1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. I can see where some might find it more exhausting than anything else, though--he does get tired :). My take was, he knows she's one of the bad guys, and same with the headmistress who he passes on the way out. Blu-ray, color, 105 min., 1966. An American secret agent called Quiller (George Segal) working for MI6 (whose chief is George Sanders) travels to Berlin to uncover a deadly Neo-Nazi band . When their backs against the wall, its him they turn to. Book 4 stars, narration by Simon Prebble 4 stars. The Quiller Memorandum - DVD Talk The film starred George Segal in the lead role, with Alec Guinness supporting andwas nominated for three BAFTAs. 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. The ploy works as one, two or all three of those places were where the Nazis did learn about Quiller, who they kidnap. The novel was titled The Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. 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. He also wroteacrossa number ofgenres. Mind you, in 1966-67 the Wall was there, East German border guards and a definite (cold war) cloud hanging over the city. The Quiller Memorandum - Rate Your Music 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. 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. 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 - Wikipedia The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - IMDb The Quiller Memorandum : definition of The Quiller Memorandum and George Segal is a fine and always engaging actor, but the way his character is written here, he doesn't really come across as "a spy who gets along by his brains and not by his brawn"; he seems interested almost exclusively in the girl he meets, not in the case he's investigating, and (at least until the end) he seems to survive as a result of a combination of his good luck and the stupidity of the villains. 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 . Quiller leaves, startling the headmistress on the way out. What Adam Hall did extremely wellwas toget us readers inside the mind of an undercover operative. Oh, there are some problems, and Michael Anderson's direction is. 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. Its excellent entertainment. Apparently, it was made into a classic movie and there is even a website compiled by Trevor devotees. Finally, he is placed in the no-win position of either choosing to aid von Sydow or allowing Berger to be murdered. Adam Hall's 1966 Edgar Winner: The Quiller Memorandum - Criminal Element Alec Guinness is excellent as a spy chief, and he gives a faint whiff of verisimilitude to this hopeless film. Quiller drives off, managing to shake Hengel, then notices men in another car following him. From that point of view, the film should be seen by social, architectural, and urban landscape historians. The classic tale of espionage that started it all! What is the French language plot outline for The Quiller Memorandum (1966)? 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down, existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Neo-Nazi plot 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 novel was titledThe Berlin Memorandum and at its centre was the protagonist and faceless spy, Quiller. This isn't your standard spy film with lots of gunplay, outrageous villains, and explosions. This reactionary quake in the spy genre was brief but seismic all the same. I am not saying he was bad in the filmor at least that bad. All of that, and today the novels are largely forgotten. All Rights Reserved. Pol tells Quiller the fascist underground is far more organized and powerful in Germany than people believe. A bit too sardonic at times, I think his character wanted to be elsewhere, clashing with KGB agents instead of ferreting out neo-nazis. It keeps the reader engrossed right up to the last couple of lines. (UK title). A highly unusual and stimulating approach that draws us into the story. 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. I enjoyed this novel just as much (if not more) as the previous books that I have read, and I will certainly be purchasing any further Quiller novels that I come across in my exploration of second-hand bookshops. The Quiller character is constantly making terrible decisions, and refuses to use a gun, and he's certainly no John Steed. Keating. Other viewers have said it all: it is a good movie and more interestingly it is a different kind of spy movie. Quiller wakes up beside Berlin's Spree River. 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.) The Berlin Memorandum, renamed The Quiller Memorandum, was published in 1965 by Elleston Trevor, who used the pseudonym Adam Hall. But his accent was all wrongtaking the viewer out of the moment. youtu.be/rQ4PA3H6pAw. Quiller (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol (Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall - Goodreads 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. Hall alsopeppered the text with authentic espionage jargon and as you read you get to live the part of Quiller. Once Quiller becomes extra-friendly with Ingewhich happens preternaturally quicklyits clear someone on the other side is getting nervous. Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neo-Nazi organization in West Berlin. 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. I read the whole Quiller series when I was younger, and loved it. His Oktober does, however, serve as a one-man master class in hyperironic cordiality: Ah, Quiller! Don't start thinking you missed something: it's the screenplay who did ! I had to resist the temptation to fast forward on several occasions. But don't let it fool you for one minutenor Mr. Segal, nor Senta Berger as the girl. On the surface, we get at least some satisfying closure to the case of the clandestine neo-Nazi gang. The plot holes are many. 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!). Hengel gives Quiller the few items found on Jones: a bowling alley ticket, a swimming pool ticket and a newspaper article about a Nazi war criminal found teaching at a school. 