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The original, primary mission has been completely omitted. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. Released at a time when the larger-than-life type of spy movie (the James Bond series) was in full swing and splashy, satirical ones (such as "Our Man Flynt" and "The Silencers") were about to take off, this is a quieter, more down-to-earth and realistic effort. His dry but quick Yiddish humor shines through on many occasions, providing diversions that masquerade his underlying desire to expose the antagonists' machinations. Where to Watch. Thank God Segal is in it. Fans of realistic spy fiction will enjoy David McCloskeys debut thriller Damascus Station, newly available in paperback in the UK. The films featured secret agent is the very un-British Quiller (George Segal), a slightly depressive American operative on loan to Britains secret services (take that, Bond!). The novel was titled The Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. (UK title). This exciting movie belongs to spy sub-genre being developed during the cold war , it turns out to be a stirring thriller plenty of mystery , tension , high level of suspense , and a little bit of violence . I probably haven't yet read enough to be fully aware of what the typical Quiller characteristics are, but never mindthe key thing is that it was a pacy, intense and thrilling read. International in its scope its contributors include scholars from Australia, Quiller . He brings graceful authority and steely determination to his role. This was a great movie and found Quillers character to be excellent. Your email address will not be published. When a spy film is made in the James Bond vein then close analysis is superfluous, but when the movie has a pretense of seriousness then it'd better make sense. Hall alsopeppered the text with authentic espionage jargon and as you read you get to live the part of Quiller. The whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. Quiller avoids answering Oktober's questions about Quiller's agency, until a doctor injects him with a truth serum, after which he reveals a few minor clues. Omissions? Directed by Michael Anderson; produced by Ivan Stockwell; screenplay by Harold Pinter; cinematography by Erwin Hiller; edited by Frederick Wilson; art direction by Maurice Carter; music by John Barry; starring George Segal, Max Von Sydow, Alec Guinness, Senta Berger, and guest stars George Stevens and Robert Helpmann. It was from the quiller memorandum ending of the item, a failed nuclear weapons of Personalized Map Search. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. Newer. The Quiller Memorandum came near the peak of the craze for spy movies in the Sixties, but its dry, oddly sardonic tone sets it apart from both the James Bond-type sex-and-gadget thrillers and the more somber, "adult" spy dramas such as Martin Ritt's The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965). Hall's truncated writing style contributes to this effect. His understated (and at times simply wooden) performance here can be a tough sell when set against the more expressive comedic persona he cultivated in offbeat 1970s comedies like Blume in Love, The Owl and the Pussycat, Wheres Poppa?, California Spilt, and Fun With Dick and Jane. There are a number of unique elements in the Quiller series that make it stand out. These include another superior soundtrack by John Barry, if perhaps a little too much son-of "The Ipcress File", some fine real-life (West) Berlin exteriors, particularly of the Olympic Stadium with its evocation of 1936 and all that and Harold Pinter's typically rhythmic, if at times inscrutable screenplay. The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. Nobel prizes notwithstanding I think Harold Pinter's screenplay for this movie is pretty lame, or maybe it's the director's fault. And considering how terrible its one fight scene is, it's certainly a blessing that it doesn't have any more. Harold Pinter's fairly literate screenplay features . He spends as much time and energy attempting to lose the bouncer-like minders sent to cover him in the field as he does the neo-Nazi goon squads that eventually come calling. American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. There was also a TV series in 1975. Don't start thinking you missed something: it's the screenplay who did ! Slow-moving Cold War era thriller in the mode of "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," "The Quiller Memorandum" lacks thrills and fails to match the quality of that Richard Burton classic. When they find, Quiller gives the phone number of his base to Inge and investigates the place. Quiller awakes in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by many of the previous incidental characters. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. . Not terribly audience-friendly, but smart and very, very cool. The movie made productive use of the West German locations. For Quiller, it's a question of staying alive when he's not in possession of all of the facts. No one really cared that Gable did not even attempt an English accent the film was that good. