This is an espionage series that started in the '60's and ran through the '90's. Much quieter and understated than most spy flicks. [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. All Rights Reserved. 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. (What with wanting to go to sleep and wanting to scream at the same time, this film does pose certain conflict problems.) I was really surprised, because I don't usually like books written during the 50s or 60s. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neonazi organization in West Berlin. In the relationship between Quiller and Inge, Pinter casts just enough ambiguity over the proceedings to allow us plebian moviegoers our small participatory role in the production of meaning. That makes the story much more believable, and Adam Hall's writing style kept me engaged. And considering how terrible its one fight scene is, it's certainly a blessing that it doesn't have any more. They both go to the building, whereupon they are captured. In . 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 60's, in Berlin, two British agents that are investigating a Neonazi ring are murdered. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. His romantic interest is Senta Berger, whose understated and laconic dialog provides the perfect counterpoint to Segal's character. He walks down the same street where Jones was shot, but finds he is followed by Oktober's men. 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. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. 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. 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. The Quiller character is constantly making terrible decisions, and refuses to use a gun, and he's certainly no John Steed. George Segal as Agent Quiller with Inge Lindt (Senta Berger). The friend proves to be Hassler, who is now much more friendly. Quiller asks after Jones at the bowling alley without success and the swimming pool manager Hassler tells him spectating is not allowed. America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema. Visually, the film was rather stunning, but the magical soft focus that appears every time Inga is in the frame is silly. Your email address will not be published. And although Harold Pinters screenwriting for Quiller doesnt strike one as being classically Pinteresque, occasionally his distinct style reveals itself in pockets of suggestive menace where silence is often just as important as whats spoken. The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. 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. Guinness appears as Segal's superior and offers a great deal of presence and class. Hes that good try the book and youll find out. I just dont really understand the ending to a degree. 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. 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. The film starred George Segal in the lead role, with Alec Guinness supporting andwas nominated for three BAFTAs. Inga is unrecognizable and has been changed to the point of uselessness. Harold Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Motion Picture category, but also didn't win. The film had its world premiere on 10 November 1966 at the Odeon Leicester Square in the West End of London. En route he has some edgy adventures. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. Quiller's assignment is to take over where Jones left off. Drama. Fairly interesting spy movie, but doesn't make much sense under close scrutiny. When Quiller refuses to talk, Oktober orders his execution. This one makes no exception. At a key breakfast meeting, Pol uses two blueberry muffins to outline the particularly precarious cat-and-mouse game Quiller must play while in the gap between his own side and the fascist gang. I read a few of these many years ago when they first came out. I liked that the main character was ornery and tired and smart and still made mistakes and tried to see all possible outcomes at once and fought more against jumping to conclusions and staying alert and clear-headed than he did directly against the villains themselves. 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. The movie made productive use of the West German locations. 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.) Quiller slips out though a side door to the small garage yard where his car is kept. 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. Oktober reveals they are moving base the next day and that they have captured Inge. Where to Watch. Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. 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. Michael Anderson directs with his usual leaden touch. All of that, and today the novels are largely forgotten. He recruits Berger to help him infiltrate the Neo-Nazis and discover their base of operations, but, once again, is thwarted. AKA: Ivan Foxwell's the Quiller Memorandum, Quiller, Quiller Memorandum, Ian Foxwell's The Quiller Memorandum, Ivan Foxwell's Production The Quiller Memorandum. That way theres no-one to betray him to the other side. (UK title). 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). 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. The plot revolves around former Nazis and the rise of a Neo-Nazi organisation known as Phonix. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . 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). Its excellent entertainment. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. He is the true faceless spy. 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." We never find out histrue identity or his history. [3], In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "Clearly, 'The Quiller Memorandum' is claptrap done up in a style and with a musical score by John Barry that might lead you to think it is Art. Quiller befriends a teacher, Inge Lindt, whose predecessor at the school had been arrested for being a Neo-Nazi. 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. 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 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 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. Quiller awakes in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by many of the previous incidental characters. 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. Meanwhile , Quiller befriends and fall in love for a teacher , Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) , and both of whom suffer constant dangers . It was nominated for three BAFTA Awards,[2] while Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award for the script. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? He also works alone and without contacts. 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. 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. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlin where Quiller tackles a threat from a group of neo-Nazis who call themselves Phoenix. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. The film ends with Quiller suspecting that Inge is more than an ordinary schoolteacher. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. - BH. I listened to the audio version narrated by Andrew B Wehrlen and found it an utterly engaging tale. It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. 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. But good enough to hold my interest till the end. 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). 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 would have also competed with the deluge of popular spy spoofs and their misfit mock-heroes: namely, Dean Martins drinking-and-driving playboy agent Matt Helm (The Silencers, Wrecking Crew) and James Coburns parody of Bondian suavity, Derek Flint, in the trippy spy fantasias Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flint (1967). 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. Sadly the Quiller novels have fallen out of favour with the apparentend of the Cold War. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. In the process, he discovers a complex and malevolent plot, more dangerous to the world than any crime committed during the war. Thank God Segal is in it. Write by: Can someone explain it to me? 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. Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. 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. What is the French language plot outline for The Quiller Memorandum (1966)? Read 134 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. This isachievedviaQuillers first person perspective. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. 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).