From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! They have lots of information about the film, but inexplicably take ten minutes to explain how the Cold War conflict between Communism and Capitalism relates to . And will the world see a return of Nazi power? He does this in a lone-wolf way, refusing to be hampered by bodyguards. Neo-Nazi plot Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. 1966. It was written by Harold Pinter, but despite his talent for writing plays, he certainly had no cinematic sense whatever. 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. Pol tells Quiller that Kenneth Lindsay Jones, a fellow agent and friend of Quiller's, was killed two days earlier by a neo-Nazi cell operating out of Berlin. It relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters. What a difference to the ludicrous James Helm/Matt Bond (or is it the other way round?) 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. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol ( Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. 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. George Segal as Agent Quiller with Inge Lindt (Senta Berger). Inge tells him she loves him, and he tells her a phone number to call if he is not back in 20 minutes. 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. Quiller being injected with truth serum by agents of Phoenix. This is one of the worst thriller screenplays in cinema history. 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. So, at this level. Pretending to be a reporter, Quiller visits the school featured in the article. 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 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. 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. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. His Oktober does, however, serve as a one-man master class in hyperironic cordiality: Ah, Quiller! 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. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. When Quiller refuses to talk, Oktober orders his execution. The Berlin Memorandum, renamed The Quiller Memorandum, was published in 1965 by Elleston Trevor, who used the pseudonym Adam Hall. 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. 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 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. Don't start thinking you missed something: it's the screenplay who did ! Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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). Performed by Matt Monro, "Wednesday's Child" was also released as a single. Meanwhile , Quiller befriends and fall in love for a teacher , Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) , and both of whom suffer constant dangers . The brawny headmistress points Quiller in the direction of Inge (Senta Berger), who happens to be the only English-speaking teacher at the school. 42 editions. En route he has some edgy adventures. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. When they find, Quiller gives the phone number of his base to Inge and investigates the place. It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. 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 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. Its excellent entertainment. 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. 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 Quiller Memorandum's strengths and charms are perhaps a bit too subtle for a spy thriller, but those who like their espionage movies served up with a sheen of intelligence rather than gloss or mockery will embrace Quiller.Still, there's no denying that that intelligence doesn't go as deep as it thinks it does, which can be frustrating. This was a great movie and found Quillers character to be excellent. The Chief of the Secret Service Pol (Alec Guinness) summons the efficient agent Quiller (George Segal) to investigate the location of organization's headquarter. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. Keating. . 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. Quiller, however, escapes, and with Inges help, he discovers the location of Phoenixs headquarters. I'll give this horribly dated film a generous **1/2 rating anyway; hell, you don't see a cast as great as this one every day! Thank God Segal is in it. The Quiller Memorandum Reviews. Quiller admits to Inge that he is an "investigator" on the trail of neo-Nazis. 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. It's hard to believe this book won the Edgar for Best Novel, against books by Mary Stewart, Len Deighton, Ross MacDonald, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, and H.R.F. Audiobook. His book. This is a nom de plume for author. The headmistress introduces him to a teacher who speaks English, Inge Lindt. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West B. All of that, and today the novels are largely forgotten. aka: The Quiller Memorandum the first in a series of 19 Quiller books. They are not just sympathisers though. 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 whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. 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. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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). 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. Pol tells Quiller the fascist underground is far more organized and powerful in Germany than people believe. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Submissions should be for the purpose of informing or initiating a discussion, not just to entertain readers. It is credible. She claims she turned in the teacher from the article, and points out the dilapidated Phoenix mansion. 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. Omissions? (What with wanting to go to sleep and wanting to scream at the same time, this film does pose certain conflict problems.) 2023 Variety Media, LLC. 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. The plot holes are many. I am not saying he was bad in the filmor at least that bad. True, Segal never seems to settle into the role of Quiller. The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood Studios, England. How did I miss this film until just recently? If your idea of an exciting spy thriller involves boobs, blondes and exploding baguettes, then The Quiller Memorandum is probably not for you. 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). On the surface, we get at least some satisfying closure to the case of the clandestine neo-Nazi gang. Not terribly audience-friendly, but smart and very, very cool. This was evidently the first of a very long series featuring the spy Quiller. