Topaz (1969)

A French Intelligence Agent becomes embroiled in the Cold War politics first with uncovering the events leading up to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and then back to France to break up an international Russian spy ring.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Leon Uris (from the novel by), Samuel A. Taylor (screenplay) (as Samuel Taylor)

Stars:

Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frederick Stafford	...	Andre Devereaux
Dany Robin	...	Nicole Devereaux
John Vernon	...	Rico Parra
Karin Dor	...	Juanita de Cordoba
Michel Piccoli	...	Jacques Granville
Philippe Noiret	...	Henri Jarre
Claude Jade	...	Michele Picard
Michel Subor	...	Francois Picard
Per-Axel Arosenius	...	Boris Kusenov
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Philippe Dubois
Edmon Ryan	...	McKittreck
Sonja Kolthoff	...	Mrs. Kusenov
Tina Hedström	...	Tamara Kusenov (as Tina Hedstrom)
John Van Dreelen	...	Claude Martin
Donald Randolph	...	Luis Uribe (as Don Randolph)

Storyline

A high ranking Russian official defects to the U.S., where he is interviewed by U.S. Agent Michael Nordstrom. The defector reveals that a French spy ring codenamed "Topaz" has been passing N.A.T.O. secrets to the Russians. Michael calls in his French friend and counterpart Andre Devereaux to expose the spies.

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Plot Keywords:

1960s | cold war | spy | defection | cuban missile crisis | 

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Taglines:

What is TOPAZ? Is TOPAZ a person? A code name? A mystery? It's all of these and more. TOPAZ is Leon Uris' best-seller about the most incredible spy scandal in years.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Topas: Gallery, Credits, Plot, Links.

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish French Russian

Release Date:

19 December 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz

Filming Locations:

Place Gaillon, Paris 2, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min 127 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jaques Granville's phone number was Babylon 8583 recognized by Nicole Devereaux.

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Goofs

While talking to the Mendozas before they leave for their picnic, in the first shot Juanita is leaning over a map with both hands on the table. In the very next shot she is standing straight with her hands in her pockets.

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Quotes

Francois Picard: I've been shot... Just a little.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: Somewhere in this crowd is a high Russian official who disagrees with his government's display of force and what it threatens. Very soon his conscience will force him to attempt an escape while apparently on a vacation with his family. Copenhagen, Denmark Nineteen Hundred Sixty-two

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Alternate Versions

The new ending takes place at Paris airport; Deveraux and his wife are leaving for America and see Granville boarding a plane to the USSR. He salutes them. Deveraux explains to his wife why he let Grainville leave. The last scene shows someone throwing a newspaper on a bench. The camera shows the headline and then pans to the Paris Arc de Triomphe, the same pictured in the opening shots.

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Connections

Referenced in The Psycho Legacy (2010)

User Reviews

Truly Hitchcockian despite its weaknesses

Unfortunately, I'd only come across the weak ending version. Despite of that, it's a truly Hitchcockian film. The memorable scenes are pure and exclusively visual: the intriguing start, the stealing of the documents, the death of Juanita, the torturing of the cuban spies, the discovery of the body at Jarre's apartment, the meal of the french officers...

Hitchcock used to take technical challenges in every one of his films, I assume that here he committed to deliver the most complicated information concerning the plot without using dialogue, and he succeed.

There's a lot of subtle humor and some clever twists. The cuban officers are just great, absolutely surreal. I loved the atmosphere in that hotel room, with people doing paperwork, smoking cigars and drinking, and the detail of the hamburger wrapped in the document. I think the very broad differences in tone between the three main sections of the film affects the pace and the appreciation of the story as a whole.

It's amazing how Hitchcock managed to survive in it in the light of the multitude of trouble this film went through.

Watching the video version edited in Norway had its extra. Amazingly, all subtitles were delayed a good five, six minutes throughout the entire film, so you actually had text during the silent scenes and incongruities such as love words during killings.