Review – Conspirator

This could have been a better story than it was. British Maj. Michael Curragh (Robert Taylor) falls in love with American-abroad Melinda Greyton (Elizabeth Taylor, no relation). This starts the movie off on the wrong foot because the budding romance dominates the first 20 minutes of the picture, and the age difference between the two actors (she was 16 at the time, though at least her character is 18) is frankly off-putting. The guy has a callous streak – he shows no pity for a rabbit horribly injured during a hunt despite the obvious distress of his fiancée and his nephew – but otherwise it’s a garden-variety romance. However, once they’re married it’s revealed that the new husband is harboring a dark secret: he’s actually a Soviet agent. After his wife uncovers his nasty secret, both their relationship and the plot go downhill fast. This turns out to be one of those productions that sets the audience up for some clever twist or unexpected deviation from the obvious course of events, a redeeming event that never occurs. Mildly amusing