1957's "The Traitor" centers on a small band of resistance fighters whose leader was murdered by the Nazis after being betrayed by one of their members. Every year since the war's end, they all gather together in the English country home of Colonel Charles Price (Donald Wolfit), except that this time, the Colonel expects a visit from one Theodore Dehmel (Colin Croft), who will be flying in from Berlin, having discovered the traitor's identity. As had been the case during wartime, Price intends to dispense justice himself without any police involvement, but Dehmer arrives and promptly expires with a knife in his back, uttering the mysterious words, 'There's been a mistake.' Once the characters are introduced in the opening reel, the scene never leaves the Colonel's home, making for a claustrophobic screenplay that benefits hugely from its exceptional cast. As another commentator noted, the solution is ingenious, but without any concrete evidence that points to the guilty party. Most of the group are established as being German, except for the Swiss Alfred Baum (Frederick Schiller) and the Polish Joseph Brezina (Anton Diffring), the latter a brilliant concert pianist, allowing Diffring to display a more sympathetic side to his normally villainous countenance. The most notable supporting player is Christopher Lee, still a few months before his star making turn in Hammer's "The Curse of Frankenstein," and sporting a flawless German accent as Doctor Neumann, whose presence no doubt inspired the American distributor to change the generic British title from "The Traitor" to "The Accursed," giving it more of a horror slant. Seldom seen since the old days of black and white television, its obscurity seems destined to continue.
13 Reviews
Who dunnit?
trimmerb123422 April 2010
A very wordy and stagey production that could almost have been a filmed stage play with no scene changes so confined is the action in the lounge of an (old dark) house. Central is late great British classical stage thesp Sir Donald Wolfit (the inspiration for the film "The Dresser") who as usual bigs up his part.
The premiss (German resistance fighters suffering betrayal to the Gestapo) did deserve superior plot and screenplay and it is regretable that this is something of a pot-boiler. The closing scene is stagey almost to the point of self-parody (indeed I believe subsequent comic parody versions have appeared). However the method by which the murderer is tricked into revealing himself at the end is perhaps worth sitting through the remainder on a rainy afternoon.
The premiss (German resistance fighters suffering betrayal to the Gestapo) did deserve superior plot and screenplay and it is regretable that this is something of a pot-boiler. The closing scene is stagey almost to the point of self-parody (indeed I believe subsequent comic parody versions have appeared). However the method by which the murderer is tricked into revealing himself at the end is perhaps worth sitting through the remainder on a rainy afternoon.
And the traitor is...
malcolmgsw19 December 2015
This could have been better as a TV play or radio play or anything but a film.It has a very good cast including that scene stealer,Donald Wolcott,everyone favourite German,Anton Differing,and a pre Dracula Christopher Lee.The film is an old dark house mystery with a Nazi twist.They are going to be told who was the traitor in their midst but the informer is murdered.They don't call the police and decide to find and try the murderer themselves.After another murder the culprit is finally unmasked using one of the oldest tricks known to thriller writers.So it all ends up neatly tied up.Much too much talk and rather statically filmed.
"You have a grease spot on your nose Fraulein Toller"
hwg1957-102-26570424 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A good cast (Wolfit! Diffring! Lee! Van Eyssen! Stepanek! Davies! Etc,) and a good mystery story with a melancholy ending played mainly in one manor house. It is set within twenty four hours (a bit less actually) and retains interest from the early moment a character staggers into the manor, muttering "There's been a mistake" then promptly collapsing with a knife in his back. The one setting doesn't allow for any visual flourishes but experienced director of photography Bert Mason knows how to make the most out of a low budget and the film looks fine, faces becoming more important than setting to put the story across. Perhaps the corpse seemingly coming back to life at the denouement is a bit hokey but otherwise I was entertained throughout.
a group of ex-resistance members gather to ferret out a killer
blanche-213 December 2021
The Accursed from 1957 is also known as "The Traitor."
Donald Wolfit stars as Colonel Price, a British member of the resistance, who brings his ex-resistance group members to his house in England. The group includes a Polish pianist, Thomas (Anton Diffring), Stefan Toler (Carl Jaffe) and his daughter, Vicki (Jane Griffiths), Friedrich Suderman (Karl Stepanek), and Thomas Rilke (Oscar Quitak).
They meet each year on the anniversary of their great leader, whom someone betrayed to the Nazis. This caused him to be murdered. The murderer, Price announces, is present in the house.
They await a messenger from London, but he is knifed before he can tell Price who the killer was.
Two military men arrive, Major Shayne (Robert Bray) and Lieut. Grant (John van Eyssen) arrive, who say their car is out of order and ask to use the phone. Price isn't fooled; neither are the others. They are there to investigate what's going on.
Meanwhile Price attempts to determine who the killer was. Then there is another murder. Are more coming?
