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Load of rubbish!!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This post-war romantic drama is a slight disappointment mainly because it came at a really bad time in American history. Fear of the communists in Hollywood in the late 1940's saw the witch-hunt of McCarthyism, and one of those who allegedly named names was hunky actor Robert Taylor. Here, he plays an actual communist spy who marries an American girl (Elizabeth Taylor in her first leading lady role) then panics as he realizes her natural curiosity will lead her discover the truth about him. This seems like a great idea for a romantic drama, sort of a "Gaslight" with a political touch as he tries to keep her under wraps and his secret safe. But it goes down ordinary paths as he learns from his Russian comrades that the only way out is murder, which could have lead this to be more suspenseful than it is.The other major problem is that the two Taylors have absolutely no chemistry. Their first of two pairings, they aren't just of two different age groups, they have absolutely different mind-sets, and it is obvious that the young Liz is still a girl, even if she is one of the most striking ever to walk on this planet. Her actions indicate immaturity, not in a bad way, but she is still juvenile in nature, and certainly not a candidate for marriage. He seems smart enough to realize this, so why this ends up at the alter makes no sense. Their playful marital scenes are more embarrassing than romantic. By the time she made "A Place in the Sun" two years later, she was much more ready for adult romance, and had a much more appropriate screen partner to have it with.Marjorie Fielding is truly amusing as the elder Taylor's mischievous aunt, a crispy old broad who announces for all to hear that she is wearing a wig to cover her baldness. Her brief appearance marks one of the few times that the film wakes up to be actually amusing. That only happens otherwise when Wilfred Hyde White is on screen, he of course being most remembered as Colonel Pickering in the movie version of "My Fair Lady" 15 years later. There is really no motivation mentioned for Robert Taylor's character to be so into communism other than how he discovered a most bold new lifestyle when he was younger. This takes away the credibility of the plot that after such a war as World War II, he would betray his own country and smuggle secrets to the Russians, even if it was done in a most ingenious way.

While on vacation in England a young American woman (Elizabeth Taylor) meets and later marries a British military officer (Robert Taylor) who turns out to be a Soviet spy. He is too deeply in with the Soviets whose agents liked him better when he was single and instruct him to get rid of her. There is not much of a sense of peril generated, but the film develops a fair degree of tension when Elizabeth Taylor's character discovers the truth about her husband, as the Soviets warned him she would. The crux of the film seems to deal more with his emotional needs that conflict with his Marxist political ideals, though those ideals and the whole existence of being a spy and traitor to one cause while being coldly manipulated by agents of the other could have been done more convincingly (see The Spy Who Came In From The Cold) or one of Carol Reed's tortured espionage tinged films. Nonetheless, it's a pretty decent part for Robert Taylor while somewhat shortchanging Elizabeth's.

In the late 1940s and early 50s, there were several highly entertaining films about Communist spies and infiltrators. While none of them were especially subtle, films like "My Son, John" and "I Married a Communist" were dandy entertainment--with their occasionally over the top scripts and exciting fight between the forces of freedom and Communism. However, after seeing "Conspirator", I must say that this is one of the dullest and most illogical films in the genre.The film begins with young Elizabeth (only 17 at the time) becoming infatuated with the mature and handsome Robert Taylor (age 38). While this budding romance seemed immensely creepy (especially by today's standards) and hard to imagine, the pair eventually marry. Things seem pretty good--though she has no idea he's a closet Communist spy.The film becomes really, really stupid later when the new wife discovers that he is a dirty Red. Now you'd think that Elizabeth would contact the authorities--after all, he's a high up officer with access to very, very sensitive material. However, when he tells her no one will believe her, she seems to just accept this!! And, later in the film when he suggests they go duck hunting...with REAL guns and bullets...she thinks nothing of going with him!!! What part of 'he's a spy' didn't she understand?! And, up until he attacks her on this trip, he's lied repeatedly. And what does she do? Nothing...as her character is apparently an idiot. In addition to this serious flaw, the film also manages to be incredibly dull--something you'd never expect with the topic or these top actors or from MGM--THE top studio of the day.So is it worth watching? Probably not unless you are a completist who MUST see all the films of either Taylor. Or, perhaps, if seeing a 38 year-old man with a 17 is your sort of kink!

Excellent young adult performance by 18-year-old Elizabeth Taylor playing newlywed American living abroad whose soldier husband is up to no good: he's living a double life and is really a communist traitor! Underpopulated, underwritten melodrama does have one strong aspect: a surprisingly strong, spunky woman at the center of the story. Robert Taylor is solid as Taylor's 30-ish husband, but any psychological conflicts are not quick to come out (there is a tense duck-hunting scene where the couple runs into trouble, but it's just shucked off). Liz looks beautiful and gives a fairly complex portrayal here--her eyes glinting with suspicion and anger. The film isn't a classic, nor is it swill, but as a quickie product from MGM, it's probably better than it had to be. **1/2 from ****