The German Spy Peril (1914) | BFI National Archive

1,222 views · Published 12 December 2017 · 7:21 · Indexed 8 November 2026

Channel: BFI · 2017 · Film & Animation

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This is an inspired piece of propaganda, drawing parallels with the gunpowder plot and referencing the surge in patriotic enlistment to the armed forces. The hero, barred from enlisting on health grounds, overhears German spies planning to blow up the Houses of Parliament, and vows to stop them. Shots of Big Ben counting down the minutes and standing after the explosion add dramatic tension.

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