The Adventures of Tartu began life with the working title Sabotage Agent, while the title Tartu was also used. The film was released in England in late 1943 as Sabotage Agent, eight minutes longer (111 vs. 103 minutes) than the American release. The difference in running time is due to a number of short added scenes, mostly near the end of the film, plus the addition of dubbing, alternate and extended shots throughout the film. A different exterior factory shot is seen exploding in each film. Principal photography took place in July and August 1942 at Gainsborough's Islington Studios, London. It was the first MGM-British production in two years, with an American director but an all-British cast, featuring Donat, whose last film, The Young Mr. Pitt, like The Adventures of Tartu, was a propaganda film. An unusual use of a captured Junkers Ju 88 bomber in Luftwaffe markings is featured. Use of archival film from the London Blitz and of a Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter also lends an air of authenticity. Reception The New York Times called The Adventures of Tartu a film that "frequently and unabashedly places a strain on the audience's credulity", and the "script is so full of holes it could be used for a sieve". However, it also admitted that, "for all its excesses, it still packs a fair load of excitement ..." and "is fun ... due largely to the gusto that Mr. Donat brings to the film." Variety reviewed the film on 4 August 1943. Later reviews considered the light fare at least a pleasurable Donat feature, enriched by his "lively performance." Kinematograph Weekly listed a series of films that were "runners up" in its survey of the most popular films in Britain in 1943: The Gentle Sex, The Lamp Still Burns, Dear Octopus and The Adventures of Tartu. References Notes Citations Bibliography Aldgate, Anthony and Jeffrey Richards. Britain Can Take it: British Cinema in the Second World War. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2nd Edition, 1994. . Barr, Charles, ed. All Our Yesterdays: 90 Years of British Cinema. London: British Film Institute, 1986. . Evans, Alun. Brassey's Guide to War Films. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books, 2000. . Weal, John. Ju 88 Kampfgeschwader on the Western Front. Botley, Oxfordshire, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2000. . External links 1943 films British black-and-white films British spy films Films based on short fiction Films directed by Harold S. Bucquet