The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. 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. Once Quiller becomes extra-friendly with Ingewhich happens preternaturally quicklyits clear someone on the other side is getting nervous. I had to resist the temptation to fast forward on several occasions. Hall is not trying be a Le Carre, hes in a different area, one he really makes his own. 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? movies. What is the French language plot outline for The Quiller Memorandum (1966)? Our hero delivers a running dialogue with his own unconscious mind, assessing the threats, his potential responses, his plans. The film has that beautiful, pristine look that seems to only come about in mid-60's cinema, made even more so by the clean appearance and tailored lines of the clothing on the supporting cast and the extras. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. He also wroteacrossa number ofgenres. When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. This one makes no exception. A much better example of a spy novel-to-film adaptation would be Our Man in Havana, also starring Alec Guinness. 1 jamietre 8 mo. Alec Guinness never misses a trick in his few scenes as the cold, witty fish in charge of Berlin sector investigations. 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. Michael Sandlin is a writer and academic based in Houston, Texas. 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. International in its scope its contributors include scholars from Australia, Quiller . He recruits Berger to help him infiltrate the Neo-Nazis and discover their base of operations, but, once again, is thwarted. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlin where Quiller tackles a threat from a group of neo-Nazis who call themselves Phoenix. 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.) Not terribly audience-friendly, but smart and very, very cool. I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". So, at this level. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. Nimble, sharp-toothed and sometimes they have to bite and claw their way out of a dark hole. Special guests Sanders and Helpmann bring their special brand of haughty authority to their roles as members of British Intelligence. In addition to Pinters screenplay, the film was noted for its plot twists and the portrayal of Quiller as refreshingly vulnerable and occasionally inept. 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. In West Berlin, George Segal's Quiller struggles through a near- existential battle with Neo-Nazi swine more soulless than his own cold-fish handlers. 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. 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. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. Lindt (Berger) is a school teacher who meets Quiller to translate for him. As usual for films which are difficult to pin down . All Rights Reserved. Visually, the film was rather stunning, but the magical soft focus that appears every time Inga is in the frame is silly. The Quiller Memorandum. I feel this film much more typified real counter espionage in the 60's as opposed to the early Bond flicks (which I love, by the way). (What with wanting to go to sleep and wanting to scream at the same time, this film does pose certain conflict problems.) 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. Read 134 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. I read it in two evenings. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the film is weighed down, not only by a ponderous script, but also by a miscast lead; instead of a heavy weight actor in the mold of a William Holden, George Segal was cast as Quiller. 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. 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. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . You HAVE been watching it carefully. 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). 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 West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate. 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 This reactionary quake in the spy genre was brief but seismic all the same. Cue the imposing Max Von Sydow as Nazi head honcho Oktober, whose Swedish accent is inflected with an Elmer Fudd-like speech impedimentthus achieving something like a serviceable German accent. 1 hr 45 mins. Clumsy thriller. The novel was titledThe Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. 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. You are a secret agent working for the British in Berlin. 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. He quickly becomes involved with numerous people of suspicious motives and backgrounds, including Inge (Senta Berger), a teacher at a school where a former Nazi war criminal committed suicide. That makes the story much more believable, and Adam Hall's writing style kept me engaged. 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! Widescreen viewing is a must, if possible, if for no other reason than to fully glimpse the extraordinary stadium built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympic games. His Oktober does, however, serve as a one-man master class in hyperironic cordiality: Ah, Quiller! 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 . Having just read the novel, it's impossible to watch this without its influence and I found the screen version incredibly disappointing. The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. . 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). And whats more, Quillers espionage tale is free of the silly gimmicks and gadgetry that define the escapist Bond franchise. effective, low key, intelligent, spy film, Attractive, thoughtful spy film with an excellent cast. The nation remained the home of the best spies. There are a number of unique elements in the Quiller series that make it stand out. But George Segal just doesn't cut it as a British secret agent in The Quiller Memorandum. Segals laconic, stoop-shouldered Quiller is a Yank agent on loan to the British government to replace the latest cashiered Anglo operative in West Berlin. Can someone explain it to me? Quilleris a code name. Quiller continues his subtle accusations, and Inge continues her denial of ever meeting Jones. But then Quiller retraces his steps in a flashback. 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. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. Quiller's primary contact for this job is a mid level administrative agent named Pol. Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. 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. A satisfyingly cynical spy thriller with George Segal, Alec Guinness and Max Von Sydow; and a script by Harold Pinter, Decent and interesting spy thriller with great cast and impressive musical score by John Barry in his usual style. She claims she turned in the teacher from the article, and points out the dilapidated Phoenix mansion. This books has excellent prose, unrealistic scenes, and a mediocre plot. Which is to say that in Quillers world, death is dispensed via relatively banal means like bombs and bullets instead of, say, dagger shoes and radioactive lint. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. The Wall Street Journal said it was one of the best espionage/spy series of all time. How did I miss this film until just recently? Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. His book. 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. 