Ian Nathan of Empire described the film as "daft, dated and outright confusing most of the time, but undeniably fun" and rated it with 3/5 stars. Quiller awakes in a dilapidated mansion, surrounded by many of the previous incidental characters. (UK title). Elleston Trevor wrote 19 novels in the highly successful Quiller series. His virtual army of nearly silent, oddball henchmen add to the flavor of paranoia and nervousness. What is the French language plot outline for The Quiller Memorandum (1966)? Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. For Quiller, it's a question of staying alive when he's not in possession of all of the facts. The Wall Street Journal said it was one of the best espionage/spy series of all time. 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. Nobel prizes notwithstanding I think Harold Pinter's screenplay for this movie is pretty lame, or maybe it's the director's fault. 2023's Most Anticipated Sequels, Prequels, and Spin-offs, Dirk Bauer . 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. 1966. That makes the story much more believable, and Adam Hall's writing style kept me engaged. The mind of the spy I wanted to make a list of all the things that are wrong with this film, but I can't - such a list would need much more than a thousand words. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West B. You HAVE been watching it carefully. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. Quiller works for the Bureau, an arm of the British Secret Service so clandestinethat no-one knows itexists. You are a secret agent working for the British in Berlin. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - Trivia - IMDb 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. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neonazi organization in West Berlin. To do his job George Segal's hapless Quiller must set himself out as bait in the middle of a pressure play in West Berlin. Having just read the novel, it's impossible to watch this without its influence and I found the screen version incredibly disappointing. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. This spy novel about neo-Nazis 1960's Berlin seemed dated and a little stilted to me. As for the rest of the movie, the plot, acting, and dialog are absolutely atrocious; even the footsteps are dubbed - click, click, click. The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. 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. This one makes no exception. That way theres no-one to betray him to the other side. Quiller investigates, but hes being followed and has been since the moment he entered Berlin. It relies. It certainly held my interest, partly because it was set in Berlin and even mentioned the street I lived on several times. Michael Anderson directs a classy slice of '60s spy-dom. 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 Chief of the Secret Service Pol (Alec Guinness) summons the efficient agent Quiller (George Segal) to investigate the location of organization's headquarter. He was the author of. 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. BFI Screenonline: Quiller Memorandum, The (1966) Synopsis First isthe protagonist himself. And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. His dry but quick Yiddish humor shines through on many occasions, providing diversions that masquerade his underlying desire to expose the antagonists' machinations. All Rights Reserved. 42 editions. But soon he finds that she has been kidnapped and Oktober gives a couple of hours to him to give the location of the site; otherwise Inge and him will be killed. He notices the concierge is seated where he can see anyone leaving. George Segal, plays the edgy American-abroad new CI5 recruit (looking unnervingly at times like a young George W Bush!) His job is to locate their headquarters. In 1966, the book was made into a successful film starring George Segal, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger, and Alec Guinness. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. Older ; About; Watchlist. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 Crime Fiction Lover. At the 1967 BAFTA Awards the film had nominations in the best Art Direction, Film Editing and Screenplay categories, but did not win. 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. So, at this level. But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. The only redeeming features of The Quiller Memorandum are the scenes of Berlin with its old U-Bahn train and wonderful Mercedes automobiles, and the presence of two beautiful German women, Senta Berger and Edith Schneider; those two females epitomize Teutonic womanhood for me. 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. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. The name of the intelligence agency that Quiller ( George Segal) worked for was MI6. In addition to Pinters screenplay, the film was noted for its plot twists and the portrayal of Quiller as refreshingly vulnerable and occasionally inept. The novel was titled The Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. How did I miss this film until just recently? 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. 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. Reviews of The Quiller Memorandum Letterboxd In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way 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. The scene shot in the gallery of London's Reform Club is particularly odious. 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 films featured secret agent is the very un-British Quiller (George Segal), a slightly depressive American operative on loan to Britains secret services (take that, Bond!). A Twilight Time release. before he started doing "genial" and reminds us that his previous part was in the heavyweight "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". talula's garden happy hour 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). It keeps the reader engrossed right up to the last couple of lines. The Quiller Memorandum Ending Explained 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. Required fields are marked *. After all, his characters social unease and affectless personality are presumably components of the movies contra-Bond commitment. 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. He also works alone and without contacts. Its there to tackle the dirty jobs, and Quiller is the Bureaus go-to guy. 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. Quiller becomes drowsy from a drug that was injected by the porter at the entrance to the hotel. But George Segal just doesn't cut it as a British secret agent in The Quiller Memorandum. 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 . This is an espionage series that started in the '60's and ran through the '90's. A spy thriller for chess players. I had to resist the temptation to fast forward on several occasions. It out the quiller? Adam Hall's 1966 Edgar Winner: The Quiller Memorandum - Criminal Element The film is a spy-thriller set in 1960s West Berlin, where agent Quiller is sent to investigate a neo-Nazi organisation. The Quiller Memorandum 1966, directed by Michael Anderson | Film review The Quiller Memorandum Film Time Out says The thinking man's spy thriller, in as much as Harold Pinter wrote the script. 