AKA: Ivan Foxwell's the Quiller Memorandum, Quiller, Quiller Memorandum, Ian Foxwell's The Quiller Memorandum, Ivan Foxwell's Production The Quiller Memorandum. This time he's a spy trying to get the location of a neo-Nazi organization. For my money, the top three cold war spy novelists were Le Carre, Deighton, and Adam Hall. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. 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. How did I miss this film until just recently? In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. 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. Quiller's primary contact for this job is a mid level administrative agent named Pol. Quiller continues his subtle accusations, and Inge continues her denial of ever meeting Jones. 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. He steals a taxi, evades a pursuing vehicle and books himself into a squalid hotel. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. That way theres no-one to betray him to the other side. 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. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? The book and movie made a bit of a splash in the spy craze of the mid-sixties, when James Bond and The Man From Uncle were all the rage. With George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger. It relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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 All Rights Reserved. It is the first book in the 20-volume Quiller series. Meanwhile , Quiller befriends and fall in love for a teacher , Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) , and both of whom suffer constant dangers . 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. effective, low key, intelligent, spy film, Attractive, thoughtful spy film with an excellent cast. 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. 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 investigates, but hes being followed and has been since the moment he entered Berlin. They both go to the building, whereupon they are captured. The novel was titled The Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. Apparently, it was made into a classic movie and there is even a website compiled by Trevor devotees. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. After all, his characters social unease and affectless personality are presumably components of the movies contra-Bond commitment. Much quieter and understated than most spy flicks. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. George Segal, plays the edgy American-abroad new CI5 recruit (looking unnervingly at times like a young George W Bush!) The source novel "The Berlin Memorandum" is billed in the credits as being by Adam Hall. A spy thriller for chess players. America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema. before he started doing "genial" and reminds us that his previous part was in the heavyweight "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". This is an espionage series that started in the '60's and ran through the '90's. There was also a TV series in 1975. You HAVE been watching it carefully. 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. I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". 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). Very eerie film score, I believe John Barry did it but, I'm not sure. 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? 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. Nobel prizes notwithstanding I think Harold Pinter's screenplay for this movie is pretty lame, or maybe it's the director's fault. He also has to endure some narcotically enhanced interrogation, which is the basis of one of the novel's most thrilling chapters. 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. International in its scope its contributors include scholars from Australia, Quiller . ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. The film starred George Segal in the lead role, with Alec Guinness supporting andwas nominated for three BAFTAs. closing theme, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 11:13. 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. 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? Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. 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. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. 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. 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). On the other hand, the female lead is played by the charming Senta Berger, then aged 25, who does very well, and manages to be enigmatic, and gets just the right tone for the story. Alec Guinness plays spymaster Pol, Quillers minder. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. 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 British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. 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. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. George Sanders and others back in London play the stock roles of arch SIS mandarins who love putting people down, wearing black tie and being the snobs that they are. Get help and learn more about the design. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. 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.) The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. 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. When Quiller returns to his hotel, a porter bumps Quiller's leg with a suitcase on the steps. He calls Inge and arranges to meet. The story is ludicrous. And whats more, Quillers espionage tale is free of the silly gimmicks and gadgetry that define the escapist Bond franchise. This spy novel about neo-Nazis 1960's Berlin seemed dated and a little stilted to me. 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. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol (Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. Quiller goes back to the school and confronts Inge in her classroom. 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. And the legendary John Barrycomposer of the original Bond themeprovides appropriately haunting incidental music here. 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. 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. Its excellent entertainment. . When Quiller decides to investigate the building, Inge says she will wait for him, while Hassler and the headmistress leave one of their cars for them. There are a number of unique elements in the Quiller series that make it stand out. 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. American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. It keeps the reader engrossed right up to the last couple of lines.

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