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At a key breakfast meeting, Pol uses two blueberry muffins to outline the particularly precarious cat-and-mouse game Quiller must play while in the gap between his own side and the fascist gang. Your email address will not be published. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. 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. 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. No doubt Quiller initially seems like a slow-witted stumblebum, but his competence as an agent begins to reveal itself in due course: for instance, we find out he speaks fluent German; in a late scene, he successfully uses a car bomb to fake his own death and fool his adversaries; and along the way he exhibits surprisingly competent hand-to-hand combat skills in beating up a few Nazi bullyboys. He is the true faceless spy. When they find, Quiller gives the phone number of his base to Inge and investigates the place. Apparently, it was made into a classic movie and there is even a website compiled by Trevor devotees. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West Berlin, 15 years after the end of WW II. 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. 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). 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. Sort of a mixed effect clouds this novel. They are not just sympathisers though. On paper, this film had all the makings of a potential masterpiece: youve got a marquee cast, headed up by George Segal, Max Von Sydow, and Alec Guinness, for starters. 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. 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. 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. Ian Nathan of Empire described the film as "daft, dated and outright confusing most of the time, but undeniably fun" and rated it with 3/5 stars. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlinwhere Quillertackles a threat from a group ofneo-Nazis whocall themselves Phoenix. Press J to jump to the feed. Analismos este filme no 10. episdio de TRS J COMPANHIA. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. When drug-induced questioning fails to produce results, Segal is booted to the river, but he isn't quite ready to give in yet. Quiller, an agent working for British Intelligence, is sent to Berlin to meet with Pol, another operative. His dry but quick Yiddish humor shines through on many occasions, providing diversions that masquerade his underlying desire to expose the antagonists' machinations. The whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. Write by: The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood Studios, England. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. But for today's audiences, those films are a bit old fashioned and not always very easy to follow, too much complicated. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. After they have sex, she unexpectedly reveals that a friend was formerly involved with neo-Nazis and might know the location of Phoenix's HQ. Quiller manages to outwit his opponent yet again, leading to his arrest. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. The characters and dialog are well-written and most roles are nicely acted. 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. Watchable and intriguing as it occasionally is, enigmatic is perhaps the most apposite adjective you could use to describe the "action" within. They wereso popularthat in 1966 a film was made the title waschanged to The Quiller Memorandum and from then on all future copies of the book were published under this title, rather than the original. As usual for films which are difficult to pin down . My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. While the rest of the cast (Alec Guinness, Max Von Sydow and George Sanders) are good and Harold Pinter tries hard to turn a very internal story into the visual medium, George Segal is totally miscast 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 accepts the assignment and almost immediately finds that he is being followed. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Fans of realistic spy fiction will enjoy David McCloskeys debut thriller Damascus Station, newly available in paperback in the UK. So, at this level. In fact, Segal as Quiller can often feel like a case of simple miscasting, although not as egregious a lapse in judgment as, say, Segals choice to play a Times Square smackhead in 1971s Born to Win. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. Or was she simply a lonely Samaritan who altruistically beds the socially awkward American spy to help prevent a Fourth Reich? Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. 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. Phoenix boss Oktober (Max von Sydow) with George Segal, seated. This one makes no exception. This is the first in the series, and it seems to have a reputation for being a little different from what would become the typical Quiller novel. Because the books were written in the first person the reader learns very little about him, beyond his mission capability. Quiller would have also competed with the deluge of popular spy spoofs and their misfit mock-heroes: namely, Dean Martins drinking-and-driving playboy agent Matt Helm (The Silencers, Wrecking Crew) and James Coburns parody of Bondian suavity, Derek Flint, in the trippy spy fantasias Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flint (1967). Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. Fairly interesting spy movie, but doesn't make much sense under close scrutiny. And considering how terrible its one fight scene is, it's certainly a blessing that it doesn't have any more. What is the French language plot outline for The Quiller Memorandum (1966)? A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. The friend proves to be Hassler, who is now much more friendly. At the 1967 BAFTA Awards the film had nominations in the best Art Direction, Film Editing and Screenplay categories, but did not win. The story is ludicrous. 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. George Segal was good at digging for information without gadgets. I am not saying he was bad in the filmor at least that bad. The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. I had to resist the temptation to fast forward on several occasions. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. The Berlin Memorandum, renamed The Quiller Memorandum, was published in 1965 by Elleston Trevor, who used the pseudonym Adam Hall. I can't NOT begin by saying, "This Is A MUST Read For Every Fan Of The Espionage Genre". And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. 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. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. Also published as "The Berlin Memorandum" (UK title). Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. The setting is the most shadowy "post WWII Berlin" with the master players lined up against each other - The Brits and The Nazi Heirs. Just watched it. He published over 50 novels as Elleston Trevor alone. A bit too sardonic at times, I think his character wanted to be elsewhere, clashing with KGB agents instead of ferreting out neo-nazis. 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. And although Harold Pinters screenwriting for Quiller doesnt strike one as being classically Pinteresque, occasionally his distinct style reveals itself in pockets of suggestive menace where silence is often just as important as whats spoken. The name of the intelligence agency that Quiller ( George Segal) worked for was MI6. Hassler drives them to meet an old contact he says knows a lot more, who turns out to be Inge's headmistress. 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. I'm generally pretty forgiving of film adaptations of novels, but the changes that were made just do not make sense. Watchlist. What a difference to the ludicrous James Helm/Matt Bond (or is it the other way round?) But George Segal just doesn't cut it as a British secret agent in The Quiller Memorandum. Quiller becomes drowsy from a drug that was injected by the porter at the entrance to the hotel. Older ; About; The Wall Street Journal said it was one of the best espionage/spy series of all time. 