The Counterfeit Traitor (1962)

Blacklisted in modern day WW2, a Swedish oil trader opts to assist British Allies, by means of infiltrating and surveying Nazi Germany.

Director:

George Seaton

Writers:

Alexander Klein (based on the book by), George Seaton (written for the screen by)

Stars:

William Holden, Lilli Palmer, Hugh Griffith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Holden	...	Eric Erickson
Lilli Palmer	...	Frau Marianne Möllendorf
Hugh Griffith	...	Collins
Carl Raddatz	...	Otto Holtz
Ernst Schröder	...	Baron Gerhard von Oldenburg
Charles Regnier	...	Wilhelm Kortner
Ingrid van Bergen	...	Hulda Windler
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Col. Nordoff
Werner Peters	...	Bruno Ulrich
Erica Beer	...	Klara Holtz
Stefan Schnabel	...	Gestapo Agent at Funeral
Klaus Kinski	...	Kindler
Erik Schumann	...	Nazi Gunboat Officer (as Erik Schuman)
Poul Reichhardt	...	Fishing Boat Skipper
John Wittig	...	Sven

Storyline

An American oil company executive of Swedish descent, now living in Sweden, is blackmailed into spying for the Allies during World War II. At first resentful, his relationship with a beautiful German Allied agent causes him to realize how vital his work is. When he learns that his anti-Nazi German associates are under suspicion from the Gestapo, he risks his own life to go back inside Nazi Germany to finish his work and try to save his friends. It's an exciting story with great characters, filmed partly in the locations where the story took place.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | copenhagen denmark | reference to adolf hitler | surveillance | city in ruins | 

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Taglines:

The Most Suspenseful Adventure Ever Lived!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Danish German

Release Date:

2 July 1962 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Espía por mandato

Filming Locations:

Travemünde, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perlberg-Seaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The German spy for the OSS, Frau Marianne Möllendorf in the movie, was a real person whom Erickson fell in love with. Her real name was Anne-Maria Freudenreich. The Swedish national archives in Stockholm have photographs and letters Erickson received from her.

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Goofs

In the Copenhagen street scenes of Danish bicyclists blocking the Gestapo truck pursuing Erickson and the underground leaders, a blue-and-white late '50s car can briefly be seen in the background in one shot.

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Quotes

Baron Gerhard von Oldenburg: Strange... You can read about a hundred atrocities, hear about a thousand, but you only have to see *one*!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits classify the cast members by country.

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Connections

Referenced in Happy Days: Joanie Gets Wheels (1980)

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Soundtracks

Marianna
Music by Alfred Newman
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

User Reviews

A wonderful World War Two story

The picture captures the true feeling of the war and the heroic attempt of a few people to contribute to the destruction of a dictatorship.

The line " you can read about a hundred atrocities, hear about a thousand, but you only have to see one" will always stay with me.

I wonder why Eric Erickson has not been mentioned in history as a hero of World War Two? He was very similar to Oscar Shindler. I would hope that the real story of Eric Erickson is told some day.

Lilli Palmer was wonderful and injected the reality of the war inside Germany throughout the picture. She was the most believable of all the characters. The scenes in the prison and her character's death were very realistic and left you with how helpless they were under the Nazi regime.

Next to " The Bridge On The River Kwai" this is William Holden's best picture.