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol (Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. 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. This spy novel about neo-Nazis 1960's Berlin seemed dated and a little stilted to me. In terms of style The Quiller books aretaut and written with narrative pace at the forefront. Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is. But then Quiller retraces his steps in a flashback. I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". First isthe protagonist himself. 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. 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. He first meets with Pol, who explains that each side is trying to discover and annihilate the other's base. He recruits Berger to help him infiltrate the Neo-Nazis and discover their base of operations, but, once again, is thwarted. The setting is the most shadowy "post WWII Berlin" with the master players lined up against each other - The Brits and The Nazi Heirs. 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. Oktober informs Quiller that if he does not disclose secret information this time, both he and Inge will be killed. This film has special meaning for me as I was living in Berlin during the filming and, subsequent screening in the city. Really sad. 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. Quiller slips out though a side door to the small garage yard where his car is kept. Analismos este filme no 10. episdio de TRS J COMPANHIA. He walks down the same street where Jones was shot, but finds he is followed by Oktober's men. 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. The casting of George Segal in the lead was a catastrophe, as he is so brash and annoying that one wants to scream. The film ends with Quiller suspecting that Inge is more than an ordinary schoolteacher. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. Very eerie film score, I believe John Barry did it but, I'm not sure. Be the first to contribute. A few missteps toward the end so that a few of the twists felt thin and not solidly set up, but overall very nicely plotted and written. 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. before he started doing "genial" and reminds us that his previous part was in the heavyweight "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". 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 film is a spy-thriller set in 1960s West Berlin, where agent Quiller is sent to investigate a neo-Nazi organisation. 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. In 1966, the book was made into a successful film starring George Segal, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger, and Alec Guinness. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . He was the author of. Quiller befriends a teacher, Inge Lindt, whose predecessor at the school had been arrested for being a Neo-Nazi. He accepts the assignment and almost immediately finds that he is being followed. "[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. Also the increasing descent into the minutiae of spycraft plays into the reveal, plot-wise as well as psychologically. Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. 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 third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. The book and movie made a bit of a splash in the spy craze of the mid-sixties, when James Bond and The Man From Uncle were all the rage. As such, it was deemed to be in the mode of The Ipcress File (1965) and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965). 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. As classic as it gets. Where to Watch. 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. 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. 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. 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. [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. Released at a time when the larger-than-life type of spy movie (the James Bond series) was in full swing and splashy, satirical ones (such as "Our Man Flynt" and "The Silencers") were about to take off, this is a quieter, more down-to-earth and realistic effort. 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. The burning question for Quiller is, how close is too close? He begins openly asking question about Neo-Nazis and is soon kidnapped by a man known only as "Oktober". This one makes no exception. With George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger. 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. George Segal was good at digging for information without gadgets. The first thing to say about this film is that the screenplay is so terrible. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. I enjoyed the book. Hall's truncated writing style contributes to this effect. Updates? And whats more, Quillers espionage tale is free of the silly gimmicks and gadgetry that define the escapist Bond franchise. I found it an interesting and pleasant change of pace from the usual spy film, sort of in the realm of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (but not quite as good). The nation remained the home of the best spies. 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. Probably the most famous example of a solid American type playing an Englishman is Clark Gable from Mutiny On The Bounty. Composer Barry provides an atmospheric score (though one that is somewhat of a departure from the notes and instruments used in his more famous pieces), but silence is put to good use as well. By day, the city is presented so beautifully, it's hard to imagine that such ugly things are going on amidst it. A highly unusual and stimulating approach that draws us into the story. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Quiller's assignment: to discover the location of the neo-Nazi . 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Sort of a mixed effect clouds this novel. But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. THE SITE FOR DIE HARD CRIME & THRILLER FANS. 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). But don't let it fool you for one minutenor Mr. Segal, nor Senta Berger as the girl. A Twilight Time release. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. 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. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. In this first book in the QUILLER series, undercover agent Quiller is asked to take the place of a fellow spy who has recently been murdered in Berlin, in identifying the headquarters of an underground but powerful Nazi organization, Phnix, twenty years .