"The Observer" is an installment of "Alcoa Theatre", an anthology series from the 1950s-60s. Each week, a different story was presented on the show and this particular one is set during WWI.
The French are using a most unusual man to be their observer on the activities of the German army.
Sarrail (Maximilian Schell) observes by dressing up as a statue and hiding in plain sight on the walls of a church. There he stands unmoving for many hours until the French send troops to relieve him and return the original statue to its pedestal.
While the basic idea of the story is interesting, the story, in my opinion, really didn't know what to do next with this gimmick. Ultimately, it is just an okay episode with a neat story idea.
By the way, why did they cast a German-speaking Austrian actor, Schell, in this role? This did seem awfully odd....especially since Austria was part of the German alliance during this war.
The French are using a most unusual man to be their observer on the activities of the German army.
Sarrail (Maximilian Schell) observes by dressing up as a statue and hiding in plain sight on the walls of a church. There he stands unmoving for many hours until the French send troops to relieve him and return the original statue to its pedestal.
While the basic idea of the story is interesting, the story, in my opinion, really didn't know what to do next with this gimmick. Ultimately, it is just an okay episode with a neat story idea.
By the way, why did they cast a German-speaking Austrian actor, Schell, in this role? This did seem awfully odd....especially since Austria was part of the German alliance during this war.