When the cause is great enough, personal considerations mean nothing.
Funny how the act of housecleaning can reveal hidden connections. When I picked today's Powell and Pressburger diptych I knew Conrad Veidt appeared in both films, but I had no idea he also starred in the third one on my docket, 1942's Nazi Agent. Furthermore, I hadn't a clue that Veidt played identical twins in it, just like Boris Karloff did in The Black Room, or that one of them was a baron. In fact, about the only thing I knew for certain was that Nazi Agent was director Jules Dassin's first feature, which was enough to compel me to tape it off TCM back in August, but I evidently required more of an impetus to actually sit down and watch it.
Veidt rarely received top billing in his American films, but here he definitely deserved it for his dual role as the new German consul (a loyal Nazi) and his goateed twin, a rare stamp and book dealer who's been living in the U.S. for years and has even become a citizen. However, a secret from his past allows him to be blackmailed into using his shop as a front for a Nazi spy ring. As one might expect, there comes a point where one twin tries to eliminate the other, but in this case it's the good twin who comes out on top and takes the consul's place (after a quick shave, of course). Pressing his advantage, he systematically goes about dismantling his brother's spy network and foiling its sabotage plots while enjoying the creature comforts that go along with his assumed position. He also works to clear the name of one of his reluctant informants (Anne Ayars), a non-starter as a potential love interest but a useful tool for revealing his softer side. Pity Veidt didn't get many chances to show it off.