... in this spy versus spy Casablanca ripoff produced by Republic Pictures as yet another showcase for the beauty and non acting talents of Vera Hruba Ralston. Here she's an undercover agent, masking as a dancer, who is hired at Deresco's, a night club casino run by Erich Von Stroheim, a secret agent for hire by the highest international bidder.

Richard Arlen's in town, a Yank carrying a secret message (what it is we'll never know) but, nevertheless, all but the final outcome of the war lies in its importance. Now how to get that secret out of Arlen, the question is posed. Sound familiar? Arlen brings the excitement of a clam to his role. Ralston's excuse is that she used to be a skater, which perhaps explains her frozen performance.

Cliche plot and dull lead performances aside, Storm Over Lisbon has some impressive art deco sets, particularly an elaborate casino that is quite splashy to the eye. The film is also distinguished by the beautiful black and white photography of John Alton. There might not be anything particularly noirish about this drama but Alton still gives the film visual sheen. The film also benefits from an above average supporting cast. Aside from Von Stroheim, imperiously overlooking all, there is also Eduardo Ciannelli as an eager underling, always ready to knock someone off if things get a little slow, and Otto Kruger as a scared agent trying to figure out some way to stay alive. An uncredited Ruth Roman can also be briefly seen as a checkroom girl. She has one line of dialogue.

There's something to be said for the live of a man towards the most unacclaimed actress in film history to turn her into the Garbo like star you see her as. That's love. That's what it was for Republic studio head Herbert J. Yates who for over 15 years determinedly tried to make Vera Hruba Ralston a star. "Storm Over Lisbon" is one of the early attempts to make her a leading lady of mystery, but the stubborn public simply refused to buy. Ms. Hruba Ralston plays an exotic dancer in Lisbon who finds herself going down "Casablanca" territory, certainly no Ingrid Bergman, as far from that film's female star as leading man Richard Arlen was from Bogart.

Doing good in a nice counterpart to "The Maltese Falcon's" Sydney Greenstreet is the imperious Erich von Stroheim, villain du jour who is out to knock off agent Richard Arlen. Ralston, photographed in good angles, can be lovely, but other angles are not so flattering. She's not so much bad as she is bland, and the fact that she dominated Republic made melodramas for much of the 1940's and 50's excludes her from being forgotten over other hopefuls who came and went much quicker. Often, she seems to be just reading her lines from cards. In scenes with von Stroheim, her amateur acting is more than obvious. When she attempts to dance to the music that later became "Stranger in Paradise", the results are simply laughable.

Great production values help this move along, as well as the performance of veteran character actor Otto Kruger who disguises his distinguished voice to become truly pathetic. Mona Barrie is also very showy as von Stroheim's associate who constantly seems on the verge of betraying him. As far as world war II films are concerned, this is probably unjustly forgotten, and on the subject of the espionage side of the war, it deserves to be rediscovered. Sine moments are truly chilling with the audience in total suspense of what will happen. What will not happen, however, is any emotion from leading lady Ralston, a storm over Republic between Yates and stock holders.