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. [5], According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $2,600,000 in rentals to break even and made $2,575,000, meaning it initially showed a marginal loss, but subsequent television and home video sales moved it into the black. 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. 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. 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. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. 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. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. Clumsy thriller. But George Segal just doesn't cut it as a British secret agent in The Quiller Memorandum. This one makes no exception. Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. Apparently, it was made into a classic movie and there is even a website compiled by Trevor devotees. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. This movie belongs to the long list of the spy features of the sixties, and not even James Bond like movies, rather John Le Carr oriented ones, in the line of IPCRESS or ODESSA FILE, very interesting films for movie buffs in search of a kind of nostalgia and also for those who try to understand this period. The Quiller Memorandum: Directed by Michael Anderson. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Get help and learn more about the design. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . Quiller awakes in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by many of the previous incidental characters. She claims she turned in the teacher from the article, and points out the dilapidated Phoenix mansion. 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. And whats more, Quillers espionage tale is free of the silly gimmicks and gadgetry that define the escapist Bond franchise. First isthe protagonist himself. 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. 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. 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). Quiller befriends a teacher, Inge Lindt, whose predecessor at the school had been arrested for being a Neo-Nazi. 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. 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. He is the true faceless spy. 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. Analismos este filme no 10. episdio de TRS J COMPANHIA. Really sad. How nice to see you again! and so forth. I enjoyed the book. 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. The friend proves to be Hassler, who is now much more friendly. A bit too sardonic at times, I think his character wanted to be elsewhere, clashing with KGB agents instead of ferreting out neo-nazis. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. 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. Quiller slips out though a side door to the small garage yard where his car is kept. Sadly, Von Sydows formidable acting chops are never seriously challenged here, and his lines are limited to fairly standard B-movie Euro-villain speak. He first meets with Pol, who explains that each side is trying to discover and annihilate the other's base. DVD Savant Review: The Quiller Memorandum - DVD Talk Special guests Sanders and Helpmann bring their special brand of haughty authority to their roles as members of British Intelligence. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. 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. 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. I had to resist the temptation to fast forward on several occasions. A crisply written story that captured my attention from beginning to end. The movie made productive use of the West German locations. They are all members of Phoenix, led by the German aristocrat code-named Oktober. He walks down the same street where Jones was shot, but finds he is followed by Oktober's men. The classic tale of espionage that started it all! Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. The premise isn't far-fetched, but the details are. 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. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. The Quiller Memorandum 1966, directed by Michael Anderson | Film review Thanks in advance. But good enough to hold my interest till the end. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. 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. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 Crime Fiction Lover. Also published as "The Berlin Memorandum" (UK title). Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is. But don't let it fool you for one minutenor Mr. Segal, nor Senta Berger as the girl. 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. 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. It was from the quiller memorandum ending of the item, a failed nuclear weapons of Personalized Map Search. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. 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: At the end of our conversation, he ordered them to kill me. He is British secret agent Kenneth Lindsay Jones. The brawny headmistress points Quiller in the direction of Inge (Senta Berger), who happens to be the only English-speaking teacher at the school. How did I miss this film until just recently? While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. He begins openly asking question about Neo-Nazis and is soon kidnapped by a man known only as "Oktober". George Segal provides us with a lead character who is somewhat quirky in his demeanor, yet nonetheless effective in his role as an agent. 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. Quiller is released. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Michael Sandlin is a writer and academic based in Houston, Texas. This repackaging includes some worthwhile special features like an isolated score track and commentary by film historians Eddy Friedfeld and Lee Pfeiffer of Cinema Retro magazine to go with the new format. 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 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! What will Quiller do? 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 photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. Hes lone wolf who lives or dies by his own actions a very clean and principled approach to espionage. - BH. Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. While most realistic spy films of the 60s focused on the Soviet threat, Quiller pits the title character against a group of neo-Nazis. On its publication in 1966, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM received the Edgar Award as best mystery of the year. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. Thank God Segal is in it. 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. The Quiller Memorandum | Mountain Xpress 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. Finally, he is placed in the no-win position of either choosing to aid von Sydow or allowing Berger to be murdered. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. 2023 Variety Media, LLC. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. Quiller Series by Adam Hall - Goodreads It relies. This isachievedviaQuillers first person perspective. 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. En route he has some edgy adventures. 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. 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. Michael Anderson directs with his usual leaden touch. Amazon.com: The Quiller Memorandum eBook : Hall, Adam: Books But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. Hall's truncated writing style contributes to this effect. