Written by Harold Pinter from the novel by Adam Hall Produced by Ivan Foxwell Directed by Michael Anderson Reviewed by Glenn Erickson The enormous success of James Bond made England the center of yet another worldwide cultural phenomenon. A bit too sardonic at times, I think his character wanted to be elsewhere, clashing with KGB agents instead of ferreting out neo-nazis. As such, it was deemed to be in the mode of The Ipcress File (1965) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965). youtu.be/rQ4PA3H6pAw. During the car chase scene, the cars behind Quiller's Porsche appear and disappear, and are sometimes alongside his car, on the driver's (left) side. Harold Pinter's fairly literate screenplay features . In typically British mordant fashion, George Sanders and a fellow staffer in Britain are lunching in London on pheasant, more concerned with the quality of their repast than with the loss of their man in the field! And he sustains the same high level of quality over the course of nineteen books. Also published as "The Berlin Memorandum" (UK title). Lindt (Berger) is a school teacher who meets Quiller to translate for him. But good enough to hold my interest till the end. You are a secret agent working for the British in Berlin. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. One of the most interesting elements of the novel is Quiller's explanation of tradecraft and the way he narrates his way through receiving signals from his Control via coded stock market reports on the radio, and a seemingly endless string of people following him around Berlin as he goes about his mission. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). People tend to like it because "it's not like the Bond movies"; well, it's not - it's like "The Ipcress File", except that "The Ipcress File" was a genuinely smart and atmospheric movie, while "The Quiller Memorandum" is a clumsy, dated spy thriller full of pseudo-hip dialogue and plot holes. This is an espionage series that started in the '60's and ran through the '90's. George Segal is a fine and always engaging actor, but the way his character is written here, he doesn't really come across as "a spy who gets along by his brains and not by his brawn"; he seems interested almost exclusively in the girl he meets, not in the case he's investigating, and (at least until the end) he seems to survive as a result of a combination of his good luck and the stupidity of the villains. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. Pol tells Quiller the fascist underground is far more organized and powerful in Germany than people believe. I'm generally pretty forgiving of film adaptations of novels, but the changes that were made just do not make sense. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlinwhere Quillertackles a threat from a group ofneo-Nazis whocall themselves Phoenix. Watched by Rui Alves de Sousa 04 Jun 2022. He finds that a bomb has been strapped underneath and sets it on the bonnet of the car so it will slowly slide and fall off due to vibration from the running engine. Its there to tackle the dirty jobs, and Quiller is the Bureaus go-to guy. He also wroteacrossa number ofgenres. Director Michael Anderson Writers Trevor Dudley Smith (based on the novel by) Harold Pinter (screenplay) Stars George Segal Alec Guinness Max von Sydow See production, box office & company info Quiller has a love affair with Inge and they seek out the location of Oktober. This is a nom de plume for author. He calls Inge and arranges to meet. For Quiller, it's a question of staying alive when he's not in possession of all of the facts. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. The story is ludicrous. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. In 1965, writing under the pseudonym of Adam Hall, Elleston Trevor published athriller which, like Ian Flemings Casino Royale before it, was to herald a change in the world of spy thrillers. Guinness appears as Segal's superior and offers a great deal of presence and class. In the 60's, in Berlin, two British agents that are investigating a Neonazi ring are murdered. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Variety wrote that "it relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters". A Twilight Time release. This demonstration using familiar breakfast food items serves to stimulate the American spys brainwaves into serious operative mode. The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. As Quiller revolves around a plot that's more monstrously twisted than he imagines it to be . Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol (Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. A highly unusual and stimulating approach that draws us into the story. AKA: Ivan Foxwell's the Quiller Memorandum, Quiller, Quiller Memorandum, Ian Foxwell's The Quiller Memorandum, Ivan Foxwell's Production The Quiller Memorandum. movies. This time he's a spy trying to get the location of a neo-Nazi organization. Corrections? The film is ludicrous. The casting of George Segal in the lead was a catastrophe, as he is so brash and annoying that one wants to scream. 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. Segal is a very young man in this, with that flippant, relaxed quality that made him so popular. This isn't your average James Bond knockoff spy thriller; the fact that the screenplay is by playwright Harold Pinter is the first clue. He published over 50 novels as Elleston Trevor alone. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol ( Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Alec Guinness plays spymaster Pol, Quillers minder. Quiller manages to outwit his opponent yet again, leading to his arrest. 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. This one makes no exception. Thank God Segal is in it. It keeps the reader engrossed right up to the last couple of lines. He walks down the same street where Jones was shot, but finds he is followed by Oktober's men. Have read a half dozen or so other "Quiller" books, so when I saw that Hoopla had this first story, I figured I should give it a listen to see how Quiller got started. As a consequence I was left in some never-never land and always felt I was watching actors in a movie and never got involved. The Quiller Memorandum is a 1966 British neo noir eurospy film filmed in Deluxe Color and Panavision, adapted from the 1965 spy novel The Berlin Memorandum, by Elleston Trevor under the name "Adam Hall", screenplay by Harold Pinter, directed by Michael Anderson, featuring George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow and Senta Berger. This film has special meaning for me as I was living in Berlin during the filming and, subsequent screening in the city. Hall's truncated writing style contributes to this