Read 134 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Set largely on location in West Berlin, it has George Segal brought back from vacation to replace a British agent who has come to a sticky end at the hands of a new infiltrating group of Nazis. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. 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. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. 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). In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. 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. Quiller's assignment is to take over where Jones left off. 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. Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. What will Quiller do? This reactionary quake in the spy genre was brief but seismic all the same. Quiller is eventually kidnapped and tortured by Oktober (Max von Sydow), the leader of Phoenix. In the following chapter the events have moved on beyond the crisis, instantly creating a how? question in your mind. A bit too sardonic at times, I think his character wanted to be elsewhere, clashing with KGB agents instead of ferreting out neo-nazis. He brings graceful authority and steely determination to his role. The brawny headmistress points Quiller in the direction of Inge (Senta Berger), who happens to be the only English-speaking teacher at the school. After two British agents are killed while investigating Phoenix, a neo-Nazi group, Quiller is tasked with finding the organizations leader. Journeyman director Michael Andersons The Quiller Memorandum, which was as defiantly anti-Bond as you could get in 1966, has just been rescued from DVD mediocrity by the retro connoisseurs at Twilight Time and given a twenty-first-century Blu-ray upgrade. Segal plays Quiller with a laconic but likeable detachment, underlining the loneliness and lack of relaxation of the agent, who can- not even count on support from his own side. Fans of realistic spy fiction will enjoy David McCloskeys debut thriller Damascus Station, newly available in paperback in the UK. Having just read the novel, it's impossible to watch this without its influence and I found the screen version incredibly disappointing. An almost unrecognizable George Segal stars in "The Quiller Memorandum," set in Berlin and made 40 years ago. He steals a taxi, evades a pursuing vehicle and books himself into a squalid hotel. With a screenplay by Harold Pinter and careful direction by Michael Anderson, the movie is more a violent-edged tale of probable, cynical betrayal by everyone we meet, with the main character, Quiller (George Segal), squeezed by those he works for, those he works against and even by the delectable German teacher, Inge Lendt (Senta Berger) he meets. 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. Quiller continues his subtle accusations, and Inge continues her denial of ever meeting Jones. He first meets with Pol, who explains that each side is trying to discover and annihilate the other's base. Nimble, sharp-toothed and sometimes they have to bite and claw their way out of a dark hole. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? 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. Fairly interesting spy movie, but doesn't make much sense under close scrutiny. 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! 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. The photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. They are not just sympathisers though. The film is a spy-thriller set in 1960s West Berlin, where agent Quiller is sent to investigate a neo-Nazi organisation. [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. Segal plays a secret agent assigned to ferret out the headquarters of a Neo-Nazi movement in Berlin. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. Theres a humanity to Quiller that is unique in this type of action spy thriller. 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. Soon after his amorous encounter with Inge, Quiller is drugged on the street by a crafty hypodermic-wielding operative and wakes up in a seedy basement full of stern-looking Nazis in business attire. Yes, Scream VI Marketing Is Behind the Creepy Ghostface Sightings Causing Scares Across the U.S. David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE), Star Trek: Discovery to End With Season 5, Paramount+ Pushes Premiere to 2024. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. In many ways, it creates mystery through the notion of exploring "mystery" itself. While most realistic spy films of the 60s focused on the Soviet threat, Quiller pits the title character against a group of neo-Nazis. The thugs believe him dead when they see the burning wreckage. The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood . The movie made productive use of the West German locations. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlinwhere Quillertackles a threat from a group ofneo-Nazis whocall themselves Phoenix. The setting is the most shadowy "post WWII Berlin" with the master players lined up against each other - The Brits and The Nazi Heirs. The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. Harold Pinter's fairly literate screenplay features . In the 60's, in Berlin, two British agents that are investigating a Neonazi ring are murdered. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West Berlin, 15 years after the end of WW II. In this first book in the QUILLER series, undercover agent Quiller is asked to take the place of a fellow spy who has recently been murdered in Berlin, in identifying the headquarters of an underground but powerful Nazi organization, Phnix, twenty years . All of that, and today the novels are largely forgotten. Quiller manages to outwit his opponent yet again, leading to his arrest. Although the situations are often deadly serious, Segal seems to take them lightly; perhaps in the decade that spawned James Bond, he was confused and thought he was in a spy spoof. 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 notices the concierge is seated where he can see anyone leaving. Like Harry Palmer, Quiller is a stubborn individualist who has some rather inflated ideas of being his own man and is contemptuous of his controlling stuffed-shirt overlords. The book itself sets a standard for the psychological spy thriller as an agent (code-named Quiller) plays a suspense-filled cat-and-mouse game with the head of a neo-Nazi group in post-war Berlin. Dril several holes in it, the size of a pin, one the size of a small coin. The first thing to say about this film is that the screenplay is so terrible. . Your email address will not be published. After a pair of their agents are murdered in West Berlin, the British Secret Service for some unknown reason send in an American to investigate and find the location of a neo-Nazi group's headquarters. ago Just watched it. Is there another film with as many sequences of extended, audible footsteps? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 Crime Fiction Lover. He published over 50 novels as Elleston Trevor alone. The Quiller Memorandum certainly couldnt compete on an aesthetic level with a film like Spy Who Came in from the Cold: No actor, certainly not George Segal, is going to one-up Richard Burton in the anti-Bond department. 