Michael Anderson (director)
Network On Air (studio)
PG (certificate)
101min (length)
04 August 2014 (released)
15 September 2014
The mid-60’s were indeed the time for the ‘spy’ thriller, and ‘66 gave us The Quiller Memorandum, based on Adam Hall’s (nom de plum of Elleston The Flight Of The Phoenix Trevor) novel of the same name. Yet again we are treated to the same ingredients, this time served up by top playwright Harold Pinter: a confusing plot, a mole somewhere along the line, the bad enemy agents (in this case a neo-Nazi spy ring), a debatably good-looking leading man, a pretty leading lady, and last and by no means least another brilliant score by the phenomenal John Barry.
Agent Quiller (George Segal) is sent by his boss, the smarmy, Liverwurst-sandwich munching Pol (Alec Guinness) to Berlin, West-Germany, to enquire into the murder of another British agent, Jones. The murdered agent had been looking into the rise of a new neo-Nazi organisation called Phoenix, lead by a certain ‘Oktober’ (Max von Sydow). Soon enough, Quiller finds what he is looking for with the aid of attractive teacher Inge Lindt (German actress Senta Berger) – an inkling of romance here. Shortly after, Quiller is abducted by Oktober’s henchmen, interrogated, and injected with a truth serum. Oktober is dissatisfied with Quiller’s revelations and orders him to be killed. This being only the first half of the film, we know that this is not going to happen! Far from it, when Quiller awakes lying in a dishevelled mess somewhere by the docks, the real adventure is only about to begin…
George Segal makes for a credible Quiller, whilst Senta Berger sustains Teutonic cool with a dash of sensuality. Alec Guinness oozes almost as much smarm in his role as Pol as does King Smarm himself – George Sanders in a brief cameo as string-puller Gibbs. Of course, the film is permeated by the great Max von Sydow, who underplays his part, as only he can, by his sheer presence.
The pacey and somewhat convoluted plot (don’t let it worry you) is further enhanced by John Barry’s dramatic score (‘Wednesday’s Child’, which became a phenomenal hit).
SPECIAL FEATURES of this Blu-ray release include:
Contemporary interviews recorded on location in Berlin with George Segal, Alec Guinness, Senta Berger, Max von Sydow, director Michael Anderson and producer Ivan Foxwell (Standard Definition)
Original theatrical trailer
Textless material
Four image galleries, including extensive promotional and behind-the-scenes shots
Promotional material PDFs