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. How nice to see you again! and so forth. His virtual army of nearly silent, oddball henchmen add to the flavor of paranoia and nervousness. It certainly held my interest, partly because it was set in Berlin and even mentioned the street I lived on several times. The screenwriter, Harold Pinter, no less, received an Edgar nomination. 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. , . This is one of the worst thriller screenplays in cinema history. Quiller, an agent working for British Intelligence, is sent to Berlin to meet with Pol, another operative. 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. Hes that good try the book and youll find out. How did I miss this film until just recently? Try as he might though, he can't quite carry the lead here, lacking as he does the magnetism of Connery or the cynicism of Caine. The photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. This was a great movie and found Quillers character to be excellent. Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is. En route he has some edgy adventures. He recruits Berger to help him infiltrate the Neo-Nazis and discover their base of operations, but, once again, is thwarted. 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. The setting is as classic as the comeBerlin during the 1960s. The thugs believe him dead when they see the burning wreckage. This was the first book, and I liked it. George Segal's Quiller isn't intense, smart, calculating--qualities Quiller is known for--instead he comes across as a doofus by comparison, better suited to sports-writing or boxing, completely lacking in cunning. 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). When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. 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. With George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger. With what little information the British operatives are able to provide him especially in his most recent predecessor, Kenneth Lindsay Jones, working alone without backup against advice, Quiller decides to take a different but potentially more dangerous tact than those predecessors in showing himself at three places Jones was known to be investigating, albeit in coded terms, as the person who has now taken over the mission from Jones in the probability that the Nazis will try to abduct him for questioning to discover what exactly their opponents know or don't know, and to discover in turn their base of operations in West Berlin. Quiller meets his controller for this mission, Pol, at Berlin's Olympia Stadium, and learns that he must find the headquarters of Phoenix, a neo-Nazi organization. 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. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. 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. Mind you, in 1966-67 the Wall was there, East German border guards and a definite (cold war) cloud hanging over the city. The Neo-Nazis want to know the location of British operations and similarly, the British want to know the location of the Neo-Nazis' headquarters. 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. The film is ludicrous. But how could she put up with the love scenes with the atrocious Segal? You HAVE been watching it carefully. The Berlin Memorandum, or The Quiller Memorandum as it is also known, is the first book in the twenty book Quiller series, written by Elleston Trevor under the pen name of Adam Hall. 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.) Clumsy thriller. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. His understated (and at times simply wooden) performance here can be a tough sell when set against the more expressive comedic persona he cultivated in offbeat 1970s comedies like Blume in Love, The Owl and the Pussycat, Wheres Poppa?, California Spilt, and Fun With Dick and Jane. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. He first meets with Pol, who explains that each side is trying to discover and annihilate the other's base. 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. 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 Fairly interesting spy movie, but doesn't make much sense under close scrutiny. 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. 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 movie made productive use of the West German locations. George Segal was good at digging for information without gadgets. 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. Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. 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. But the writing was sloppy and there was a wholly superfluous section on decoding a cipher, which wasn't even believable. We never find out histrue identity or his history. Set in 1950s Finland, during the Cold War, the books tell the story of a young police woman and budding detective who cuts against the grain when, John Fullertons powerful 1996 debut The Monkey House was set in war-torn Sarajevo and was right in the moment. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. Hall is not trying be a Le Carre, hes in a different area, one he really makes his own. 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. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. Having just read the novel, it's impossible to watch this without its influence and I found the screen version incredibly disappointing. . 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. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. Just watched it. 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. Is there another film with as many sequences of extended, audible footsteps? The novels are esoteric thrillers, very cerebral and highly recommended. From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! Hall's truncated writing style contributes to this effect. George Segal as Agent Quiller with Inge Lindt (Senta Berger). I read it in two evenings. I feel this film much more typified real counter espionage in the 60's as opposed to the early Bond flicks (which I love, by the way). Segal is a very young man in this, with that flippant, relaxed quality that made him so popular. 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. 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. Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". Its there to tackle the dirty jobs, and Quiller is the Bureaus go-to guy. He also works alone and without contacts. Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. 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. True, Segal never seems to settle into the role of Quiller. The source novel "The Berlin Memorandum" is billed in the credits as being by Adam Hall. See production, box office & company info, Europa-Center, Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany. 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. 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). The casting of George Segal in the lead was a catastrophe, as he is so brash and annoying that one wants to scream. He published over 50 novels as Elleston Trevor alone. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlin where Quiller tackles a threat from a group of neo-Nazis who call themselves Phoenix. 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. Have read a half dozen or so other "Quiller" books, so when I saw that Hoopla had this first story, I figured I should give it a listen to see how Quiller got started. 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. Omissions? In . Our hero delivers a running dialogue with his own unconscious mind, assessing the threats, his potential responses, his plans. People tend to like it because "it's not like the Bond movies"; well, it's not - it's like "The Ipcress File", except that "The Ipcress File" was a genuinely smart and atmospheric movie, while "The Quiller Memorandum" is a clumsy, dated spy thriller full of pseudo-hip dialogue and plot holes. The novel was titled The Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. 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. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . I enjoyed the book. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. Segal is an unusual actor to be cast as a spy, but his quirky approach and his talent for repartee do assist him in retaining interest (even if its at the expense of the character as originally conceived in the source novels.) 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. This film has special meaning for me as I was living in Berlin during the filming and, subsequent screening in the city. After the interview, he gives her a ride to her flat and stops in for a drink. It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. It is credible. In fact, he is derisory about agents who insist on being armed. Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. 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. 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. 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. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. A spy thriller for chess players. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlinwhere Quillertackles a threat from a group ofneo-Nazis whocall themselves Phoenix. Segal plays a secret agent assigned to ferret out the headquarters of a Neo-Nazi movement in Berlin. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. 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. In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Guinness appears as Segal's superior and offers a great deal of presence and class. Blu-ray, color, 105 min., 1966. The Chief of the Secret Service Pol (Alec Guinness) summons the efficient agent Quiller (George Segal) to investigate the location of organization's headquarter. (UK title). Sort of a mixed effect clouds this novel. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. Pol dispatches a team to Phoenix's HQ, which successfully captures all of Phoenix's members. Despite an Oscar nomination for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," Segal's strength lies in light comedy, and both his demeanor and physical build made him an unlikely pick for an action role, even if the film is short on action. 1 jamietre 8 mo. A highly unusual and stimulating approach that draws us into the story. With its gritty, real-world depiction of contemporary international espionage, The Quiller Memorandum was one of the more notable anti-Bond films of the 1960s.
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