During WWII, the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.
James Mason
Ulysses Diello
Danielle Darrieux
Condesa Anna Staviska
Michael Rennie
Colin Travers
Walter Hampden
Sir Frederic Taylor
Oskar Karlweis
L. C. Moyzisch
Herbert Berghof
Col. von Richter
John Wengraf
Count Franz Von Papen
Ben Astar
Siebert
Roger Plowden
Keith Macfadden
Diane Adrian
Singer on French Record (voice)
Patrick Whyte
Code Clerk
Hanna Axmann-Rezzori
David Bauer
Lawrence Dobkin
Martín Garralaga
Lumsden Hare
Richard Loo
Lester Matthews
Keith McConnell
Frank McLure
Charles Meakin
Alberto Morin
Nestor Paiva
Michael Pate
Konstantin Shayne
Ivan Triesault
Otto Waldis
Alfred Zeisler
Stuart Hall
British Military Attaché (uncredited)
Director
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Novel
L.C. Moyzisch
Screenplay
Michael Wilson
September 11, 2022
7
James Mason ("Diello") is great in this superior WWII espionage story. He portrays the ostensibly obliging valet to the British Ambassador in Turkey. He has a bit of a sideline in secrets, though, and when he hooks up with the recently penniless Polish "Countess Anna" (Danielle Darrieux) to launder the ill-gotten gains, he begins to proceed with his cunning plan: to amass enough funds from the Nazis to retire to a millionaire's lifestyle in South America. When the British start to suspect, they bring Michael Rennie ("Travers") out from London to investigate. Not only does this put pressure on our treacherous friend, but when his partner absconds with all of the loot he has to think fast to survive... The story begins with a question in Parliament about the authenticity of a newspaper article suggesting this fantastic plot, so there is some truth to it. Add to that, the fact that the Nazis were so keen to get the information, but not trusting enough of their source to actually use and it gives our story an extra potency, too. Mason injects quite a bit of panache into his likeable, if totally duplicitous, character and the remainder of the tightly-knitted cast keep the pot boiling really well. Joseph Mankiewicz took the production to Istanbul which, again, assists with the realism of this really quite gripping drama with a suitably fitting conclusion. It's good, this film!
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00