Christopher Lee plays a doctor.
I wondered if this had been a play because it doesn't open much, and it's also talky, but it wasn't. It manages to hold one's interest, though not all of the acting was up to par, mainly Robert Bray's performance.
Donald Wolfit stars as Colonel Price, a British member of the resistance, who brings his ex-resistance group members to his house in England. The group includes a Polish pianist, Thomas (Anton Diffring), Stefan Toler (Carl Jaffe) and his daughter, Vicki (Jane Griffiths), Friedrich Suderman (Karl Stepanek), and Thomas Rilke (Oscar Quitak).
They meet each year on the anniversary of their great leader, whom someone betrayed to the Nazis. This caused him to be murdered. The murderer, Price announces, is present in the house.
They await a messenger from London, but he is knifed before he can tell Price who the killer was.
Two military men arrive, Major Shayne (Robert Bray) and Lieut. Grant (John van Eyssen) arrive, who say their car is out of order and ask to use the phone. Price isn't fooled; neither are the others. They are there to investigate what's going on.
Meanwhile Price attempts to determine who the killer was. Then there is another murder. Are more coming?
Christopher Lee plays a doctor.
I wondered if this had been a play because it doesn't open much, and it's also talky, but it wasn't. It manages to hold one's interest, though not all of the acting was up to par, mainly Robert Bray's performance.
The Traitor
henry8-326 March 2019
Artime underground friends meet up in an old house in England to work out which one of them betrayed their keader during the war, resulting in his execution.
Solid chamber piece with a good British 50s cast which slowly morphs into an Agatha Christie type whodunnit. OK.
Solid chamber piece with a good British 50s cast which slowly morphs into an Agatha Christie type whodunnit. OK.
not a british gem
happytrigger-64-39051725 March 2019
I was really disappointed with that spy thriller : it's slow, no movement, just people listening to each other with no intensity, no particular camera angles, the camera is just placed in front of the actors. The whole movie is boring and the final twist is ridiculously directed, I was puzzled to see that lack of intelligence. The actors all seem sleepy, even Christopher Lee. And the director Michael McCarthy directed only 8 movies rather unknown.
On the same subject, just to see an inspired direction, I advise "Marie-Octobre" directed in 1959 by Julien Duvivier, same meeting in a house with only one woman (and what a woman, Danièle Darrieux) with top notch masculine casting like Lino Ventura, Bernard Blier, Robert Dalban, Paul Meurisse, Serge Reggiani, Noël Roquevert, Paul Frankeur, Daniel Ivernel, ... There is real camera and setting work, and the actors are really playing tough.
On the same subject, just to see an inspired direction, I advise "Marie-Octobre" directed in 1959 by Julien Duvivier, same meeting in a house with only one woman (and what a woman, Danièle Darrieux) with top notch masculine casting like Lino Ventura, Bernard Blier, Robert Dalban, Paul Meurisse, Serge Reggiani, Noël Roquevert, Paul Frankeur, Daniel Ivernel, ... There is real camera and setting work, and the actors are really playing tough.
Old dark house mystery with a Nazi twist
Leofwine_draca5 June 2015
THE TRAITOR is nothing more than one of those 'old dark house' type mystery films dressed up as something else. There's a definite Agatha Christie vibe going on here (think TEN LITTLE INDIANS) as a group of characters meet up in a sprawling mansion to discover which of their number is a secret Nazi traitor intent on claiming the lives of the rest of the group.
The story has a WW2 background with the assembled men being Germans who are former members of a resistance group fighting against the Nazis. One of their number hangs himself and the men believe a traitor forced him to do the deed; the rest of the running time follows a classic whodunit mould with Robert Bray the investigating hero.
THE TRAITOR suffers from a slow and stodgy first half where it takes an age for the men to even be informed that there's a traitor in their midst. Still, it does pick up towards the end and particularly at the climax, and there's a solid cast to keep you watching. Donald Wolfit (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE) is the one-armed lead, and he's supported by the familiar faces of Christopher Lee and Anton Diffring. Not a classic, more of a curiosity piece for fans of this era.
The story has a WW2 background with the assembled men being Germans who are former members of a resistance group fighting against the Nazis. One of their number hangs himself and the men believe a traitor forced him to do the deed; the rest of the running time follows a classic whodunit mould with Robert Bray the investigating hero.
THE TRAITOR suffers from a slow and stodgy first half where it takes an age for the men to even be informed that there's a traitor in their midst. Still, it does pick up towards the end and particularly at the climax, and there's a solid cast to keep you watching. Donald Wolfit (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE) is the one-armed lead, and he's supported by the familiar faces of Christopher Lee and Anton Diffring. Not a classic, more of a curiosity piece for fans of this era.