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. The film magnificently utilizes West German locations to bring the story to life. After their first two operatives leading the field mission are assassinated in subsequent order, the British Secret Service recruit Quiller, an American agent, to continue to lead that field operation, namely to discover the base of operations of a new Nazi organization in West Berlin, they whose general members hide in plain sight in blending in with all walks of West German society. He also has to endure some narcotically enhanced interrogation, which is the basis of one of the novel's most thrilling chapters. The premise isn't far-fetched, but the details are. The Wall Street Journal said it was one of the best espionage/spy series of all time. Harold Pinter's fairly literate screenplay features . Quiller Memorandum, The - DVD Talk After all, his characters social unease and affectless personality are presumably components of the movies contra-Bond commitment. A much better example of a spy novel-to-film adaptation would be Our Man in Havana, also starring Alec Guinness. The casting of George Segal in the lead was a catastrophe, as he is so brash and annoying that one wants to scream. Michael Anderson directs with his usual leaden touch. But Quiller is an equal to a James Bond, or a George Smiley. Performed by Matt Monro, "Wednesday's Child" was also released as a single. 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 Quiller Memorandum is a film adaptation of the 1965 spy novel The Berlin Memorandum, by Trevor Dudley-Smith, screenplay by Harold Pinter, directed by Michael Anderson, featuring George Segal, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger and Alec Guinness.The film was shot on location in West Berlin and in Pinewood Studios, England.The film was nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards, while Pinter was nominated for an . Segal plays Quiller with a laconic but likeable detachment, underlining the loneliness and lack of relaxation of the agent, who can- not even count on support from his own side. In fact, he is derisory about agents who insist on being armed. Quiller, a British agent who works without gun, cover or contacts, takes on a neo-Nazi underground organization and its war criminal leader. 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. 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. Max von Sydow plays the Nazi chief quietly but with high camp menace. 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). - BH. The burning question for Quiller is, how close is too close? The love interest between Quiller and Inge (Senta Berger) developed with no foundation. Write by: I havent watched too many movies from the 1960s in my lifetime, but the ones I have watched have been excellent (Von Ryans Express, Tony Rome, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Hustler, The Great Escape, etc, including this one.) What a difference to the ludicrous James Helm/Matt Bond (or is it the other way round?) The Quiller Memorandum | film by Anderson [1966] | Britannica Corrections? Quiller's assignment: to discover the location of the neo-Nazi . The mission in Berlin is a mess, two of the Bureaus spies have been murdered already by the shadowy Phoenix. In the mid-Sixties, the subgenre of the James Bond backlash film was becoming a crowded market. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. At the 1967 BAFTA Awards the film had nominations in the best Art Direction, Film Editing and Screenplay categories, but did not win. The British Secret Service sends 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. Watched by Rui Alves de Sousa 04 Jun 2022. But how could she put up with the love scenes with the atrocious Segal? Quiller goes back to the school and confronts Inge in her classroom. 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. The name of the intelligence agency that Quiller ( George Segal) worked for was MI6. The Quiller Memorandum 1966, directed by Michael Anderson | Film review 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. The Quiller Memorandum: Directed by Michael Anderson. Press J to jump to the feed. The Phoenix group descend and take Quiller, torturing him to find out what he knows. The Quiller Memorandum was based on a novel by Elleston Trevor (under the name Adam Hall). February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . 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. Pol dispatches a team to Phoenix's HQ, which successfully captures all of Phoenix's members. There was also a TV series in 1975. It's a more realistic or credible portrayal of how a single character copes with trying to get information in a dangerous environment. Oktober demands Quiller reveal the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) base by dawn or Inge will be killed. 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. In fact, Segal as Quiller can often feel like a case of simple miscasting, although not as egregious a lapse in judgment as, say, Segals choice to play a Times Square smackhead in 1971s Born to Win. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) directed by Michael Anderson Reviews Because the books were written in the first person the reader learns very little about him, beyond his mission capability. 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. 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. The Neo-Nazis want to know the location of British operations and similarly, the British want to know the location of the Neo-Nazis' headquarters. Hassler drives them to meet an old contact he says knows a lot more, who turns out to be Inge's headmistress. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. The Chief of the Secret Service Pol (Alec Guinness) summons the efficient agent Quiller (George Segal) to investigate the location of organization's headquarter. The shooting on location in Berlin makes it that much more thrilling. I've not put together a suite before so hopefully it works.Barry's short (35mins) if atmospheric score for the Cold War thriller The Quiller Memorandum, 1966. First isthe protagonist himself. 