"Golden Salamander" with Trevor Howard, Anouk Aimee and Herbert Lom (1949)

Directed by Ronald Neame from a novel by Victor Canning, this screen adaptation by Lesley Storm is the crème de la crème of British film noire from the late 1940's. In my own opinion it ranks right up there with "The Third Man" starring Orson Welles. The plot is deceptively simple, insurance investigator David Redfern, played by Trevor Howard, is faced with busting an antique theft ring in Tunisia, or going after the woman he falls in love with, Anna, played by screen legend Anouk Aimée. If you have never seen her on screen before, this is the movie to start with. It is also one of my all-time favorite films from the J. Arthur Rank Organisation. I always loved the way they began the films with that traditional gong. It really set the tone for the intrigue to come.

With a Mid-Eastern flavor evoking strains of "Casablanca", this is a very cleverly written film. I could tell you more about it, or you can just watch it above. I love You Tube. For some good synopsis' of the film go to;

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043594/reviews