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. He believes this is explained early years like a priest, ending in this page numbers were both the end, bibi andersson and actor. 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. 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Hall alsopeppered the text with authentic espionage jargon and as you read you get to live the part of Quiller. 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. No one really cared that Gable did not even attempt an English accent the film was that good. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. It's not my intention to be obnoxious and list every point in the movie that strays from the book, but it's truly a shame that such well-crafted material--intriguing back stories, superior spy tactics--is wasted here. . The cast is full of familiar faces: Alec Guinness, who doesn't have much of a role, George Sanders, who has even less of one, Max von Sydow in what was to become a very familiar part for him, Robert Helpmann, Robert Flemyng, and the beautiful, enigmatic Senta Berger. Agent Quiller is relaxing in a Berlin theater the night before returning to London and rest after a difficult assignment when he is accosted by Pol, another British agent, with a new, very important assignment. Watchlist. In the 60's, in Berlin, two British agents that are investigating a Neonazi ring are murdered. Quiller reaches Pol's secret office in Berlin, one of the top floors in the newly built Europa-Center, the tallest building in the city, and gives them the location of the building where he met Oktober. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. Is there another film with as many sequences of extended, audible footsteps? George Segal as Agent Quiller with Inge Lindt (Senta Berger). George Segal, plays the edgy American-abroad new CI5 recruit (looking unnervingly at times like a young George W Bush!) His romantic interest is Senta Berger, whose understated and laconic dialog provides the perfect counterpoint to Segal's character. His two predecessors were killed off in their attempts, but he nevertheless proceeds with headstrong (perhaps even bullheaded) confidence without the aid of cover or even a firearm! He contacts the teacher Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) expecting to get some clues to be followed and soon he is abducted the the leader Oktober (Max von Sydow) and his men. Its there to tackle the dirty jobs, and Quiller is the Bureaus go-to guy. The source novel "The Berlin Memorandum" is billed in the credits as being by Adam Hall. Scriptwriter Harold Pinter, already with two of the best adapted screenplays of the 1960s British New Wave under his belt (The Servant and The Pumpkin Eater), adapted his screenplay for Quiller from Adam Halls 1965 novel, The Berlin Memorandum. Writing in The Guardian, playwright David Hare described Pinters strengths as a dramatist perfectly: In the spare, complicated screenwriting of Pinter, yes, no and maybe become words which do a hundred jobs. Unfortunately, when it comes to the use of language in Quiller, less does not always function as more. 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. Your email address will not be published. The Phoenix group descend and take Quiller, torturing him to find out what he knows. 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. What Adam Hall did extremely wellwas toget us readers inside the mind of an undercover operative. 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. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. 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. 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. 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. 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. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. 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. It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. While most realistic spy films of the 60s focused on the Soviet threat, Quiller pits the title character against a group of neo-Nazis. 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. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. With George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger. Hassler drives them to meet an old contact he says knows a lot more, who turns out to be Inge's headmistress. All of that, and today the novels are largely forgotten. The Quiller Memorandum, British-American spy film, released in 1966, that was especially noted for the deliberately paced but engrossing script by playwright Harold Pinter. 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. Pol dispatches a team to Phoenix's HQ, which successfully captures all of Phoenix's members. (UK title). True, Segal never seems to settle into the role of Quiller. Sadly, Von Sydows formidable acting chops are never seriously challenged here, and his lines are limited to fairly standard B-movie Euro-villain speak. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. Just watched it. In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. That way theres no-one to betray him to the other side. Try as he might though, he can't quite carry the lead here, lacking as he does the magnetism of Connery or the cynicism of Caine. 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. The whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. Write by: Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. As Quiller revolves around a plot that's more monstrously twisted than he imagines it to be . You are the hero of an extraordinary novel that shows how a spy works, how messages are coded and decoded, how contacts are made, how a man reacts under the influence of truth drugs, and that traces the story of a vastly complex, entertaining, convincing, and sinister plot. The Quiller Memorandum was based on a novel by Elleston Trevor (under the name Adam Hall). 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. The West had sent a couple of agents to find out their headquarters, but both are killed. 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. This is one of the worst thriller screenplays in cinema history. He notices the concierge is seated where he can see anyone leaving. 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. George Segal provides us with a lead character who is somewhat quirky in his demeanor, yet nonetheless effective in his role as an agent. A bit too sardonic at times, I think his character wanted to be elsewhere, clashing with KGB agents instead of ferreting out neo-nazis. I just dont really understand the ending to a degree. This spy novel about neo-Nazis 1960's Berlin seemed dated and a little stilted to me. In fact, he is derisory about agents who insist on being armed. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. 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. Max Van Sydow is better as the neo-Nazi leader, veiled by the veneer of respectability as he cracks his knuckles and swings a golf club all the time he's injecting Segal with massive doses of truth serum, while Senta Berger is pleasant, but slight, as the pretty young teacher who apparently leads our man initially to the "other side", but whose escape at the end from capture and certain death at the hands of the "baddies" might lead one to suspect her true proclivities. He accepts the assignment and almost immediately finds that he is being followed. I enjoyed the book. I havent watched too many movies from the 1960s in my lifetime, but the ones I have watched have been excellent (Von Ryans Express, Tony Rome, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Hustler, The Great Escape, etc, including this one.)

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