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. The Quiller Memorandum. I listened to the audio version narrated by Andrew B Wehrlen and found it an utterly engaging tale. Quiller enters the mansion and is confronted by Phoenix thugs. Guinness appears as Segal's superior and offers a great deal of presence and class. The book is more focused on thinking as a spy and I found it to be very realistic. The film ends with Quiller suspecting that Inge is more than an ordinary schoolteacher. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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!). 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. Also the increasing descent into the minutiae of spycraft plays into the reveal, plot-wise as well as psychologically. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. They are not just sympathisers though. 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. They are all members of Phoenix, led by the German aristocrat code-named Oktober. The movie made productive use of the West German locations. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. The film is ludicrous. On its publication in 1966, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM received the Edgar Award as best mystery of the year. George Segal, plays the edgy American-abroad new CI5 recruit (looking unnervingly at times like a young George W Bush!) Elleston Trevor wrote 19 novels in the highly successful Quiller series. That way theres no-one to betray him to the other side. His romantic interest is Senta Berger, whose understated and laconic dialog provides the perfect counterpoint to Segal's character. The Quiller Memorandum: Directed by Michael Anderson. The Quiller Memorandum is the third Quiller novel that I have read, and it firmly establishes my opinion that Quiller is one of the finest series of espionage novels to have ever been written. The latter reveals a local teacher has been unmasked as a Nazi. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. When Quiller returns to his hotel, a porter bumps Quiller's leg with a suitcase on the steps. 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. Is there another film with as many sequences of extended, audible footsteps? The plot holes are many. Quiller is released. 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. I recently found and purchased all 19 of the series in hardback and read them serially. 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. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. 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. It relies. 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. closing theme, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 11:13. effective, low key, intelligent, spy film, Attractive, thoughtful spy film with an excellent cast. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. 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. Quilleris a code name. Quiller's assignment is to take over where Jones left off. He does this in a lone-wolf way, refusing to be hampered by bodyguards. But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. Whats left most open to interpretation is Inges role in all this: was she a Janus-faced Nazi mole who used sex as a weapon to lead Quiller into a trap? They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The movie wants to be more Le Carre than Fleming (the nods to the latter fall flat with a couple of fairly underpowered car-chases and a very unconvincing fight scene when Segal first tries to escape his captors) but fails to make up in suspense what it obviously lacks in thrills. movies. 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. Dril several holes in it, the size of a pin, one the size of a small coin. 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 . 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. [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. 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 Lindt (Berger) is a school teacher who meets Quiller to translate for him. 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. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. 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. 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. The film is a spy-thriller set in 1960s West Berlin, where agent Quiller is sent to investigate a neo-Nazi organisation. Really sad. The Quiller Memorandum subtitles. Michael Anderson directs with his usual leaden touch. Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is. Clumsy thriller. A highly unusual and stimulating approach that draws us into the story. Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. 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). It out the quiller? Keating. The Quiller Memorandum strips the spy persona down to its primal instincts, ditching the fancy paraphernalia in favor of a rather satisfying display of wits and gumption. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Nimble, sharp-toothed and sometimes they have to bite and claw their way out of a dark hole. Also contains one of the final appearences of George Sanders in a brief role, a classic in his own right! He is British secret agent Kenneth Lindsay Jones. From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! 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. Segal plays a secret agent assigned to ferret out the headquarters of a Neo-Nazi movement in Berlin. 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. 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. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol (Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. Adam Hall/Elleston Trevor certainly produces the unexpected. This isn't your average James Bond knockoff spy thriller; the fact that the screenplay is by playwright Harold Pinter is the first clue. 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? His investigations (and baiting) lead him to a pretty schoolteacher (Berger) who he immediately takes a liking to and who may be of assistance to him in his quest. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. Get help and learn more about the design. Alec Guinness is excellent as a spy chief, and he gives a faint whiff of verisimilitude to this hopeless film. 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. 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). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (3 outta 5 stars) The 1960s saw a plethora of two kinds of spy movies: the outrageous semi-serious James Bond ripoffs (like the Flint and Matt Helm movies) and the very dry, methodical ones that were more talk than action (mostly John Le Carre and Alistair MacLean adaptations). Hall alsopeppered the text with authentic espionage jargon and as you read you get to live the part of Quiller. 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. Oktober also wants to know the location of the British base in Germany and uses drugs in Quiller to get the information but the skilled agent resists. Languid, some might say ponderous mid-60's British-made cold-war drama (it could scarcely be called a thriller, more "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" than, say "Thunderball") that for all its longueurs, does have some redeeming features. He brings graceful authority and steely determination to his role. 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. They don't know how to play it, it's neither enjoyable make-believe like the James Bond movies, nor is it played for real like "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold." Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. 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. Quiller being injected with truth serum by agents of Phoenix. Hes lone wolf who lives or dies by his own actions a very clean and principled approach to espionage. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. By day, the city is presented so beautifully, it's hard to imagine that such ugly things are going on amidst it. . 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. , . THE SITE FOR DIE HARD CRIME & THRILLER FANS. - BH. All Rights Reserved. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett, Norwegian crime show Witch Hunt comes to Walter Presents, The Wall: Quebec crime show comes to More4, Irish crime drama North Sea Connection comes to BBC Four, The complete guide to Mick Herrons Slough House series. 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). 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. (UK title). The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. 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. It is credible. Senta Berger was gorgeous! Don't start thinking you missed something: it's the screenplay who did !