1966's The Quiller Memorandum is a low-key gem, a pared-down existential spy caper that keeps the exoticism to a minimum. Hall (also known as Elleston Trevor and several other pseudonyms) seemed really to hate the Germans, or at least his character did. He begins openly asking question about Neo-Nazis and is soon kidnapped by a man known only as "Oktober". 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. Try as he might though, he can't quite carry the lead here, lacking as he does the magnetism of Connery or the cynicism of Caine. And of course, no spy-spoof conversation would be complete without mentioning 1967s David Niven-led piss-take on the Bond films, Casino Royale. A satisfyingly cynical spy thriller with George Segal, Alec Guinness and Max Von Sydow; and a script by Harold Pinter, Decent and interesting spy thriller with great cast and impressive musical score by John Barry in his usual style. Sadly, Von Sydows formidable acting chops are never seriously challenged here, and his lines are limited to fairly standard B-movie Euro-villain speak. Quiller enters the mansion and is confronted by Phoenix thugs. The third to try is Quiller, an unassuming man, who knows he's being put into a deadly game. 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! Probably the most famous example of a solid American type playing an Englishman is Clark Gable from Mutiny On The Bounty. The book is built around a continual number of reveals. The goal of /r/Movies is to provide an inclusive place for discussions and news about films with major releases. [6], The mainly orchestral atmospheric soundtrack composed by John Barry was released by Columbia in 1966. 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. Quilleris a code name. This books has excellent prose, unrealistic scenes, and a mediocre plot. It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. The photo shows a man in Luftwaffe (airforce) uniform. If you have seen this movie, and it leaves you very dissatisfied or with a bunch of bright orange question marks, don't worry ! 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 (played by George Segal) is an American secret agent assigned to work with British MI6 chief Pol ( Alec Guinness) in West Berlin. 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. Conveniently for Quiller, shes also the only teacher there whos single and looks like a Bond girl. [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. 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). 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? Quiller becomes drowsy from a drug that was injected by the porter at the entrance to the hotel. Each reveal, in turn, provides a separate level of truth--or, as it may be, self-deception. Clumsy thriller. Want to Read. Quiller is eventually kidnapped and tortured by Oktober (Max von Sydow), the leader of Phoenix. 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. Inge tells him she loves him, and he tells her a phone number to call if he is not back in 20 minutes. At lunch in an exclusive club in London, close to Buckingham Palace, the directors of an unnamed agency, Gibbs and Rushington, decide to send American agent Quiller to continue the assignment, which has now killed two agents. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. 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. Quiller's primary contact for this job is a mid level administrative agent named Pol. And the legendary John Barrycomposer of the original Bond themeprovides appropriately haunting incidental music here. And will the world see a return of Nazi power? The intense first person narration which is the defining characteristic of the Quiller books comes into its own during this interrogation scene, and also during the latter chapters of the books as events begin to come to a head. From the latest Scandinavian serial killer to Golden Age detective stories, we love our crime novels! 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.) Set largely on location in West Berlin, it has George Segal brought back from vacation to replace a British agent who has come to a sticky end at the hands of a new infiltrating group of Nazis. 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. The novels are esoteric thrillers, very cerebral and highly recommended. His romantic interest is Senta Berger, whose understated and laconic dialog provides the perfect counterpoint to Segal's character. The setting is Cold War-divided Berlin where Quiller tackles a threat from a group of neo-Nazis who call themselves Phoenix. American agent Quiller (George Segal) arrives in Berlin and meets with his British handler Pol (Alec Guinness). The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - Plot Summary - IMDb But admittedly its a tricky business second-guessing his dramatic instincts here. "The Quiller Memorandum" is a film with a HUGE strike against it at the outset.they inexplicably cast George Segal as a British spy! 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. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - Turner Classic Movies The setting is Cold War-divided Berlinwhere Quillertackles a threat from a group ofneo-Nazis whocall themselves Phoenix. The former was a bracingly pessimistic Cold War alternative to freewheeling Bondian optimism that featured burnout boozer actor Richard Burton in an all-too-convincing performance as burnout boozer spy Alec Leamus. But for today's audiences, those films are a bit old fashioned and not always very easy to follow, too much complicated. Segal plays a secret agent assigned to ferret out the headquarters of a Neo-Nazi movement in Berlin. I was really surprised, because I don't usually like books written during the 50s or 60s. He is British secret agent Kenneth Lindsay Jones. Fairly interesting spy movie, but doesn't make much sense under close scrutiny. 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.