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. 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. Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is. The film is ludicrous. 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 book itself sets a standard for the psychological spy thriller as an agent (code-named Quiller) plays a suspense-filled cat-and-mouse game with the head of a neo-Nazi group in post-war 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.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. But the writing was sloppy and there was a wholly superfluous section on decoding a cipher, which wasn't even believable. Very eerie film score, I believe John Barry did it but, I'm not sure. 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. The Quiller Memorandum was based on a novel by Elleston Trevor (under the name Adam Hall). Harold Pinter was nominated for an Edgar Award in the Best Motion Picture category, but also didn't win. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - Michael Anderson | Review | AllMovie 15 years after the end of WW II. 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. George Segal was good at digging for information without gadgets. The book is more focused on thinking as a spy and I found it to be very realistic. 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. Also the increasing descent into the minutiae of spycraft plays into the reveal, plot-wise as well as psychologically. 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). Unfortunately, the film is weighed down, not only by a ponderous script, but also by a miscast lead; instead of a heavy weight actor in the mold of a William Holden, George Segal was cast as Quiller. Adam Hall/Elleston Trevor certainly produces the unexpected. 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 cast is full of familiar faces: Alec Guinness, who doesn't have much of a role, George Sanders, who has even less of one, Max von Sydow in what was to become a very familiar part for him, Robert Helpmann, Robert Flemyng, and the beautiful, enigmatic Senta Berger. The novels are esoteric thrillers, very cerebral and highly recommended. The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood . Where to Watch. The Berlin Memorandum, renamed The Quiller Memorandum, was published in 1965 by Elleston Trevor, who used the pseudonym Adam Hall. 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 . The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. This was a great movie and found Quillers character to be excellent. Journeyman director Michael Andersons The Quiller Memorandum, which was as defiantly anti-Bond as you could get in 1966, has just been rescued from DVD mediocrity by the retro connoisseurs at Twilight Time and given a twenty-first-century Blu-ray upgrade. [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. Quilleris a code name. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - Plot Summary - IMDb Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. 1 hr 45 mins. The brawny headmistress points Quiller in the direction of Inge (Senta Berger), who happens to be the only English-speaking teacher at the school. But Quiller is an equal to a James Bond, or a George Smiley. Finally, he is placed in the no-win position of either choosing to aid von Sydow or allowing Berger to be murdered. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlin where Quiller tackles a threat from a group of neo-Nazis who call themselves Phoenix. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West Berlin, 15 years after the end of WW II. Quiller Memorandum, The - DVD Talk The whole thing, including these two actors, is as hollow as a shell. While most realistic spy films of the 60s focused on the Soviet threat, Quiller pits the title character against a group of neo-Nazis. 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 . They both go to the building, whereupon they are captured. . After two British agents are killed while investigating Phoenix, a neo-Nazi group, Quiller is tasked with finding the organizations leader. Sort of a mixed effect clouds this novel. 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. Newer. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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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. Quiller is surprised to learn that no women were found. 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. What will Quiller do? 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 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). Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. I enjoyed the book. She claims she turned in the teacher from the article, and points out the dilapidated Phoenix mansion. Updates? 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. 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. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. Hassler drives them to meet an old contact he says knows a lot more, who turns out to be Inge's headmistress. 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. Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. Watchable and intriguing as it occasionally is, enigmatic is perhaps the most apposite adjective you could use to describe the "action" within. 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. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. The headmistress introduces him to a teacher who speaks English, Inge Lindt. Visually, the film was rather stunning, but the magical soft focus that appears every time Inga is in the frame is silly. I just dont really understand the ending to a degree. 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. I read the whole Quiller series when I was younger, and loved it. (What with wanting to go to sleep and wanting to scream at the same time, this film does pose certain conflict problems.) American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). 2023 Variety Media, LLC. His book. 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! Von Sydow (one of the few actors to have recovered from playing Jesus Christ and gone on to a varied and lengthy career) is excellent. They are not just sympathisers though. [7][8], Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Quiller_Memorandum&oldid=1135714025, "Wednesday's Child" main theme (instrumental), "Wednesday's Child" vocal version (lyrics: Mack David / vocals: Matt Monro), "Have You Heard of a Man Called Jones?" The classic tale of espionage that started it all! The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. 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. What a difference to the ludicrous James Helm/Matt Bond (or is it the other way round?) He is the true faceless spy. The story is ludicrous. I can't NOT begin by saying, "This Is A MUST Read For Every Fan Of The Espionage Genre". He also has to endure some narcotically enhanced interrogation, which is the basis of one of the novel's most thrilling chapters. 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. Segal plays a secret agent assigned to ferret out the headquarters of a Neo-Nazi movement in Berlin.