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. Also published as "The Berlin Memorandum" (UK title). Corrections? Segal is a very young man in this, with that flippant, relaxed quality that made him so popular. The film starred George Segal in the lead role, with Alec Guinness supporting andwas nominated for three BAFTAs. [5], According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $2,600,000 in rentals to break even and made $2,575,000, meaning it initially showed a marginal loss, but subsequent television and home video sales moved it into the black. The plot holes are many. They say 'what a pity' with droll indifference as they eat their roast pheasant and take note of which operatives have been killed this week. I read it in two evenings. It is very rare that I find anyone else who is even aware of the Quiller books and yet they are as your reviewer mentions, absolutely first class. Quiller slips out though a side door to the small garage yard where his car is kept. George Segal as Agent Quiller with Inge Lindt (Senta Berger). In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlinwhere Quillertackles a threat from a group ofneo-Nazis whocall themselves Phoenix. The source novel "The Berlin Memorandum" is billed in the credits as being by Adam Hall. Once Quiller becomes extra-friendly with Ingewhich happens preternaturally quicklyits clear someone on the other side is getting nervous. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) is one such film, and though it's one of the more obscure ones, it is also one of the better ones. But then Quiller retraces his steps in a flashback. Updates? Without knowing where they have taken him, and even if it is indeed their base of operations, Quiller is playing an even more dangerous game as in the process he met schoolteacher Inge Lindt, who he starts to fall for, and as such may be used as a pawn by the Nazis to get the upper hand on Quiller. Quiller's assignment: to discover the location of the neo-Nazi . The Quiller Memorandum: Directed by Michael Anderson. After being prevented from using a phone, Quiller makes a run for an elevated train, and thinking he has managed to shake off Oktober's men, exits the other side of the elevated station only to run into them again. You HAVE been watching it carefully. Book 4 stars, narration by Simon Prebble 4 stars. The intense first person narration which is the defining characteristic of the Quiller books comes into its own during this interrogation scene, and also during the latter chapters of the books as events begin to come to a head. . Also contains one of the final appearences of George Sanders in a brief role, a classic in his own right! Read 134 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. He first meets with Pol, who explains that each side is trying to discover and annihilate the other's base. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 Crime Fiction Lover. The novel was titledThe Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. They have lots of information about the film, but inexplicably take ten minutes to explain how the Cold War conflict between Communism and Capitalism relates to . The film's screenplay (by noted playwright Pinter) reuses to spoon feed the audience, rather requiring that they rely on their instinct and attention span to pick up the threads of the plot. Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. Hassler drives them to meet an old contact he says knows a lot more, who turns out to be Inge's headmistress. 15 years after the end of WW II. Phoenix boss Oktober (Max von Sydow) with George Segal, seated. The film is ludicrous. Max von Sydow as a senior post-War Nazi conspirator over-acts and is way out of control, Anderson being so hopeless and just a bystander who can have done no directing at all. It was time for kitchen-sink alternatives to the Bond films upper-crust Empire nostalgia, channeled as it was through a tuxedoed, priapic Anglo toff committing state-sponsored murder in service of Her Majestys postcolonial grudges. The characters and dialog are well-written and most roles are nicely acted. [7][8], Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Quiller_Memorandum&oldid=1135714025, "Wednesday's Child" main theme (instrumental), "Wednesday's Child" vocal version (lyrics: Mack David / vocals: Matt Monro), "Have You Heard of a Man Called Jones?" Composer Barry provides an atmospheric score (though one that is somewhat of a departure from the notes and instruments used in his more famous pieces), but silence is put to good use as well. Studios: The Rank Organisation and Ivan Foxwell Productions, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Quiller-Memorandum, BFI Screenonline - The Quiller Memorandum (1966), Britmovie.co.uk - "The Quiller Memorandum", The Quiller Memorandum - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). This was evidently the first of a very long series featuring the spy Quiller. But Quiller gets closer to the action when he visits a supposedly progressive West Berlin middle school on a tip about an alleged Nazi war criminal who once taught there. This is one of the worst thriller screenplays in cinema history. For example operatives are referred to as ferrets, and thats what they are. Its excellent entertainment. This movie belongs to the long list of the spy features of the sixties, and not even James Bond like movies, rather John Le Carr oriented ones, in the line of IPCRESS or ODESSA FILE, very interesting films for movie buffs in search of a kind of nostalgia and also for those who try to understand this period. Always under-appreciated by U.S. audiences, it's a relief to know that she's had a major impact on the German film community in later years. For example, when the neo-Nazi goons are sticking to Quiller like fly paper, wasn't he suspicious when they did not follow him into his hotel? Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. All of that, and today the novels are largely forgotten. But how could she put up with the love scenes with the atrocious Segal? I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". The Quiller Memorandum is a film adaptation of the 1965 spy novel The Berlin Memorandum, by Trevor Dudley-Smith, screenplay by Harold Pinter, directed by Michael Anderson, featuring George Segal, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger and Alec Guinness.The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood Studios, England.The film was nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards, while Pinter was nominated for an . With its gritty, real-world depiction of contemporary international espionage, The Quiller Memorandum was one of the more notable anti-Bond films of the 1960s. Watchable and intriguing as it occasionally is, enigmatic is perhaps the most apposite adjective you could use to describe the "action" within. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? Quiller manages to outwit his opponent yet again, leading to his arrest. I was really surprised, because I don't usually like books written during the 50s or 60s. The plot revolves around former Nazis and the rise of a Neo-Nazi organisation known as Phonix. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. Although competing against a whole slew of other titles in the spies-on-every-corner vein, the novel, "The Quiller Memorandum" was amazingly successful in book stores. In the 60's, in Berlin, two British agents that are investigating a Neonazi ring are murdered. Quiller becomes drowsy from a drug that was injected by the porter at the entrance to the hotel. In conclusion, having recently watched "Quiller's" almost exact contemporary "The Ipcress File", I have to say that I preferred the latter's more pointed narrative, down-home grittiness and star acting to the similar fare offered here. George Segal provides us with a lead character who is somewhat quirky in his demeanor, yet nonetheless effective in his role as an agent. Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. Inge tells him she loves him, and he tells her a phone number to call if he is not back in 20 minutes. The West had sent a couple of agents to find out their headquarters, but both are killed. The book and movie made a bit of a splash in the spy craze of the mid-sixties, when James Bond and The Man From Uncle were all the rage. Or was she simply a lonely Samaritan who altruistically beds the socially awkward American spy to help prevent a Fourth Reich? Our hero delivers a running dialogue with his own unconscious mind, assessing the threats, his potential responses, his plans. Soon Quiller is confronted with Neo-Nazi chief "Oktober" and involved in a dangerous game where each side tries to find out the enemy's headquarters at any price. He was the author of. In the West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate. I wanted to make a list of all the things that are wrong with this film, but I can't - such a list would need much more than a thousand words. Adam Hall/Elleston Trevor certainly produces the unexpected. It relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters. It was interesting to me that in 1965 (when I also happened to be living in Germany as a US Army dependent) the crux of the book was the fear of a Nazi resurgence -- and I'm not talking about skinheads, but Nazis deep within the German government and military. It's a bit strange to see such exquisitely Pinter-esque dialogue (the laconic, seemingly innocuous sentences; the profound silences; the syntax that isn't quite how real people actually talk) in a spy movie, but it really works. After all, his characters social unease and affectless personality are presumably components of the movies contra-Bond commitment. The Quiller character is constantly making terrible decisions, and refuses to use a gun, and he's certainly no John Steed. Segal is an unusual actor to be cast as a spy, but his quirky approach and his talent for repartee do assist him in retaining interest (even if its at the expense of the character as originally conceived in the source novels.) Another characteristic of Halls style isthe ending of chapters with a cliff hanger. Watched by Rui Alves de Sousa 04 Jun 2022. George Segal was good at digging for information without gadgets. In the West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . [3], In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "Clearly, 'The Quiller Memorandum' is claptrap done up in a style and with a musical score by John Barry that might lead you to think it is Art. A much better example of a spy novel-to-film adaptation would be Our Man in Havana, also starring Alec Guinness. Sadly, Von Sydows formidable acting chops are never seriously challenged here, and his lines are limited to fairly standard B-movie Euro-villain speak. Really sad. The protagonist, Quiller, is not a superhuman, like the James Bond types, nor does he have a satchel full of fancy electronic tricks up his sleeve. This demonstration using familiar breakfast food items serves to stimulate the American spys brainwaves into serious operative mode. Variety wrote that "it relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters". In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. The Wall Street Journal said it was one of the best espionage/spy series of all time. The Quiller Memorandum, based on a novel by Adam Hall (pen name for Elleston Trevor) and with a screenplay by Harold Pinter, deals with the insidious upsurge of neo-Nazism in Germany. But Quiller is an equal to a James Bond, or a George Smiley. It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. Before long, his purposefully clumsy nosing around leads to his capture and interrogation by a very elegantly menacing von Sydow, who wants to know where Segal's own headquarters is! Twist piles upon twist , as a British agent becomes involved in a fiendishly complicated operation to get a dangerous ringleader and his menacing hoodlums .