThriller
In the early days of World War II, a German U-boat is sunk in Canada's Hudson Bay. Hoping to evade capture, a small band of German soldiers led by commanding officer Lieutenant Hirth attempts to cross the border into the United States, which has not yet entered the war and is officially neutral. Along the way, the German soldiers encounter brave men such as a French-Canadian fur trapper, Johnnie, a leader of a Hutterite farming community, Peter, an author, Philip and a soldier, Andy Brock.
OrlandoOrlando · 1992
Orlando
★ 7.01992
MovieDramaFantasy
England, 1600. Queen Elizabeth I promises Orlando, a young nobleman obsessed with poetry, that she will grant him land and fortune if he agrees to satisfy a very particular request.
A Canterbury TaleA Canterbury Tale · 1944
A Canterbury Tale
★ 6.91944
MovieMysteryWar
Three modern-day pilgrims investigate a bizarre crime in a small town while on their way to Canterbury.
I Hired a Contract KillerI Hired a Contract Killer · 1990
I Hired a Contract Killer
★ 6.91990
MovieComedyCrime
After losing his job and realizing that he is alone in the world, a businessman opts to voluntarily end his life. Lacking courage, he hires a contract killer to do the job. Then, while awaiting his demise, he meets a woman and promptly falls in love.
The Small Back RoomThe Small Back Room · 1949
The Small Back Room
★ 6.71949
MovieDramaWar
As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on 1943 Britain, the embittered expert who'll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.
One of Our Aircraft Is MissingOne of Our Aircraft Is Missing · 1942
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing
★ 6.61942
MovieWarDrama
During a raid on Germany, a British bomber crew is forced to bail out after their plane is damaged. They land in Holland, where they're aided by Dutch civilians.

More Like This

All Quiet on the Western FrontAll Quiet on the Western Front · 1979
All Quiet on the Western Front
★ 6.71979
MovieWarDrama
At the start of World War I, Paul Baumer is a young German patriot, eager to fight. Indoctrinated with propaganda at school, he and his friends eagerly sign up for the army soon after graduation. But when the horrors of war soon become too much to bear, and as his friends die or become gravely wounded, Paul questions the sanity of fighting over a few hundreds yards of war-torn countryside.
Eye of the NeedleEye of the Needle · 1981
Eye of the Needle
★ 6.71981
MovieDramaThriller
Great Britain, 1944, during World War II. Relentlessly pursued by several MI5 agents, Henry Faber the Needle, a ruthless German spy in possession of vital information about D-Day, takes refuge on Storm Island, an inhospitable, sparsely inhabited island off the coast of northern Scotland.
BelowBelow · 2002
Below
★ 6.02002
MovieThrillerHorror
In the dark silence of the sea during World War II, the submarine USS Tiger Shark prowls on what should be a routine rescue mission. But for the shell-shocked crew, trapped together in the sub's narrow corridors and constricted spaces, this is about to become a journey into the sensory delusions, mental deceptions and runaway fears that lurk just below the surface of the ocean.
LifeboatLifeboat · 1944
Lifeboat
★ 7.41944
MovieWarDrama
During World War II, a small group of survivors is stranded in a lifeboat together after the ship they were traveling on is destroyed by a German U-boat.
EnigmaEnigma · 2001
Enigma
★ 6.32001
MovieMysteryDrama
The story of the WWII project to crack the code behind the Enigma machine, used by the Germans to encrypt messages sent to their submarines.
Legends of the FallLegends of the Fall · 1994
Legends of the Fall
★ 7.41994
MovieDramaWestern
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.
Fort SaganneFort Saganne · 1984
Fort Saganne
★ 6.01984
MovieWarDrama
In 1911, a willful and determined man from peasant stock named Charles Saganne enlists in the military and is assigned to the Sahara Desert under the aristocratic Colonel Dubreuilh.
The Incredible Mr. LimpetThe Incredible Mr. Limpet · 1964
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
★ 6.21964
MovieAnimationFamily
Milquetoast Henry Limpet experiences his fondest wish and is transformed into a fish. As a talking fish he assists the US Navy in hunting German submarines during World War II.
The Blue MaxThe Blue Max · 1966
The Blue Max
★ 6.81966
MovieWarAction
A young pilot in the German air force of 1918, disliked as lower-class and unchivalrous, tries ambitiously to earn the medal offered for 20 kills.
Oh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely War · 1969
Oh! What a Lovely War
★ 6.61969
MovieComedyMusic
The working-class Smiths change their initially sunny views on World War I after the five boys of the family witness the harsh reality of trench warfare.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter