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. Write by: It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. He begins openly asking question about Neo-Nazis and is soon kidnapped by a man known only as "Oktober". . 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. But how could she put up with the love scenes with the atrocious Segal? 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. Mind you, in 1966-67 the Wall was there, East German border guards and a definite (cold war) cloud hanging over the city. 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.) Pol tells Quiller the fascist underground is far more organized and powerful in Germany than people believe. When Quiller refuses to talk, Oktober orders his execution. 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. We never find out histrue identity or his history. Quiller continues his subtle accusations, and Inge continues her denial of ever meeting Jones. Cue the imposing Max Von Sydow as Nazi head honcho Oktober, whose Swedish accent is inflected with an Elmer Fudd-like speech impedimentthus achieving something like a serviceable German accent. The story, in the early days of, This week sees the release of Trouble, the third book in the Hella Mauzer series by Katja Ivar. Michael Anderson directs with his usual leaden touch. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. Pol dispatches a team to Phoenix's HQ, which successfully captures all of Phoenix's members. Harold Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Motion Picture category, but also didn't win. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. 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. This is an espionage series that started in the '60's and ran through the '90's. 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. 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. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. He was the author of. He recruits Berger to help him infiltrate the Neo-Nazis and discover their base of operations, but, once again, is thwarted. Quiller, an agent working for British Intelligence, is sent to Berlin to meet with Pol, another operative. Elleston Trevor (pictured) himself was a prolific, award-winning writer, producing novels under a range of pen names nine in total! His romantic interest is Senta Berger, whose understated and laconic dialog provides the perfect counterpoint to Segal's character. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. His Oktober does, however, serve as a one-man master class in hyperironic cordiality: Ah, Quiller! [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. On the surface, we get at least some satisfying closure to the case of the clandestine neo-Nazi gang. 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. 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! 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. The story is ludicrous. All Rights Reserved. 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." [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. Quiller reaches Pol's secret office in Berlin, one of the top floors in the newly built Europa-Center, the tallest building in the city, and gives them the location of the building where he met Oktober. Don't start thinking you missed something: it's the screenplay who did ! 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. They are not just sympathisers though. Hes that good try the book and youll find out. After being prevented from using a phone, Quiller makes a run for an elevated train, and thinking he has managed to shake off Oktober's men, exits the other side of the elevated station only to run into them again. 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. 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.) No one really cared that Gable did not even attempt an English accent the film was that good. In many ways, it creates mystery through the notion of exploring "mystery" itself. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. And the legendary John Barrycomposer of the original Bond themeprovides appropriately haunting incidental music here. 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. In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. Writing in The Guardian, playwright David Hare described Pinters strengths as a dramatist perfectly: In the spare, complicated screenwriting of Pinter, yes, no and maybe become words which do a hundred jobs. Unfortunately, when it comes to the use of language in Quiller, less does not always function as more. 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. Want to Read. Quilleris a code name. Read 134 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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! In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West Berlin, 15 years after the end of WW II. In a clever subversion of genre expectations, the plot and storyline ignore contemporary East versus West Cold War themes altogether (East Berlin is, in fact, never mentioned in the film). 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. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. The Quiller Memorandum. 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. It certainly held my interest, partly because it was set in Berlin and even mentioned the street I lived on several times. 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? For example operatives are referred to as ferrets, and thats what they are. Quiller also benefits from some geographically eclectic West Berlin location shooting from master cinematographer and Berlin native Erwin Hillier. 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. 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. He published over 50 novels as Elleston Trevor alone. 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). 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. Visually, the film was rather stunning, but the magical soft focus that appears every time Inga is in the frame is silly. A spy thriller for chess players. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. The photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. The Quiller Memorandum Reviews. 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. The Quiller character is constantly making terrible decisions, and refuses to use a gun, and he's certainly no John Steed. He does this in a lone-wolf way, refusing to be hampered by bodyguards. What will Quiller do? Harold Pinter's fairly literate screenplay features . Variety wrote that "it relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters". Quiller, however, escapes, and with Inges help, he discovers the location of Phoenixs headquarters. Keating. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. 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. His virtual army of nearly silent, oddball henchmen add to the flavor of paranoia and nervousness. Oktober informs Quiller that if he does not disclose secret information this time, both he and Inge will be killed. - BH. Inge tells him she loves him, and he tells her a phone number to call if he is not back in 20 minutes.
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