Three Faces East

During World War I, the fate of nations were decided not on the battlefield but at the imposing estate of Sir Winston Chamberlain, the First Sea Lord of the British Admiralty. There, covert agents may or may not be allied - the film carefully doesn't reveal its hand until late - in deceit and disguise, moves and countermoves that center on a scheme to torpedo American transport ships. Eric Von Stroheim, who was both a famed dictator of silent films and a powerful on-screen presence (he played the enigmatic Max in Billy Wiler's Sunset Boulevard), "does splendid work" (Mordaunt Hall, The New York Times) as Sir Winston's butler, a decorated Belgian war hero. And lovely Constance Bennett (Topper) portrays a young lady who gains entry to Sir Winston's home with a tragic story, a hidden gun and the code words "three faces east." Roy Del Ruth (1931's The Maltese Falcon, Kid Millions) directs.

• drama