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This isn't your standard spy film with lots of gunplay, outrageous villains, and explosions. Senta Berger was gorgeous! His Oktober does, however, serve as a one-man master class in hyperironic cordiality: Ah, Quiller! Quiller's assignment is to take over where Jones left off. I read it in two evenings. He also has to endure some narcotically enhanced interrogation, which is the basis of one of the novel's most thrilling chapters. Want to Read. 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 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. I listened to the audio version narrated by Andrew B Wehrlen and found it an utterly engaging tale. If your idea of an exciting spy thriller involves boobs, blondes and exploding baguettes, then The Quiller Memorandum is probably not for you. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. Weary, Quiller only accepts the assignment on the assumption that he can fulfill a self-made promise revenge for a friend. It keeps the reader engrossed right up to the last couple of lines. "The Quiller Memorandum" is a film with a HUGE strike against it at the outset.they inexplicably cast George Segal as a British spy! Our hero delivers a running dialogue with his own unconscious mind, assessing the threats, his potential responses, his plans. Blu-ray, color, 105 min., 1966. Quiller, however, escapes, and with Inges help, he discovers the location of Phoenixs headquarters. 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. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. Alec Guinness gets to play a Smiley prototype but brings too much Noel Coward to the table. Sadly, Von Sydows formidable acting chops are never seriously challenged here, and his lines are limited to fairly standard B-movie Euro-villain speak. Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. 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. This is a nom de plume for author. 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.) 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. Write by: 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. All Rights Reserved. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. He recruits Berger to help him infiltrate the Neo-Nazis and discover their base of operations, but, once again, is thwarted. His virtual army of nearly silent, oddball henchmen add to the flavor of paranoia and nervousness. Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. Drama. The film had its world premiere on 10 November 1966 at the Odeon Leicester Square in the West End of London. He was the author of. Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. 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. We never find out histrue identity or his history. En route he has some edgy adventures. 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. All Rights Reserved. 15 years after the end of WW II. The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. On its publication in 1966, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM received the Edgar Award as best mystery of the year. The whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. Hall's truncated writing style contributes to this effect. 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. youtu.be/rQ4PA3H6pAw. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . Quiller: At the end of our conversation, he ordered them to kill me. 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. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Don't start thinking you missed something: it's the screenplay who did ! 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. Apparently, it was made into a classic movie and there is even a website compiled by Trevor devotees. And the legendary John Barrycomposer of the original Bond themeprovides appropriately haunting incidental music here. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. Segal is a very young man in this, with that flippant, relaxed quality that made him so popular. 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. Quiller investigates, but hes being followed and has been since the moment he entered Berlin. AKA: Ivan Foxwell's the Quiller Memorandum, Quiller, Quiller Memorandum, Ian Foxwell's The Quiller Memorandum, Ivan Foxwell's Production The Quiller Memorandum. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. 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. He is shot dead by an unseen gunman. This one makes no exception. Oktober reveals they are moving base the next day and that they have captured Inge. closing theme, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 11:13. He is the true faceless spy. This was evidently the first of a very long series featuring the spy Quiller. Quiller is eventually kidnapped and tortured by Oktober (Max von Sydow), the leader of Phoenix. The setting is the most shadowy "post WWII Berlin" with the master players lined up against each other - The Brits and The Nazi Heirs. A spy thriller for chess players. Watchable and intriguing as it occasionally is, enigmatic is perhaps the most apposite adjective you could use to describe the "action" within. Although competing against a whole slew of other titles in the spies-on-every-corner vein, the novel, "The Quiller Memorandum" was amazingly successful in book stores. America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema. 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 Where to Watch. But George Segal just doesn't cut it as a British secret agent in The Quiller Memorandum. Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. Inge tells him she loves him, and he tells her a phone number to call if he is not back in 20 minutes. 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. 2 decades after the collapse of Nazi Germany, several old guard are planning to (slowly) rebuild. Quiller, an agent working for British Intelligence, is sent to Berlin to meet with Pol, another operative. 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. 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. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. As classic as it gets. 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. 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. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. Clumsy thriller. Quiller awakes in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by many of the previous incidental characters. The Quiller Memorandum Reviews. 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. 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. Nobel prizes notwithstanding I think Harold Pinter's screenplay for this movie is pretty lame, or maybe it's the director's fault. Once Quiller becomes extra-friendly with Ingewhich happens preternaturally quicklyits clear someone on the other side is getting nervous. 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). Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. before he started doing "genial" and reminds us that his previous part was in the heavyweight "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". Quiller being injected with truth serum by agents of Phoenix. