The Spider and the Fly 1949

In 1913, Fernand Maubert, Eric Portman, the dedicated chief of police in Paris, is pursuing Philippe Ledocq, Guy Rolfe, a suave bank robber suspected of a string of thefts, though the man always seems to have an alibi. After the latest robbery, Maubert captures Ledocq’s accomplice, Madeleine Saincaize, Nadia Gray.

When she is released from prison, Maubert warns her to stay away from Ledocq, though he harbors a certain admiration for the man. Impressed by her intelligence, beauty and courage, he begins to court her himself. When Ledocq visits Madeleine, she professes her love for him, but he says it is too dangerous to be seen together and that they would tire of each other anyway. Yet, during one of their cordial meetings, Maubert tells Ledocq that Madeleine is different from Ledocq’s other women; she has got under his skin.

During an informant tip, the police arrive during an attempted theft. Ledocq escapes, but his assistant Jean Louis, John Carol, is killed, along with a policeman. Ledocq persuades Madeleine to provide him with an alibi. Maubert knows she is lying, but cannot prove it. He also ends their relationship.

Finally, Maubert gets the break he has been waiting for. Ledocq employs Jean Louis’s brother Alfred Louis, John Carol, for his next theft. Maubert engineers Alfred’s betrayal by telling him that Ledocq did not give his mother Jean a fair share of the loot. Ledocq is imprisoned just as World War I breaks out.

During the war, Maubert becomes a major in French counterintelligence. When the Minister of War asks for help to locate German spies thought to be in France, Maubert says there is only one man for the job. He is authorized to offer a pardon to Ledocq in exchange for his services, dangling the prospect of seeing Madeleine.

The theft goes off without a hitch. However, when Ledocq goes to Madeleine’s flat, he finds Maubert already there. In a twist, Madeleine’s name is on the list they stole. She is taken away, with the implication that she will be executed for treason. In the final scene, Maubert watches Ledocq, now an anonymous French soldier, board a train for the brutal fighting at Verdun, both knowing that Ledocq stands little chance of survival.