Spy for Napoleon is a 1936 British historical drama film

Drama film

A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...

 directed by Maurice Elvey

Maurice Elvey

Maurice Elvey was the most prolific film director in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year....

 and starring Richard Barthelmess

Richard Barthelmess

Richard Semler "Dick" Barthelmess was an Oscar-nominated silent film star.-Early life:Barthelmess was educated at Hudson River Military Academy at Nyack and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut...

, Dolly Haas

Dolly Haas

Dorothy Clara Louise "Dolly" Haas was a singer and an entertainer who often appeared on Broadway.-Life and work:...

, Frank Vosper

Frank Vosper

Frank Vosper was a British actor and playwright.-Stage:Vosper made his stage debut in 1919 and was best known for playing urbane villains....

, Henry Oscar

Henry Oscar

Henry Oscar was an English stage and film actor.Born as Henry Wale, he changed his name and began acting in 1911 and appeared in a wide range of films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much , Fire Over England , The Four Feathers , Hatter's Castle ,...

 and James Carew

James Carew

James Carew was an American actor who appeared in many films, mainly in Britain. He was born in Goshen, Indiana in 1876 and began work as a clerk in a publishing firm...

. It is based on the 1934 novel A Spy of Napoleon

A Spy of Napoleon

A Spy of Napoleon is a 1934 historical novel by the British writer Baroness Emmuska Orczy. An illegitimate daughter of Louis Napoleon is taken on as an agent by Napoleon III, ruler of France, who wishes her to marry into and spy on the aristocracy who he suspects of wanting to overthrow him...

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, best known for writing The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The story is a precursor to the "disguised superhero" tales such as Zorro and Batman....

.

An illegitimate daughter of Louis Napoleon is taken on as an agent by Napoleon III, ruler of France, who wishes her to spy on the aristocracy who he suspects of wanting to overthrow him.