Excellent British thriller!
english-rose5 April 2006
This is a wonderful example of post-war British thrillers at their very best. Members of a French Resistance unit meet each year in England on the anniversary of their leaders death at the hands of a traitor in their midst. When they learn that the identity of the person responsible for this treacherous act is about to become known he or she decides to prevent their secret from being revealed. The ensemble cast are all ideal for their roles, Anton Diffring stands out as a concert pianist instead of his usual role as a nasty Nazi. He really could play the piano well, although I don't think he played the score in this film. It is difficult to guess who the murderer is, I'm still not sure how the investigating military officer comes to his conclusion, but I have watched this film dozens of times and never tire of going along for the ride! It is good to see Christopher Lee also playing a role other than his well-known vampire ones, along with many other well-known European faces, especially Jane Griffiths. This film is impossible to find on video or DVD so if you have the chance to see it don't let the opportunity pass you by!
I made a mistake!
kapelusznik187 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Confusing whodunit that has to do with the betrayal of a member of the groups resistance fighter in occupied France during WWII that cost the life of their leader the fearless and take no BS Irving Garhart a man that you would follow into the very gates of hell if he lead you there. With the annual get together of the surviving resistance members meeting at Col. "Lefty" Price, Donald Wolfit, country estate there's to be a surprised appearance by the unexpected visit of Theodore Dehmel,Colin Croft, who's to reveal whom the traitor who turned Garhart into the German Gestapo who is to be among those assembled guests. It just happened that Dehmel got stabbed from behind just before he could expose the traitor muttering in his dying breath that he made a mistake in who the traitor really is! As it turned out the mistake that Dehmel made was being in the movie to begin with.
We get this long and boring sequence as all those at Col. Price place try to find out not only who sold out the fearless freedom fighter Garhart but also who murdered Dehmel in preventing him from exposing Garhart betrayer. Nothing seems to really happen until unexpectedly US intelligent office Major Shane, Robert Bray, and his sidekick Lieut. Grant,John Van Eyssen, show up to get out of the rain only to end up taking over the murder investigation without being asked to. Just too talky and over the top to both follow and take seriously the film was in fact cut by some 15 minutes for American audiences so it could make any sense to them which turned out to be a losing effort on the part of the studio.
***SPOILERS**** In the end with another one of the guest Thomas Rilke, Oscar Quitak, getting murdered for knowing too much and it's finally revealed that Garhart wasn't exactly what he was cut out to be and in fact got exactly whet he deserved! That with the confused Dehmel killer jumping the gun or knife in killing him before he let out the secret about Garhart's actions that in fact jeopardized the entire underground movement! There also a very young Christopher Lee before his Hammer Horror movie days as Dr. Newmann as one of the former members of the underground movement who seemed to have trouble staying awake throughout the entire movie.
We get this long and boring sequence as all those at Col. Price place try to find out not only who sold out the fearless freedom fighter Garhart but also who murdered Dehmel in preventing him from exposing Garhart betrayer. Nothing seems to really happen until unexpectedly US intelligent office Major Shane, Robert Bray, and his sidekick Lieut. Grant,John Van Eyssen, show up to get out of the rain only to end up taking over the murder investigation without being asked to. Just too talky and over the top to both follow and take seriously the film was in fact cut by some 15 minutes for American audiences so it could make any sense to them which turned out to be a losing effort on the part of the studio.
***SPOILERS**** In the end with another one of the guest Thomas Rilke, Oscar Quitak, getting murdered for knowing too much and it's finally revealed that Garhart wasn't exactly what he was cut out to be and in fact got exactly whet he deserved! That with the confused Dehmel killer jumping the gun or knife in killing him before he let out the secret about Garhart's actions that in fact jeopardized the entire underground movement! There also a very young Christopher Lee before his Hammer Horror movie days as Dr. Newmann as one of the former members of the underground movement who seemed to have trouble staying awake throughout the entire movie.
Unbelievably boring!
planktonrules14 October 2016
You would think with a plot like you'd have in "The Accursed" that the film would be exciting. However, I found it to be a boring, talky mess.
When the film begins, there's a reunion of WWII resistance fighters. However, it seems that several folks aren't there this year and it appears as if someone is killing them! Perhaps one of them is really an old Nazi taking out their vengeance on the group. A nice setup, huh? Well, this all comes out in the first few minutes of the film...what follows are a bunch of folks in an old house...and a US military man who shows up and talks and talks and talks trying to piece together what's happening.
Had the film been able to unfold OUTSIDE the room and there had been far less talking, it would have been a good film. But you don't SEE any of the action and the result is just claustrophobic and boring....very, very boring despite fine actors like Christopher Lee and Anton Diffring being in the movie.
