5 Fingers (1952)

During WWII the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Michael Wilson (screenplay), L.C. Moyzisch (book)

Stars:

James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Mason	...	Ulysses Diello
Danielle Darrieux	...	Countess 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 (as A. Ben Astar)
Roger Plowden	...	Keith Macfadden

Storyline

Based on a true story. In neutral Turkey during WWII, the ambitious and extremely efficient valet for the British ambassador tires of being a servant and forms a plan to promote himself to rich gentleman of leisure. His employer has many secret documents; he will photograph them, and with the help of a refugee Countess, sell them to the Nazis. When he makes a certain amount of money, he will retire to South America with the Countess as his wife.

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Plot Keywords:

espionage | counterfeit money | neutrality | top secret | countess | 

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Taglines:

Guilty of every sin that had a name!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Portuguese Turkish French

Release Date:

7 March 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Operation Cicero

Filming Locations:

Yeni Cami Square, Eminönü, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$46,317

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The £120,000 the Germans paid to Cicero would, after taking into consideration the exchange rates and adjusting for inflation, be equivalent to about $8,000,000 in 2014.

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Goofs

In the Argentinian passports it says: "Numera del Retratio", "FOT TOMADO ET PULGER DERECHO". Should be: "Número del retrato", "FOTOGRAFÍA Y PULGAR DERECHO"

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Quotes

Colin Travers: I'm probably just a gossip at that. Maybe that's why I like my work. Counter espionage is the highest form of gossip.

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Crazy Credits

Before the movie title: This is a true story. All the exterior scenes in this picture were filmed in the locales associated with the story.

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Connections

Version of The 20th Century-Fox Hour: Operation Cicero (1956)

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Soundtracks

Ride of the Valkyries
(uncredited)
Composed by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

James Mason as valet turned espionage agent

James Mason does an excellent job as a suave valet to the British Ambassador in "Five Fingers." Desiring the life of a Rio de Janeiro gentleman, he starts selling secrets out of the Ambassador's safe to the Nazis, with the help of the wife of his former employer, Danielle Darrieux. Michael Rennie is brought in to see if he can discover the source of the leak.

Joseph Mankiewicz directed the film, and it's done in partial documentary style with narration. It's based on a true story, though the Darrieux character was invented for the film.

This is a highly entertaining film with some wonderful, suspenseful moments, a neat twist at the end, and the highly atmospheric Turkish scenery. Highly recommended.