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - IMDb The Quiller Memorandum 1966, directed by Michael Anderson | Film review The Quiller Memorandum Film Time Out says The thinking man's spy thriller, in as much as Harold Pinter wrote the script. Berger is luminous and exceedingly solid in a complicated role. It's a bit strange to see such exquisitely Pinter-esque dialogue (the laconic, seemingly innocuous sentences; the profound silences; the syntax that isn't quite how real people actually talk) in a spy movie, but it really works. 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. Another characteristic of Halls style isthe ending of chapters with a cliff hanger. 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. His job is to locate their headquarters. The headmistress introduces him to a teacher who speaks English, Inge Lindt. 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. American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). 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. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. 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. 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 is surprised to learn that no women were found. 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. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . George Segal, plays the edgy American-abroad new CI5 recruit (looking unnervingly at times like a young George W Bush!) Quiller Memorandum, The (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits The Berlin Memorandum, renamed The Quiller Memorandum, was published in 1965 by Elleston Trevor, who used the pseudonym Adam Hall. It certainly held my interest, partly because it was set in Berlin and even mentioned the street I lived on several times. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol (Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. Take a solid, healthy chicken's egg out of the hen house or the fridge Now throw out all the substance, and just keep the eggshell. Meanwhile , Quiller befriends and fall in love for a teacher , Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) , and both of whom suffer constant dangers . 42 editions. 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. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. The film's screenplay (by noted playwright Pinter) reuses to spoon feed the audience, rather requiring that they rely on their instinct and attention span to pick up the threads of the plot. 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. Segal plays a secret agent assigned to ferret out the headquarters of a Neo-Nazi movement in Berlin. A Twilight Time release. Harold Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Motion Picture category, but also didn't win. Our hero delivers a running dialogue with his own unconscious mind, assessing the threats, his potential responses, his plans. . 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. The Quiller Memorandum Reviews. The first thing to say about this film is that the screenplay is so terrible. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. 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. An almost unrecognizable George Segal stars in "The Quiller Memorandum," set in Berlin and made 40 years ago. The Quiller Memorandum Ending Explained Adam Hall's 1966 Edgar Winner: The Quiller Memorandum - Criminal Element Published chrismass61 Aug 21 2013 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. The novel was titledThe Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. Can someone please explain to me the ending in The Quiller Memorandum He sounded about as British as Leo Carillo or Cher. Dril several holes in it, the size of a pin, one the size of a small coin. 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. 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. The Quiller series is highly regarded by the spy-fiction community, and as strange as it may seem - because I have had most of the books for years - I have never actually read them. Read more America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema. The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. Audiobook. I liked that the main character was ornery and tired and smart and still made mistakes and tried to see all possible outcomes at once and fought more against jumping to conclusions and staying alert and clear-headed than he did directly against the villains themselves. But soon he finds that she has been kidnapped and Oktober gives a couple of hours to him to give the location of the site; otherwise Inge and him will be killed. Variety wrote that "it relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters". But admittedly its a tricky business second-guessing his dramatic instincts here. This was a great movie and found Quillers character to be excellent. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) is one such film, and though it's one of the more obscure ones, it is also one of the better ones. , . He does this in a lone-wolf way, refusing to be hampered by bodyguards. But Quiller is an equal to a James Bond, or a George Smiley. 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 . And the legendary John Barrycomposer of the original Bond themeprovides appropriately haunting incidental music here. I just dont really understand the ending to a degree. 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. 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. In many ways, it creates mystery through the notion of exploring "mystery" itself. All Rights Reserved. The Quiller Memorandum was based on a novel by Elleston Trevor (under the name Adam Hall). The casting of George Segal in the lead was a catastrophe, as he is so brash and annoying that one wants to scream. Quiller has a love affair with Inge and they seek out the location of Oktober. Watched by Rui Alves de Sousa 04 Jun 2022. Is there another film with as many sequences of extended, audible footsteps? (What with wanting to go to sleep and wanting to scream at the same time, this film does pose certain conflict problems.) When Quiller returns to his hotel, a porter bumps Quiller's leg with a suitcase on the steps. Oktober reveals they are moving base the next day and that they have captured Inge. 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!). 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. 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 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 Quiller revolves around a plot that's more monstrously twisted than he imagines it to be . From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - IMDb Movie Info After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller (George Segal) is sent to Berlin to. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. I recall being duly impressed by the menacing atmospherics, if much of it went over my head. 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. Theres a humanity to Quiller that is unique in this type of action spy thriller. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. The Quiller Memorandum - Variety Defiant undercover spy Quiller carries out a nervy , stealthy , prowling around Berlin in which he becomes involved into a risked cat and mouse game , being chased and hunted , by a strange and sinister leader , known only as Oktober (Max Von Sidow) . The mission in Berlin is a mess, two of the Bureaus spies have been murdered already by the shadowy Phoenix. 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. 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. When Quiller passes out at a traffic stop, the other car pulls alongside and abducts him.
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