The Quiller Memorandum (1966)

In the West Berlin of the 1960s, two British agents are killed by a Nazi group, prompting British Intelligence to dispatch agent Quiller to investigate.

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

Trevor Dudley Smith (based on the novel by) (as Adam Hall), Harold Pinter (screenplay)

Stars:

George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
George Segal	...	Quiller
Alec Guinness	...	Pol
Max von Sydow	...	Oktober
Senta Berger	...	Inge Lindt
George Sanders	...	Gibbs
Robert Helpmann	...	Weng
Robert Flemyng	...	Rushington
Peter Carsten	...	Hengel
Ernst Walder	...	Grauber
Edith Schneider	...	Headmistress
Philip Madoc	...	Oktober's Man (Man with brown trousers)
Günter Meisner	...	Hassler (as Gunter Meisner)
John Rees	...	Oktober's Man (Man with black-rimmed glasses)

Storyline

Two British agents are murdered by a mysterious Neonazi organization in West Berlin. The British Secret Service sends agent Quiller to investigate. Soon Quiller is confronted with Neonazi chief "Oktober" and involved in a dangerous game where each side tries to find out the enemy's headquarters at any price...

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Plot Keywords:

espionage | neo nazi | cold war | british intelligence | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

Pursuer or Pursued -- he played the most dangerous game in Europe... and he played it alone.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

15 December 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Quiller Memorandum

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Rank Organisation,Ivan Foxwell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (uncredited)

Color:

Color (DeLuxe) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Max von Sydow, who plays the villain Oktober, would go on to portray the famous spy movie villain character of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983).

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Goofs

When Quiller is waiting for the bomb to blow up, in the long shots he is still completely on the side of the garage, but in the medium shots his head is clearly extending around the corner to see the front of the garage.

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Quotes

Quiller: Met a man called Oktober.
Pol: Oh yes?
Quiller: Know him?
Pol: We've never actually met.
Quiller: At the end of our conversation, he ordered them to kill me.
Pol: And did they?

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Connections

Referenced in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

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Soundtracks

Alte Kameraden (Old Comrades)
(uncredited)
Music by Carl Teike

User Reviews

Interesting spy film

An almost unrecognizable George Segal stars in "The Quiller Memorandum," set in Berlin and made 40 years ago. Segal is a very young man in this, with that flippant, relaxed quality that made him so popular. This time he's a spy trying to get the location of a neo-Nazi organization. The cast is full of familiar faces: Alec Guinness, who doesn't have much of a role, George Sanders, who has even less of one, Max von Sydow in what was to become a very familiar part for him, Robert Helpmann, Robert Flemyng, and the beautiful, enigmatic Senta Berger.

This is a very good spy movie. Spy movies were the "in" thing in the '60s. This one doesn't have gadgets and goes more for subtlety. The last 30 minutes are tense and exciting, and the last scene, loaded with subtext, is just great.