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. Just watched it. Older ; About; Berger is luminous and exceedingly solid in a complicated role. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. Quiller's primary contact for this job is a mid level administrative agent named Pol. How nice to see you again! and so forth. 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. 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. 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. Alec Guinness plays spymaster Pol, Quillers minder. Inga is unrecognizable and has been changed to the point of uselessness. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. George Segal as Agent Quiller with Inge Lindt (Senta Berger). Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. Fans of realistic spy fiction will enjoy David McCloskeys debut thriller Damascus Station, newly available in paperback in the UK. There are a number of unique elements in the Quiller series that make it stand out. This books has excellent prose, unrealistic scenes, and a mediocre plot. 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. The former was a bracingly pessimistic Cold War alternative to freewheeling Bondian optimism that featured burnout boozer actor Richard Burton in an all-too-convincing performance as burnout boozer spy Alec Leamus. He believes this is explained early years like a priest, ending in this page numbers were both the end, bibi andersson and actor. Thank God Segal is in it. 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. The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. Michael Sandlin is a writer and academic based in Houston, Texas. 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! 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. 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? The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. And whats more, Quillers espionage tale is free of the silly gimmicks and gadgetry that define the escapist Bond franchise. The Berlin Memorandum, renamed The Quiller Memorandum, was published in 1965 by Elleston Trevor, who used the pseudonym Adam Hall. The novel was titledThe Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. 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. But for today's audiences, those films are a bit old fashioned and not always very easy to follow, too much complicated. 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. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. Your name is Quiller. But the writing was sloppy and there was a wholly superfluous section on decoding a cipher, which wasn't even believable. It out the quiller? 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. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. 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 was based on a novel by Elleston Trevor (under the name Adam Hall). Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. Kindle Edition. 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. The Quiller character is constantly making terrible decisions, and refuses to use a gun, and he's certainly no John Steed. 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 photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. Max von Sydow plays the Nazi chief quietly but with high camp menace. In . 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. It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. 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. 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. Quiller then returns to his hotel, followed by the men who remain outside. For my money, the top three cold war spy novelists were Le Carre, Deighton, and Adam Hall. But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Your email address will not be published. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. Visually, the film was rather stunning, but the magical soft focus that appears every time Inga is in the frame is silly. As usual for films which are difficult to pin down . Get help and learn more about the design. In the following chapter the events have moved on beyond the crisis, instantly creating a how? question in your mind. 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. In the 60's, in Berlin, two British agents that are investigating a Neonazi ring are murdered. 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. 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. After two British agents are killed while investigating Phoenix, a neo-Nazi group, Quiller is tasked with finding the organizations leader. 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. See for instance DANDY IN ASPIC too, sooo complex and fascinating in the same time. In fact, he is derisory about agents who insist on being armed. 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. With George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger. Really sad. In 1966, the book was made into a successful film starring George Segal, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger, and Alec Guinness. 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. 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. He quickly becomes involved with numerous people of suspicious motives and backgrounds, including Inge (Senta Berger), a teacher at a school where a former Nazi war criminal committed suicide. 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 published as "The Berlin Memorandum" (UK title). Another isQuillers refusal to carry a weapon hebelieves it lends the operative an over-confidence and cangive the opposition an opportunity to turn your firearm against you. In terms of style The Quiller books aretaut and written with narrative pace at the forefront. When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. The Chief of the Secret Service Pol (Alec Guinness) summons the efficient agent Quiller (George Segal) to investigate the location of organization's headquarter. A handful of engaging spy thrillers followed before the author paused his novels to focus on journalism, although its also worth noting that he has freelanced. Newer. [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. 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. The Phoenix group descend and take Quiller, torturing him to find out what he knows. Pol tells Quiller the fascist underground is far more organized and powerful in Germany than people believe. The plot revolves around former Nazis and the rise of a Neo-Nazi organisation known as Phonix. 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. 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. 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. The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood . Thanks in advance. 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. Quiller also benefits from some geographically eclectic West Berlin location shooting from master cinematographer and Berlin native Erwin Hillier. . The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. Published chrismass61 Aug 21 2013