A much better example of a spy novel-to-film adaptation would be Our Man in Havana, also starring Alec Guinness. 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. His job is to locate their headquarters. He calls Inge and arranges to meet. Be the first to contribute. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Is Quiller going to wind up dead too? It relies. Variety wrote that "it relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters". He is shot dead by an unseen gunman. Twist piles upon twist , as a British agent becomes involved in a fiendishly complicated operation to get a dangerous ringleader and his menacing hoodlums . George Segal was good at digging for information without gadgets. His romantic interest is Senta Berger, whose understated and laconic dialog provides the perfect counterpoint to Segal's character. The quarry for all the work is old Nazi higher officials who are now hiding behind new names and plotting to return Germany to the glory days of the Third Reich, complete with a resurrected Fhrer twenty years after the end of WW II. Dril several holes in it, the size of a pin, one the size of a small coin. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. Fans of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" will notice that film's Mr. Slugworth (Meisner) in a small role as the operator of a swim club (which features some memorably husky, "master race" swimmers emerging from the pool.) I enjoyed this novel just as much (if not more) as the previous books that I have read, and I will certainly be purchasing any further Quiller novels that I come across in my exploration of second-hand bookshops. Keating. The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. Summaries 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. 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. Really sad. The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. All Rights Reserved. Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. 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. Quiller investigates, but hes being followed and has been since the moment he entered Berlin. 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. He sounded about as British as Leo Carillo or Cher. 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. What a difference to the ludicrous James Helm/Matt Bond (or is it the other way round?) Want to Read. The film illustrates the never-ending game of spying and the futility that results as each mission is only accomplished in its own realm, but the big picture goes on and on with little or no resolution. Before long, his purposefully clumsy nosing around leads to his capture and interrogation by a very elegantly menacing von Sydow, who wants to know where Segal's own headquarters is! The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. A spy thriller for chess players. He first meets with Pol, who explains that each side is trying to discover and annihilate the other's base. Senta Berger was gorgeous! When a spy film is made in the James Bond vein then close analysis is superfluous, but when the movie has a pretense of seriousness then it'd better make sense. 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. This is one of the worst thriller screenplays in cinema history. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. Quiller, an agent working for British Intelligence, is sent to Berlin to meet with Pol, another operative. 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 plot holes are many. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. You are a secret agent working for the British in Berlin. And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. Apparently, it was made into a classic movie and there is even a website compiled by Trevor devotees. Oktober reveals they are moving base the next day and that they have captured Inge. At the 1967 BAFTA Awards the film had nominations in the best Art Direction, Film Editing and Screenplay categories, but did not win. The sentences are generally clipped and abrupt, reminiscent of Simon Kernicks style wherenot a word is wasted, but predating him by a generation. 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. Quiller admits to Inge that he is an "investigator" on the trail of neo-Nazis. Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. Once Quiller becomes extra-friendly with Ingewhich happens preternaturally quicklyits clear someone on the other side is getting nervous. In addition to Pinters screenplay, the film was noted for its plot twists and the portrayal of Quiller as refreshingly vulnerable and occasionally inept. Where to Watch. 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. Quiller, however, escapes, and with Inges help, he discovers the location of Phoenixs headquarters. The movie made productive use of the West German locations. I too read the Quiller novels years ago and found them thrilling and a great middle ground between the super-spy Bond stories and the realism of Le Carre. The story is ludicrous. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. Published chrismass61 Aug 21 2013 This is an espionage series that started in the '60's and ran through the '90's. Harold Pinter's fairly literate screenplay features . "[4], The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 67% of critics have given the film a positive rating, based on 12 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10. 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). 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. But for today's audiences, those films are a bit old fashioned and not always very easy to follow, too much complicated. 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. 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. His dry but quick Yiddish humor shines through on many occasions, providing diversions that masquerade his underlying desire to expose the antagonists' machinations. He was the author of. He manages to get over the wall of his garage stall as well as the adjoining one and then outside to the side of the building before detonation. Meanwhile , Quiller befriends and fall in love for a teacher , Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) , and both of whom suffer constant dangers . Quiller's primary contact for this job is a mid level administrative agent named Pol. The newspaper clipping that Hengel gives to Quiller, in the cafe when they first meet, shows that a schoolteacher called Hans Heinrich Steiner has been arrested for war crimes committed in WW2. 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. I enjoyed the book. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. This books has excellent prose, unrealistic scenes, and a mediocre plot. Another characteristic of Halls style isthe ending of chapters with a cliff hanger. movies. This film has special meaning for me as I was living in Berlin during the filming and, subsequent screening in the city. Watched by Rui Alves de Sousa 04 Jun 2022. A crisply written story that captured my attention from beginning to end. I read the whole Quiller series when I was younger, and loved it. They are not just sympathisers though. This was the first book, and I liked it. 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. 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. Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. An American secret agent called Quiller (George Segal) working for MI6 (whose chief is George Sanders) travels to Berlin to uncover a deadly Neo-Nazi band . 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 . In 1966, the book was made into a successful film starring George Segal, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger, and Alec Guinness. Phoenix boss Oktober (Max von Sydow) with George Segal, seated. The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood . But don't let it fool you for one minutenor Mr. Segal, nor Senta Berger as the girl. I listened to the audio version narrated by Andrew B Wehrlen and found it an utterly engaging tale. This isachievedviaQuillers first person perspective. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? THE SITE FOR DIE HARD CRIME & THRILLER FANS. Quiller leaves the Konigshof Hotel on West Berlin's Kurfurstendamm and confronts a man who has been following him, learning that it is his minder, Hengel. 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. Pol tells Quiller the fascist underground is far more organized and powerful in Germany than people believe. Because the books were written in the first person the reader learns very little about him, beyond his mission capability. 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. Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. An American agent is sent to Berlin to track down the leaders of a neo-Nazi organization, but when they . Quilleris a code name. See production, box office & company info, Europa-Center, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Its there to tackle the dirty jobs, and Quiller is the Bureaus go-to guy. Press J to jump to the feed. 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." Is there another film with as many sequences of extended, audible footsteps? 2 decades after the collapse of Nazi Germany, several old guard are planning to (slowly) rebuild. 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. Visually, the film was rather stunning, but the magical soft focus that appears every time Inga is in the frame is silly. 42 editions. Max von Sydow plays the Nazi chief quietly but with high camp menace. If you have seen this movie, and it leaves you very dissatisfied or with a bunch of bright orange question marks, don't worry ! 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. 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. 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? There was also a TV series in 1975. George Segal provides us with a lead character who is somewhat quirky in his demeanor, yet nonetheless effective in his role as an agent. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. 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 nation remained the home of the best spies. The mission in Berlin is a mess, two of the Bureaus spies have been murdered already by the shadowy Phoenix. 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. [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. It out the quiller? 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. Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. Quiller slips out though a side door to the small garage yard where his car is kept. Get help and learn more about the design. In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. 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. It relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters. [7][8], Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Quiller_Memorandum&oldid=1135714025, "Wednesday's Child" main theme (instrumental), "Wednesday's Child" vocal version (lyrics: Mack David / vocals: Matt Monro), "Have You Heard of a Man Called Jones?" 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 Wall Street Journal said it was one of the best espionage/spy series of all time. 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 first thing to say about this film is that the screenplay is so terrible. effective, low key, intelligent, spy film, Attractive, thoughtful spy film with an excellent cast. It certainly held my interest, partly because it was set in Berlin and even mentioned the street I lived on several times. 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. 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. He begins openly asking question about Neo-Nazis and is soon kidnapped by a man known only as "Oktober". 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. The film ends with Quiller suspecting that Inge is more than an ordinary schoolteacher. He also wroteacrossa number ofgenres. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. The Phoenix group descend and take Quiller, torturing him to find out what he knows. The film starred George Segal in the lead role, with Alec Guinness supporting andwas nominated for three BAFTAs. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. They are not just sympathisers though. 1 jamietre 8 mo. Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. How did I miss this film until just recently? 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! 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. Its excellent entertainment. The Quiller Memorandum. Quiller manages to outwit his opponent yet again, leading to his arrest. International in its scope its contributors include scholars from Australia, Quiller . One of my all time favorites and the film too. Segal is a very young man in this, with that flippant, relaxed quality that made him so popular. He steals a taxi, evades a pursuing vehicle and books himself into a squalid hotel. (What with wanting to go to sleep and wanting to scream at the same time, this film does pose certain conflict problems.) The setting is the most shadowy "post WWII Berlin" with the master players lined up against each other - The Brits and The Nazi Heirs. When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. When Quiller returns to his hotel, a porter bumps Quiller's leg with a suitcase on the steps. Guinness appears as Segal's superior and offers a great deal of presence and class. The Quiller Memorandum: Directed by Michael Anderson. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. 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. It is credible. In . After two British agents are killed while investigating Phoenix, a neo-Nazi group, Quiller is tasked with finding the organizations leader. It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. The Chief of the Secret Service Pol (Alec Guinness) summons the efficient agent Quiller (George Segal) to investigate the location of organization's headquarter. 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). 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. 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. Harold Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Motion Picture category, but also didn't win. But then Quiller retraces his steps in a flashback. 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 West had sent a couple of agents to find out their headquarters, but both are killed. 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. 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. How nice to see you again! and so forth. The setting is as classic as the comeBerlin during the 1960s. NR. There are a number of unique elements in the Quiller series that make it stand out. Alec Guinness plays spymaster Pol, Quillers minder. 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. He is the true faceless spy. She claims she turned in the teacher from the article, and points out the dilapidated Phoenix mansion. 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. But how could she put up with the love scenes with the atrocious Segal? 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. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. When Quiller passes out at a traffic stop, the other car pulls alongside and abducts him. Quiller has a love affair with Inge and they seek out the location of Oktober. I wanted to make a list of all the things that are wrong with this film, but I can't - such a list would need much more than a thousand words. The film had its world premiere on 10 November 1966 at the Odeon Leicester Square in the West End of London. 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. The Quiller Memorandum was based on a novel by Elleston Trevor (under the name Adam Hall). 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. Sadly the Quiller novels have fallen out of favour with the apparentend of the Cold War. In terms of style The Quiller books aretaut and written with narrative pace at the forefront. I recently found and purchased all 19 of the series in hardback and read them serially. I can't NOT begin by saying, "This Is A MUST Read For Every Fan Of The Espionage Genre". Oktober informs Quiller that if he does not disclose secret information this time, both he and Inge will be killed. 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. 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. Alec Guinness never misses a trick in his few scenes as the cold, witty fish in charge of Berlin sector investigations. On its publication in 1966, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM received the Edgar Award as best mystery of the year. 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. And, the final scene (with her and Segal) is done extremely well (won't spoil it for those who still wish to see itit fully sums up the film, the tension filled times and cold war-era Germany). 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. youtu.be/rQ4PA3H6pAw. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. As Quiller revolves around a plot that's more monstrously twisted than he imagines it to be . (UK title). It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. Also contains one of the final appearences of George Sanders in a brief role, a classic in his own right! What will Quiller do? He accepts the assignment and almost immediately finds that he is being followed. 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.
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