I listened to the audio version narrated by Andrew B Wehrlen and found it an utterly engaging tale. Not terribly audience-friendly, but smart and very, very cool. Guinness appears as Segal's superior and offers a great deal of presence and class. Fresh off an Oscar nomination for the mental anguish he suffered at the hands of Richard Burton and Liz Taylor in Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf (also 1966), George Segal seems, in hindsight, a dubious choice to play the offbeat Quiller. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 Crime Fiction Lover. There are a number of unique elements in the Quiller series that make it stand out. 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. Hes that good try the book and youll find out. Or was she simply a lonely Samaritan who altruistically beds the socially awkward American spy to help prevent a Fourth Reich? 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. He brings graceful authority and steely determination to his role. Just watched it. It relies on a straight narrative storyline, simple but holding, literate dialog and well-drawn characters. When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. In terms of style The Quiller books aretaut and written with narrative pace at the forefront. 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. They both go to the building, whereupon they are captured. The screenwriter, Harold Pinter, no less, received an Edgar nomination. 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. 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. [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. A Twilight Time release. 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. 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!). Theres a humanity to Quiller that is unique in this type of action spy thriller. In 1965, writing under the pseudonym of Adam Hall, Elleston Trevor published athriller which, like Ian Flemings Casino Royale before it, was to herald a change in the world of spy thrillers. Quiller befriends a teacher, Inge Lindt, whose predecessor at the school had been arrested for being a Neo-Nazi. Fairly interesting spy movie, but doesn't make much sense under close scrutiny. In addition to Pinters screenplay, the film was noted for its plot twists and the portrayal of Quiller as refreshingly vulnerable and occasionally inept. I also expected just a little more from the interrogation scenes from the man who wrote "The Birthday Party". 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. Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. The plot revolves around former Nazis and the rise of a Neo-Nazi organisation known as Phonix. The plot holes are many. The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. Languid, some might say ponderous mid-60's British-made cold-war drama (it could scarcely be called a thriller, more "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" than, say "Thunderball") that for all its longueurs, does have some redeeming features. 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. Before long, his purposefully clumsy nosing around leads to his capture and interrogation by a very elegantly menacing von Sydow, who wants to know where Segal's own headquarters is! 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. I enjoyed the book. 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. He was the author of. George Segal provides us with a lead character who is somewhat quirky in his demeanor, yet nonetheless effective in his role as an agent. The Quiller Memorandum is based on Adam Hall's thriller novel about neo-Nazism in contemporary Germany. The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. This isn't your average James Bond knockoff spy thriller; the fact that the screenplay is by playwright Harold Pinter is the first clue. A man walks along a deserted Berlin street at night and enters an internally lit phone box. In a feint to see if Quiller will reveal more by oversight, Oktober decides to spare his life. As usual for films which are difficult to pin down . 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. 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). THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (3 outta 5 stars) The 1960s saw a plethora of two kinds of spy movies: the outrageous semi-serious James Bond ripoffs (like the Flint and Matt Helm movies) and the very dry, methodical ones that were more talk than action (mostly John Le Carre and Alistair MacLean adaptations). Quiller: At the end of our conversation, he ordered them to kill me. My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. 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. His virtual army of nearly silent, oddball henchmen add to the flavor of paranoia and nervousness. The first thing to say about this film is that the screenplay is so terrible. Mind you, in 1966-67 the Wall was there, East German border guards and a definite (cold war) cloud hanging over the city. Their aim is to bring back the Third Reich. This was a great movie and found Quillers character to be excellent. After all, his characters social unease and affectless personality are presumably components of the movies contra-Bond commitment. The nation remained the home of the best spies. The mission in Berlin is a mess, two of the Bureaus spies have been murdered already by the shadowy Phoenix. 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.) 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. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. It is very rare that I find anyone else who is even aware of the Quiller books and yet they are as your reviewer mentions, absolutely first class. 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. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Audiobook. 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. AKA: Ivan Foxwell's the Quiller Memorandum, Quiller, Quiller Memorandum, Ian Foxwell's The Quiller Memorandum, Ivan Foxwell's Production The Quiller Memorandum. On the surface, we get at least some satisfying closure to the case of the clandestine neo-Nazi gang. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. As Quiller revolves around a plot that's more monstrously twisted than he imagines it to be . Although the situations are often deadly serious, Segal seems to take them lightly; perhaps in the decade that spawned James Bond, he was confused and thought he was in a spy spoof. The original, primary mission has been completely omitted. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Nimble, sharp-toothed and sometimes they have to bite and claw their way out of a dark hole. closing theme, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 11:13. As usual for films which are difficult to pin down . 