One of the most astonishing film debuts in cinema, Christensen's spy-melodrama concerns a naval lieutenant (played by the director) accused of treason who is saved at the very last moment. Conventional as the story is, it is transformed by the visual power of the images and a narrative style and sophistication which announced a uniquely gifted film artist. The first-time director/writer finds physical expression for psychological traits and manners with seeming ease, and creates starkly contrasting images as well as (with cinematographer Emil Dinesen) scenes of shadow-light interplay of unusual authority and eloquence. The dramatic editing gives the film an unusual energy and a unique attention to detail makes the situations palpably real. Three months' production time (one to two weeks was the norm) paid off in glowing international reviews and successful runs at home and abroad.-Jytte Jensen