effect. In the following chapter the events have moved on beyond the crisis, instantly creating a how? question in your mind. A few missteps toward the end so that a few of the twists felt thin and not solidly set up, but overall very nicely plotted and written. Set in 1950s Finland, during the Cold War, the books tell the story of a young police woman and budding detective who cuts against the grain when, John Fullertons powerful 1996 debut The Monkey House was set in war-torn Sarajevo and was right in the moment. I'll give this horribly dated film a generous **1/2 rating anyway; hell, you don't see a cast as great as this one every day! On the surface, we get at least some satisfying closure to the case of the clandestine neo-Nazi gang. Quiller captures the contrast between the new and the seedy in the West Berlin of the 60s and how Germany remains haunted by the sins of its recent past. In a clever subversion of genre expectations, the plot and storyline ignore contemporary East versus West Cold War themes altogether (East Berlin is, in fact, never mentioned in the film). The quarry for all the work is old Nazi higher officials who are now hiding behind new names and plotting to return Germany to the glory days of the Third Reich, complete with a resurrected Fhrer twenty years after the end of WW II. 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. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. 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. 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). The photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. Read more True, Segal never seems to settle into the role of Quiller. When Quiller arrives inthe cityhis handler gives him three items found on a dead agent: tickets to a swimming pool and a bowling alley along with a newspaper cutting. But don't let it fool you for one minutenor Mr. Segal, nor Senta Berger as the girl. effective, low key, intelligent, spy film, Attractive, thoughtful spy film with an excellent cast. And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. I loved seeing and feeling the night shots in this film and, as it was shot on location, the sense of reality was heightened for me. Blu-ray, color, 105 min., 1966. (UK title). The whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. But Quiller shares an important kinship with Spy in that it challenges popular 007 mythmaking: freshly envisioning the unglamorous underside of an intelligence profession that the James Bond franchise had been relentlessly trivializing since its inception. Von Sydow (one of the few actors to have recovered from playing Jesus Christ and gone on to a varied and lengthy career) is excellent. He sounded about as British as Leo Carillo or Cher. Despite an Oscar nomination for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," Segal's strength lies in light comedy, and both his demeanor and physical build made him an unlikely pick for an action role, even if the film is short on action. It's hard to believe this book won the Edgar for Best Novel, against books by Mary Stewart, Len Deighton, Ross MacDonald, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, and H.R.F. Finally, paint the result in Barbie pink and baby blue That's more or less what happened to Adam Hall's spy novel for this movie. It's not often that one wishes so much for a main character to get killed, especially by NAZI's. The only really interesting thing is the way we're left spoiler: click to read in the end. I recently found and purchased all 19 of the series in hardback and read them serially. Twist piles upon twist , as a British agent becomes involved in a fiendishly complicated operation to get a dangerous ringleader and his menacing hoodlums . Quiller goes back to the school and confronts Inge in her classroom. I've not put together a suite before so hopefully it works.Barry's short (35mins) if atmospheric score for the Cold War thriller The Quiller Memorandum, 1966. After two British agents are assassinated in Berlin by a group of Neo-Nazis, the British Secret Service assign Quiller to locate and identify the culprits. [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?" Elleston Trevor wrote 19 novels in the highly successful Quiller series. Following the few leads his predecessor Jones had accumulated, Quiller finds himself nosing around for clues in the sort of unglamorous places in which Bond would never deign to set footbowling alleys and public swimming pools, especially. 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. The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood . Its excellent entertainment. Quiller had the misfortune to hit cinemas hot on the heels of two first-rate examples of Bond backlash: Martin Ritts gritty The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and the first (and easily best) entry in the acclaimed Harry Palmer trilogy, The Ipcress File, both released in 1965. Much quieter and understated than most spy flicks. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. The Quiller Memorandum's strengths and charms are perhaps a bit too subtle for a spy thriller, but those who like their espionage movies served up with a sheen of intelligence rather than gloss or mockery will embrace Quiller.Still, there's no denying that that intelligence doesn't go as deep as it thinks it does, which can be frustrating. He brings graceful authority and steely determination to his role. The novel was titledThe Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. 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. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. He notices the concierge is seated where he can see anyone leaving. After their first two operatives leading the field mission are assassinated in subsequent order, the British Secret Service recruit Quiller, an American agent, to continue to lead that field operation, namely to discover the base of operations of a new Nazi organization in West Berlin, they whose general members hide in plain sight in blending in with all walks of West German society. Alec Guinness never misses a trick in his few scenes as the cold, witty fish in charge of Berlin sector investigations. Alec Guiness and George Sanders have brief roles as Segal's Control and Home Office head, respectively, and both rather coldly and matter-of-factly pooh-pooh over the grisly death of Segal's agent predecessor. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? I found it an interesting and pleasant change of pace from the usual spy film, sort of in the realm of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (but not quite as good). If you have seen this movie, and it leaves you very dissatisfied or with a bunch of bright orange question marks, don't worry ! Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. As explained by his condescending boss Pol (Alec Guinness), Quillers two unfortunate predecessors were getting too close to exposing the subterranean neo-Nazi cell known as Phoenix (get it? See for instance DANDY IN ASPIC too, sooo complex and fascinating in the same time. Be the first to contribute. Weary, Quiller only accepts the assignment on the assumption that he can fulfill a self-made promise revenge for a friend. When Quiller returns to his hotel, a porter bumps Quiller's leg with a suitcase on the steps. At lunch in an exclusive club in London, close to Buckingham Palace, the directors of an unnamed agency, Gibbs and Rushington, decide to send American agent Quiller to continue the assignment, which has now killed two agents. The Quiller Memorandum is a 1966 British neo noir eurospy film filmed in Deluxe Color and Panavision, adapted from the 1965 spy novel The Berlin Memorandum, by Elleston Trevor under the name "Adam Hall", screenplay by Harold Pinter, directed by Michael Anderson, featuring George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow and Senta Berger. Once Quiller becomes extra-friendly with Ingewhich happens preternaturally quicklyits clear someone on the other side is getting nervous. I was really surprised, because I don't usually like books written during the 50s or 60s. He also works alone and without contacts. And considering how terrible its one fight scene is, it's certainly a blessing that it doesn't have any more. While the Harry Palmer films from 1965 to 1967 (Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and Billion Dollar Brain) saw cockney Everyman Michael Caine nail the part of Palmer, who was the slum-dwelling, bespectacled antithesis to Sean Connerys martini-sipping sybarite. The film had its world premiere on 10 November 1966 at the Odeon Leicester Square in the West End of London. But Quiller is an equal to a James Bond, or a George Smiley. Fans of realistic spy fiction will enjoy David McCloskeys debut thriller Damascus Station, newly available in paperback in the UK. 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. No one really cared that Gable did not even attempt an English accent the film was that good. I enjoyed this novel just as much (if not more) as the previous books that I have read, and I will certainly be purchasing any further Quiller novels that I come across in my exploration of second-hand bookshops. He is shot dead by an unseen gunman. 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 . Pol tells Quiller that Kenneth Lindsay Jones, a fellow agent and friend of Quiller's, was killed two days earlier by a neo-Nazi cell operating out of Berlin. The plot holes are many. Nobel prizes notwithstanding I think Harold Pinter's screenplay for this movie is pretty lame, or maybe it's the director's fault. We never find out histrue identity or his history. The book is more focused on thinking as a spy and I found it to be very realistic. 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.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.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. Drama. The only redeeming features of The Quiller Memorandum are the scenes of Berlin with its old U-Bahn train and wonderful Mercedes automobiles, and the presence of two beautiful German women, Senta Berger and Edith Schneider; those two females epitomize Teutonic womanhood for me. I enjoyed the book. As other reviewers have suggested, this Cold War Neo-Nazi intrigue is more concerned with subtle, low-key plot evolution than the James Bond in-your-face-gadgetry genre that was prevalent during the 60's-70's. Dril several holes in it, the size of a pin, one the size of a small coin. I thought the ending was Quller getting one last meeting with the nice babe and sending a warning to any remaining Nazis that they are being watched. [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. The Quiller Memorandum book. 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. For example operatives are referred to as ferrets, and thats what they are. This spy novel about neo-Nazis 1960's Berlin seemed dated and a little stilted to me. This is one of the worst thriller screenplays in cinema history. If Quiller isnt the most dramatically pleasing of the anti-Bond subgenre, its certainly not for lack of ambition, originality, or undistinguished crew or cast members. Newer. Thanks in advance. Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. Commenting on Quiller in 1966, The New York Timessomewhat unfairlywrote off Segals performance as an unmitigated bust: If youve got any spying to do in Berlin, dont send George Segal to do the job. The reviewer then refers to Quiller as a pudding-headed fellow (a descriptive phrase that sounds more 1866 than 1966). Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. The burning question for Quiller is, how close is too close? Hall alsopeppered the text with authentic espionage jargon and as you read you get to live the part of Quiller. This books has excellent prose, unrealistic scenes, and a mediocre plot. Performed by Matt Monro, "Wednesday's Child" was also released as a single. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. This isachievedviaQuillers first person perspective. Instead, the screenplay posits a more sinister threat: the nascent re-Nazification of German youths, facilitated by an underground coven of Nazi sympathizing grade-school teachers. Updates? The film ends with Quiller suspecting that Inge is more than an ordinary schoolteacher. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. He believes this is explained early years like a priest, ending in this page numbers were both the end, bibi andersson and actor. Senta Berger was gorgeous! 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. Quiller is released. The film is a spy-thriller set in 1960s West Berlin, where agent Quiller is sent to investigate a neo-Nazi organisation. But George Segal just doesn't cut it as a British secret agent in The Quiller Memorandum. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. And, the final scene (with her and Segal) is done extremely well (won't spoil it for those who still wish to see itit fully sums up the film, the tension filled times and cold war-era Germany). 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. You HAVE been watching it carefully. Sadly, Von Sydows formidable acting chops are never seriously challenged here, and his lines are limited to fairly standard B-movie Euro-villain speak. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. 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 . Summaries 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. There was also a TV series in 1975.
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