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. Phoenix boss Oktober (Max von Sydow) with George Segal, seated. ): as a result, they were summarily bumped off with stereotypical German precision. Thanks in advance. American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). Quiller's assignment: to discover the location of the neo-Nazi . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. George Segal, plays the edgy American-abroad new CI5 recruit (looking unnervingly at times like a young George W Bush!) "[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. It was from the quiller memorandum ending of the item, a failed nuclear weapons of Personalized Map Search. His Oktober does, however, serve as a one-man master class in hyperironic cordiality: Ah, Quiller! When Quiller refuses to talk, Oktober orders his execution. 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). And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. . The Quiller Memorandum, British-American spy film, released in 1966, that was especially noted for the deliberately paced but engrossing script by playwright Harold Pinter. The scene shot in the gallery of London's Reform Club is particularly odious. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. They are not just sympathisers though. The setting is as classic as the comeBerlin during the 1960s. The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. The Quiller character is constantly making terrible decisions, and refuses to use a gun, and he's certainly no John Steed. It relies. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Its there to tackle the dirty jobs, and Quiller is the Bureaus go-to guy. 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. 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. 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. Inge tells him she loves him, and he tells her a phone number to call if he is not back in 20 minutes. 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 Quiller Memorandum certainly couldnt compete on an aesthetic level with a film like Spy Who Came in from the Cold: No actor, certainly not George Segal, is going to one-up Richard Burton in the anti-Bond department. The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett, Norwegian crime show Witch Hunt comes to Walter Presents, The Wall: Quebec crime show comes to More4, Irish crime drama North Sea Connection comes to BBC Four, The complete guide to Mick Herrons Slough House series. He is shielded behind the building when the bomb explodes. Published chrismass61 Aug 21 2013 It's not my intention to be obnoxious and list every point in the movie that strays from the book, but it's truly a shame that such well-crafted material--intriguing back stories, superior spy tactics--is wasted here. 1 jamietre 8 mo. The Quiller Memorandum Reviews. 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 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. 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). This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West B. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. Quiller being injected with truth serum by agents of Phoenix. No one really cared that Gable did not even attempt an English accent the film was that good. - BH. He notices the concierge is seated where he can see anyone leaving. 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. But don't let it fool you for one minutenor Mr. Segal, nor Senta Berger as the girl. As classic as it gets. 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. When a spy film is made in the James Bond vein then close analysis is superfluous, but when the movie has a pretense of seriousness then it'd better make sense. She states that she "was lucky, they let me go" and claims she then called the phone number but it did not work. 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. Corrections? 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. On its publication in 1966, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM received the Edgar Award as best mystery of the year. Quiller tells Inge that they got most, but clearly not all, of the neo-Nazis. Hall alsopeppered the text with authentic espionage jargon and as you read you get to live the part of Quiller. First isthe protagonist himself. 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. This well-drawn tale of espionage is set in West Berlin, 15 years after the end of WW II. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. And he sustains the same high level of quality over the course of nineteen books. 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. The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. 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. 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." America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema. The film ends with Quiller suspecting that Inge is more than an ordinary schoolteacher. For example operatives are referred to as ferrets, and thats what they are. 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. 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. Quiller's primary contact for this job is a mid level administrative agent named Pol. This isn't your standard spy film with lots of gunplay, outrageous villains, and explosions. He begins openly asking question about Neo-Nazis and is soon kidnapped by a man known only as "Oktober". How nice to see you again! and so forth. 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. Pretending to be a reporter, Quiller visits the school featured in the article. 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. The film's screenplay (by noted playwright Pinter) reuses to spoon feed the audience, rather requiring that they rely on their instinct and attention span to pick up the threads of the plot. This was evidently the first of a very long series featuring the spy Quiller. In conclusion, having recently watched "Quiller's" almost exact contemporary "The Ipcress File", I have to say that I preferred the latter's more pointed narrative, down-home grittiness and star acting to the similar fare offered here. The premise isn't far-fetched, but the details are. Blu-ray, color, 105 min., 1966. Nobel prizes notwithstanding I think Harold Pinter's screenplay for this movie is pretty lame, or maybe it's the director's fault. He also has to endure some narcotically enhanced interrogation, which is the basis of one of the novel's most thrilling chapters. When drug-induced questioning fails to produce results, Segal is booted to the river, but he isn't quite ready to give in yet. 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. Agent Quiller is relaxing in a Berlin theater the night before returning to London and rest after a difficult assignment when he is accosted by Pol, another British agent, with a new, very important assignment.