I find it amazing that only eight people reviewed this movie. Why? It is a classic. Mere Oberon ( Helen Drummond) dominates every single scene she is. I love how she faces every obstacle from a position of strength. Spoilers ahead: She and Irish leader Dennis Riordan ( meet and fall in love ( despite her being an English Aristocrat and him being an Irish Leader)), You see the scenes where she brings an injured Irish boy home ( despite the fact he hates her because the English were responsible for his father's death. Also when she meets the Irish enemies of not only her but of Riordan ( such as Liam Burke ( Donald Crisp), They ignored what she said to them, yet they respected the fact she would face them. Oberon was one of the most beautiful women in Motion Picture History, but you see what a great actress she was. It should be a must see movie for any can of hers. 10/10 stars.

Don't expect the true story of what was going on in Dublin and most of Ireland during the early 1920's; That has been sanitized out as to not "offend" the movie viewers over there. What is present is an acceptable love story with some of the political intrigue intact, but it is basic background to the typical romantic struggles of total opposites whose love affair seems to be doomed from the start.Brian Donlevy plays a fictional character, possibly a composite of various Irish rebels who eluded the police and military and stirred up enough trouble to keep this rebellion going on for decades. When Merle Oberon arrives with her British ambassador father (Henry Stephenson) in Dublin, she accidentally encounters Donlevy and after some initial unpleasantness from him because of her station in life, they can't help but admit that they are attracted to each other. She is trapped inside his hide-out during a raid and after being taken back to London, convinces her father to set up a meeting with the leaders of the rebellion. Members of Donlevy's team (particularly Donald Crisp and Jerome Cowan) are against a "treaty", and this leads to Donlevy accused of being a traitor.While female roles in movies like this are usually meant to be merely "window dressing", Oberon adds some spark into her character which makes her much more interesting. She tosses out enough of her own ideals about the rebellion, and this makes her more compelling as a part of a serious plot. This is where the film succeeds as its structure isn't about the actual rebellion or the reasons behind it, but cause and effect and looming tragedy when one member of a rebel team seems to be drifting away from his priorities. Solid acting, outstanding production design and sparking direction by H.C. Potter makes up for the lack of fact that was already covered in plays and films like "Juno and the Paycock" and "The Informer".In order to enjoy this film it helps to know a little something about this period of history, something which has recurred between Ireland and "the mother country" a lot over the future decades. On the level of a doomed love story, it works best, with Oberon and Aherne a gorgeous pair whom you root for up to the moving finale.

In the "love-against-the-backdrop-of" genre, BELOVED ENEMY occupies a rather high position because of the intelligence with which an extremely unlikely romantic relationship is handled. Merle Oberon, the daughter of a British bigwig (Henry Stephenson), falls in love with an Irish rebel leader (Brian Aherne). But not only does her love for him not turn her against her own people, she even rats on him to the British military, only to be hugely relieved when he escapes from their ambush. Then she has the gall to visit him and admit her betrayal! This is truly a case of love conquers all. On one level this film is a plea for peace from a woman's point of view. Movies with pleas for peace were not uncommon in the mid- to-late Thirties. Needless to say, this production is a pure Hollywood gloss on the realities of the 1921 Irish Civil War, but at least the opening credits admit clearly that the story is "legend based on fact" with fictitious characters. When the going gets a bit heavy, we have those stunning physical specimens of Oberon and Aherne (their surnames even sound like poetry together) to feast our eyes upon. In close-up profile they both look exquisite. Oberon was a fine actress, much underrated. She had her limitations, but here, as in many other films, not only turned in a creditable and convincing performance but was a pleasure to watch as she did so. Aherne, as finely carved a block of wood that ever took human form, never quite comes to life. He is somehow not all there.

If only the problems of Irish independence and how much of it would be granted could have been solved by Michael Collins falling in love with say David Lloyd George's daughter. It might have made for some interesting tales of romance.Which is what we have here in Beloved Enemy. The Collins character is renamed Dennis Riordan and it seems that the sight of the beautiful Merle Oberon, daughter of British envoy Henry Stephenson is enough to almost make him forget about the cause of Irish independence. Riordan is played by Brian Aherne and he's a dashing sort of rebel. No wonder Merle decides he's for her.Although Beloved Enemy is a nice romantic story, I feel it cheapens what Michael Collins was all about. He and Arthur Griffiths in signing the treaty with the British and getting Dominion status and six Protestant counties opting for inclusion in the United Kingdom, settled for 5/6 of a loaf so to speak. Collins paid with his life for thinking of the widows and orphans and a chance for Ireland to heal. He died and many more died in the Civil War that followed before Ireland just had a peace of sheer exhaustion.There's a good character in the film played by Karen Morley who is the widow of an IRA man now trying to support her son Ronald Sinclair. The real Michael Collins was thinking about the thousands like her when he signed the treaty.Jerome Cowan made his film debut in Beloved Enemy and David Niven has one of his earliest roles as Henry Stephenson's secretary. Beloved Enemy is historical romance, but hardly history. See both John Ford films, The Informer and The Plough and the Stars for a better idea about Ireland during the Rebellion.