Stamboul Quest (1934) Review - Myrna Loy Saves a Goofy Spy Flick

If you have eighty minutes to spare tonight and want to see Myrna Loy look incredibly chic while doing espionage, then yes, Stamboul Quest is absolutely worth your time. Spy movie nerds who need tight plotting and high-stakes tension will probably get annoyed by how easily everything happens here. But if you just want some dusty 1930s atmosphere and snappy dialogue, you're in the right place. 😉

The whole thing is basically about Annemarie, a German master spy known as "Fräulein Doktor." She gets sent to Constantinople because some Turkish commander is supposedly selling secrets to the British.

On her way there, she meets this American guy named Douglas, played by George Brent. He is just... incredibly persistent in that way only 1930s movie love interests can be.

Like, he literally follows her into war zones because he thinks she's neat. It's a bit much, honestly.

The Mankiewicz Touch (Sort Of)

You can tell Herman J. Mankiewicz worked on the script because some of the banter is actually pretty sharp. It is not Citizen Kane level, obviously, but there are these quick little barbs that made me chuckle.

But the actual spy plot? Oh, it is gloriously silly.

At one point, Annemarie literally just guesses a secret code by looking at some sheet music. It is that kind of movie. If you want a more grounded look at early screen espionage, you might want to check out Never Trust a Woman instead, though even that has its goofy moments.

There is this one scene in a hotel lobby where a guy is trying to be sneaky, but he is standing about three feet away from the people he is spying on. Like, dude, they can see you. You are wearing a giant hat.

Myrna Loy is Carrying This Whole Thing

Honestly, without Loy, this would be completely forgettable. She has this way of looking bored and incredibly sharp at the same time.

George Brent is just okay, he mostly just looks confused and smiles a lot, which I guess is what the role needed. The chemistry is a bit lacking, but they make it work.

The climax is super rushed too. It feels like they realized they only had five minutes of film left and needed to wrap everything up immediately.

But hey, the shadow play and the lighting in the Constantinople scenes look great. The director really liked putting big, dramatic shadows on the walls.

Some random things I jotted down:

• The train set looks incredibly fake, you can literally see the background shaking.
• Why does everyone in "Turkey" speak with a thick Brooklyn accent? 🤷‍♂️
• The scene where she drugs his drink is so obvious, he must have been blind not to notice.
• That one kid actor who screams for no reason in the street scene. Why?
• The hats in this movie are truly top tier.

Anyway, it’s a fun little time capsule. Don't expect a masterpiece and you'll have a good time.