1 jamietre 8 mo. 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 scene shot in the gallery of London's Reform Club is particularly odious. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. Hengel gives Quiller the few items found on Jones: a bowling alley ticket, a swimming pool ticket and a newspaper article about a Nazi war criminal found teaching at a school. It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. Hassler drives them to meet an old contact he says knows a lot more, who turns out to be Inge's headmistress. Quiller has a love affair with Inge and they seek out the location of Oktober. You HAVE been watching it carefully. That makes the story much more believable, and Adam Hall's writing style kept me engaged. The film is ludicrous. Fresh off an Oscar nomination for the mental anguish he suffered at the hands of Richard Burton and Liz Taylor in Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf (also 1966), George Segal seems, in hindsight, a dubious choice to play the offbeat Quiller. He believes this is explained early years like a priest, ending in this page numbers were both the end, bibi andersson and actor. I recently found and purchased all 19 of the series in hardback and read them serially. Sort of a mixed effect clouds this novel. See production, box office & company info, Europa-Center, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany. It out the quiller? If you've only seen the somewhat tepid 1966 film starring George Segal which is based on this classic post-WWII espionage novel, don't let it stop you from reading the original. The West had sent a couple of agents to find out their headquarters, but both are killed. Get help and learn more about the design. 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. There are long stretches of what may have seemed to Pinter like very lively and amusing dialogue (the torture scenes between October and George Segal), but they drag on interminably, and make one want to go to sleep. One of the first grown-up movies I was allowed to go see by myself as an impressionable adolescent (yes, this was some years ago now) was the Quiller Memorandum, with George Segal. 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? Quiller enters the mansion and is confronted by Phoenix thugs. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. The novels are esoteric thrillers, very cerebral and highly recommended. The original, primary mission has been completely omitted. 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. Read our extensive list of rules for more information on other types of posts like fan-art and self-promotion, or message the moderators if you have any questions. It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. 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. Pol dispatches a team to Phoenix's HQ, which successfully captures all of Phoenix's members. Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. Also contains one of the final appearences of George Sanders in a brief role, a classic in his own right! The Quiller Memorandum subtitles. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. Quiller awakes in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by many of the previous incidental characters. The mission in Berlin is a mess, two of the Bureaus spies have been murdered already by the shadowy Phoenix. American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). Hall is not trying be a Le Carre, hes in a different area, one he really makes his own. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. When they find, Quiller gives the phone number of his base to Inge and investigates the place. 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. 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. First isthe protagonist himself. What a difference to the ludicrous James Helm/Matt Bond (or is it the other way round?) One of my all time favorites and the film too. Older ; About; Watchlist. With what little information the British operatives are able to provide him especially in his most recent predecessor, Kenneth Lindsay Jones, working alone without backup against advice, Quiller decides to take a different but potentially more dangerous tact than those predecessors in showing himself at three places Jones was known to be investigating, albeit in coded terms, as the person who has now taken over the mission from Jones in the probability that the Nazis will try to abduct him for questioning to discover what exactly their opponents know or don't know, and to discover in turn their base of operations in West Berlin. They are not just sympathisers though. 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 time he's a spy trying to get the location of a neo-Nazi organization. The Quiller Memorandum: Directed by Michael Anderson. I know several spy fiction fans who rate Quiller highly; I'd read a couple and thought they were only OK, plus seen and enjoyed the film (which fans of the novel tend to dislike). Quiller investigates, but hes being followed and has been since the moment he entered Berlin. Pretending to be a reporter, Quiller visits the school featured in the article. What is the French language plot outline for The Quiller Memorandum (1966)? The plot holes are many. I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". Michael Sandlin is a writer and academic based in Houston, Texas. Senta Berger was gorgeous! He is British secret agent Kenneth Lindsay Jones. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. 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. See for instance DANDY IN ASPIC too, sooo complex and fascinating in the same time. Oktober reveals they are moving base the next day and that they have captured Inge. Can someone explain it to me? 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. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. Whats more, not even Harold Pinter can inject Segals Quiller with anything like the cutting cynicism and dark humor that made Alec Leamus such a formidably wretched character. A highly unusual and stimulating approach that draws us into the story. 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). Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. After a pair of their agents are murdered in West Berlin, the British Secret Service for some unknown reason send in an American to investigate and find the location of a neo-Nazi group's headquarters. 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. He also works alone and without contacts. Don't bother watching it, except to see the many scenes shot on location in West Berlin at that time, with its deserted streets and subdued mood. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. "The Quiller Memorandum" is a film with a HUGE strike against it at the outset.they inexplicably cast George Segal as a British spy! This spy novel about neo-Nazis 1960's Berlin seemed dated and a little stilted to me. The characters and dialog are well-written and most roles are nicely acted. Max von Sydow plays the Nazi chief quietly but with high camp menace. For Quiller, it's a question of staying alive when he's not in possession of all of the facts. 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.
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