Right from the start I was captivated by this story which is fiction inspired by a true story of the the undercover agent Chapman, used from the book by Frank Owen. We're introduced to a British bank robber, or more like jewelry thief, which gets caught and put in prison while on holiday on the island of Jersey, which not much later is occupied by Germans during the outbreak of the 2nd world war. After some time he convinces the Germans that he is not a patriot.
The film has the feel as an James Bond film from the 60'ies. Christopher Plummer is just as horny as Bond, the the film makers is probably doing too much out of that. No wonder, though, since director Terence Young was a main director of the James Bond films. He was the director of "Dr. No" in 1962 and the following "From Russia with love" and "Thunderball", before this one. The film language is very alike.
I find the film very cozy and entertaining watching. With a good good feel of the 60'ies film making. Which I'm not old enough to remember, but which I've seen depicted on film a thousand times., though I'd is mad of being the 40'ies.
This film wasn't very popular in the British intelligence, which allegedly tried to drop this bring made. It was also mean to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this story, but he was advised not to do so. Terence Young was handles the script, and made a quite different film from what Hitchcock would have made. Young has used a lot of former Bond actors in this, in addition to a good Christopher Plummer, and when Yul Brunner as a German commandant.
On the nag entice side, the story will be, like many agent stories, a bit confusing to many. I also find the women stories less charming than they are made to be. So it ends if as an well made and entertaining watch, but by far a classic. To be a classic, it way to tedious and too much of a rip-off f the earliest Janes Bond-stories.
The film has the feel as an James Bond film from the 60'ies. Christopher Plummer is just as horny as Bond, the the film makers is probably doing too much out of that. No wonder, though, since director Terence Young was a main director of the James Bond films. He was the director of "Dr. No" in 1962 and the following "From Russia with love" and "Thunderball", before this one. The film language is very alike.
I find the film very cozy and entertaining watching. With a good good feel of the 60'ies film making. Which I'm not old enough to remember, but which I've seen depicted on film a thousand times., though I'd is mad of being the 40'ies.
This film wasn't very popular in the British intelligence, which allegedly tried to drop this bring made. It was also mean to be directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this story, but he was advised not to do so. Terence Young was handles the script, and made a quite different film from what Hitchcock would have made. Young has used a lot of former Bond actors in this, in addition to a good Christopher Plummer, and when Yul Brunner as a German commandant.
On the nag entice side, the story will be, like many agent stories, a bit confusing to many. I also find the women stories less charming than they are made to be. So it ends if as an well made and entertaining watch, but by far a classic. To be a classic, it way to tedious and too much of a rip-off f the earliest Janes Bond-stories.