The Secret People (1952)

A refugee (Valentina Cortese) from an unnamed totalitarian country and her younger sister (Angela Fouldes as a child, Audrey Hepburn as an adult) arrive in England. They have been sent by their father (who is later murdered by the fascist regime) to live with their uncle (Charles Goldner). Much later, Cortese's old lover (Serge Reggiani) arrives in Britain and pressures her to assist in the political assassination of the dictator on his visit to England. She agrees but something goes horribly wrong and the repercussions are far reaching. Directed by Thorold Dickinson (QUEEN OF SPADES), the film is an engrossing and thought felt treatise on violence vs. political idealism. Are the innocent expendable if it brings down an evil personage? Or is violence wrong no matter who it is directed against? Dickinson (who co-wrote the screenplay) is smart enough to understand he is making a movie and not just a political tract (not unlike Costa-Gavras) and he keeps the suspense element strong. Cortese in the film's core performance is very good, Reggiani shows his hand before he should and while sweet, the young Audrey Hepburn gives no indication here of the icon she would later become. With Irene Worth, Megs Jenkins, Athene Seyler and Reginald Tate.