"The Mask of Dimitrios", by Eric Ambler

Novel, 1939

Spy thriller, whose touch of paranoia and the shadowy role of bankers give it a more contemporary edge - with only a few twists and adjustments, this could be a late 60s Pynchony romp or a story for our own times. Some lovely descriptive touches and an establishment of the world of espionage on some rather sordid activity and a cast of fairly undesirable characters. Nonetheless and despite bogging down towards the end, this is a cracking look at the grime of a Europe trying to work through the early part of the twentieth century. 

"They Made Me a Criminal", directed Busby Berkeley

Movie, 1939

Boxing movie which looks tired and dated, even if the opening premise, at least, is intriguing. After a while, the plot, acting and narrative all flop, leaving a pretty mundane picture with a few baffling scenes which do little to carry the action forward or comment on the main plot (borrowed from an earlier film). Difficult to know who this film was aimed for, and although not impossible to watch, it's quite a struggle. Some interesting character developments - not least in the central protagonist - though not enough to sustain interest.