When the film begins, there's a reunion of WWII resistance fighters. However, it seems that several folks aren't there this year and it appears as if someone is killing them! Perhaps one of them is really an old Nazi taking out their vengeance on the group. A nice setup, huh? Well, this all comes out in the first few minutes of the film...what follows are a bunch of folks in an old house...and a US military man who shows up and talks and talks and talks trying to piece together what's happening.
Had the film been able to unfold OUTSIDE the room and there had been far less talking, it would have been a good film. But you don't SEE any of the action and the result is just claustrophobic and boring....very, very boring despite fine actors like Christopher Lee and Anton Diffring being in the movie.
"All music is sad. Prelude to death."
clanciai11 May 2017
This is a sinister post-war drama with a terrible ring of sadness and tragedy about it, as the murderer is himself unaware of the fact that there is no ground for his motive. It's a tragedy of treason, and no one understands anything about it until it's too late.
This is therefore very much a film of mysterious undercurrents, understatements and hidden meanings, a film "written between the lines". It's easy to dismiss it for its failure to convey it's true meaning, but you do it wrong if you don't give it a lot of afterthought.
The surviving members of an underground resistance group against the Nazis meet annually in an old mansion outside London to commemorate their leader who was shot on that day by the Nazis. It appears that someone in the group had betrayed him. The new leader colonel Price, played by Donald Wolfit in a typical role of his, announces his decision to find out who the traitor was among them at their new meeting, and no one is allowed to leave the place until the issue is settled. An agent is on his way from Berlin to reveal the name. He never reaches them alive, and two American intelligence officers come importuning at their meeting to make matters worse and more complicated.
Donald Wolfit is a sure name to make any film he participates in a most memorable event. Christopher Lee as the doctor attracts all suspicion from the audience by his covert attitude as of a man who knew too much. Anton Diffring as the pianist contributes with the mood by his music, which he wants to call "Prelude to Death" which is altered to "Prelude without a name" by those who want to live. It's very reminiscent and almost a paraphrase of the Warsaw Concerto, it certainly brings the same atmosphere but is less efficient as music, while the drama story here is much more interesting and goes deeper. It's the difference between before the war and after.
At the same time it's a very intriguing murder thriller on the level with Agatha Christie, but here everything is logic and natural, it's a matter of inevitable tragedy of fate and not at all an artificial intrigue, like commonly with Agatha Christie.
This is therefore very much a film of mysterious undercurrents, understatements and hidden meanings, a film "written between the lines". It's easy to dismiss it for its failure to convey it's true meaning, but you do it wrong if you don't give it a lot of afterthought.
The surviving members of an underground resistance group against the Nazis meet annually in an old mansion outside London to commemorate their leader who was shot on that day by the Nazis. It appears that someone in the group had betrayed him. The new leader colonel Price, played by Donald Wolfit in a typical role of his, announces his decision to find out who the traitor was among them at their new meeting, and no one is allowed to leave the place until the issue is settled. An agent is on his way from Berlin to reveal the name. He never reaches them alive, and two American intelligence officers come importuning at their meeting to make matters worse and more complicated.
Donald Wolfit is a sure name to make any film he participates in a most memorable event. Christopher Lee as the doctor attracts all suspicion from the audience by his covert attitude as of a man who knew too much. Anton Diffring as the pianist contributes with the mood by his music, which he wants to call "Prelude to Death" which is altered to "Prelude without a name" by those who want to live. It's very reminiscent and almost a paraphrase of the Warsaw Concerto, it certainly brings the same atmosphere but is less efficient as music, while the drama story here is much more interesting and goes deeper. It's the difference between before the war and after.
At the same time it's a very intriguing murder thriller on the level with Agatha Christie, but here everything is logic and natural, it's a matter of inevitable tragedy of fate and not at all an artificial intrigue, like commonly with Agatha Christie.
And then there were traitors.
mark.waltz17 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This would have made a terrific stage play. I truly enjoyed this film which deals with the reunion of resistance fighters and the discovery that one of them was a spy for the Nazis which results in murder and the hiding of the body in the woods. Like Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians", everyone in this remote setting has secrets, and even the most passionate of freedom fighters has a dark side to them.
With a cast lead by Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray and Jane Griffiths, this is top notch suspense, well directed and acted, with a very good screenplay and the claustrophobic setting perfect for the psychological aspects of the story. It's the shocking revelation of betrayal that builds this up, and the confrontation of an unseen killer and their frantic victim is truly chilling. It's always nice to find an unsung classic, and this never ceased to keep me riveted.
With a cast lead by Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray and Jane Griffiths, this is top notch suspense, well directed and acted, with a very good screenplay and the claustrophobic setting perfect for the psychological aspects of the story. It's the shocking revelation of betrayal that builds this up, and the confrontation of an unseen killer and their frantic victim is truly chilling. It's always nice to find an unsung classic, and this never ceased to keep me riveted.
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