A nice little workmanlike wartime spy thriller for you all this week. Contraband, made in 1940 is set in the ‘phoney war’ period of World War II and concerns a freighter from a then neutral nation, Denmark, being stopped by British Customs to be checked to see if it is carrying any contraband that could be useful for the enemy.

The Captain of the ship is given one of two shore passes by the British authorities but the passes are stolen from the ship. The Captain then decides to slip ashore and follow the passengers who he believes have stolen the passes and ends up getting mixed up in a German spy ring.

This is a pretty good example of a morale boosting WWII film of the period but despite that it’s still a pretty good drama and the whole story is set against a deadline before which the Captain must return to his ship lest his absence be the subject of questions.

This is a recent movie discovery for me and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.