Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Lino Ventura | ... | Anton Haliakov / Clément Tibère | |
Leo Genn | ... | Chief of M.I.5 | |
Suzanne Flon | ... | Jeanne | |
Robert Hardy | ... | Chief of M.I.5's assistant | |
Lea Massari | ... | Maria Menela | |
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Pierre-Michel Le Conte | ... | Boris Korodine |
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Annie Dejean-Jodry | ... | Tania (Violonist) |
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Bernard Dhéran | ... | M.Chat |
Pierre Zimmer | ... | Le nouveau mari de Maria | |
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Roger Crouzet | ... | Un agent de la D.S.T. |
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Lucienne Legrand | ... | La libraire |
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Pierre Collet | ... | Le garagiste |
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André Falcon | ... | Le commissaire de police |
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Jerry Brouer | ||
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Richard Saint-Bris |
Who is Anton Haliakov, who has just been abducted by the M.I.5 in London? A Soviet scientist apparently. But sixteen years before the man had another identity, Clément Tibère, and another nationality, French. So what led him to become Russian and to change identity? And why are the British secret services interested in him? Written by Guy Bellinger
This is probably Claude Pinoteau's most interesting work,even if he is known in his native France for his abysmal "la boum" which made Sophie Marceau a star.
A French scientist ,who was forced to work for the Russians is arrested in England and they ask him to denounce English spies working for the KGB.He knows when he is released that his days are numbered.Lino Ventura gives a restrained effective performance and he gets good support from Suzanne Flon whose part is quite credible .On the other hand ,Lea Massari 's character is almost completely pointless.
Pinoteau was strongly influenced by Hitchcock whose "torn curtain" and above all "the man who knew too much (1956) come to mind.The last sequence ( the concert) directly comes from the latter.
Like in all the good spy thrillers (Ritt's "the man who came from the cold" or Clouzot's "les espions" ) the villains are everywhere,not only in Russia.