NOTES: The real-life Eric Erickson was 72 when the film was released, living in "quiet retirement" in Sweden and on the Riviera. He was re-instated in the eyes of his family and friends at a luncheon in his honor in Stockholm on 4 June 1945. Erickson told reporters in 1962 that he still carried in his wallet a photo of Marianne Mollendorf.
Location scenes filmed in West Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and coastal villages of Sweden and Denmark.
PRINCIPAL MIRACLE: A real-life story filmed without any major distortions.
COMMENT: A well-produced and reasonably exciting spy thriller, which could have been even more forcefully dramatic given sharper playing - especially by the male lead - and more stylish direction.
Oddly, none of my American colleagues agree with the above exceptions. All think Holden's performance extremely able, Seaton's direction sharp and vibrant. Not until I read the overseas reviews did I find myself no longer the odd critic out. It's not just simply that Holden plays Holden rather than Erickson, but that his performance for the most part is so tired, jaded, flat and shallow. Rarely does Holden bring Erickson to life. More often he is just an actor who has memorized his lines but mouths them with little expression and no conviction.
As a director, Seaton can certainly stage his scenes competently, but he seems to go out of his way to avoid the extra punch of atmosphere and style. With Seaton, the script's the thing. He feels his immortal words need no embellishments. Certainly there is a bit of occasional action, but the dialogue scenes are all played slowly, methodically and monotonously. I'm mighty sick of the sight and sound of most of the players by journey's end. Particularly Hugh Griffith and Ernst Schroder. Those players I still like - Wolfgang Preiss as the Gestapo colonel and Charles Regnier as a German embassy official - have had the good sense not to out-stay their welcome. Even Lilli Palmer, fine actress though she generally is, gives an uneven account of herself here.
Seaton's problem as a director is that he's afraid to let himself go. Afraid to trim superfluous or long-winded dialogue, afraid to let his cameraman throw a few mood shadows across his actors' faces, afraid to fully utilize the scenic impact of his real locations, afraid to clap on the pace. To George Seaton, shears and shadows are the enemy.
OTHER VIEWS: Ingmar Bergman fans in particular and admirers of Swedish cinema in general are unlikely to be enamored of the cursory treatment accorded Ulf Palme and Eva Dahlbeck, whilst Klaus Kinski followers will be forced to wait a mighty long time to see their idol do a three-minute, no-dialogue stint (though it is one of the most memorable moments in the film). But then neither the Bergman nor Kinski cliques are likely to want to see The Counterfeit Traitor anyway. For $4½ million, neither the producer nor picturegoers seem to have gotten equivalent value for their money.
Nonetheless, this picturization of a real-life drama does maintain a high degree of suspense throughout the twists and turns of an often hair-raising plot. Real locations help authenticity, and the principal players (in particular Holden, Palmer and Griffith) come across with honor. - JHR writing as George Addison.
Location scenes filmed in West Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and coastal villages of Sweden and Denmark.
PRINCIPAL MIRACLE: A real-life story filmed without any major distortions.
COMMENT: A well-produced and reasonably exciting spy thriller, which could have been even more forcefully dramatic given sharper playing - especially by the male lead - and more stylish direction.
Oddly, none of my American colleagues agree with the above exceptions. All think Holden's performance extremely able, Seaton's direction sharp and vibrant. Not until I read the overseas reviews did I find myself no longer the odd critic out. It's not just simply that Holden plays Holden rather than Erickson, but that his performance for the most part is so tired, jaded, flat and shallow. Rarely does Holden bring Erickson to life. More often he is just an actor who has memorized his lines but mouths them with little expression and no conviction.
As a director, Seaton can certainly stage his scenes competently, but he seems to go out of his way to avoid the extra punch of atmosphere and style. With Seaton, the script's the thing. He feels his immortal words need no embellishments. Certainly there is a bit of occasional action, but the dialogue scenes are all played slowly, methodically and monotonously. I'm mighty sick of the sight and sound of most of the players by journey's end. Particularly Hugh Griffith and Ernst Schroder. Those players I still like - Wolfgang Preiss as the Gestapo colonel and Charles Regnier as a German embassy official - have had the good sense not to out-stay their welcome. Even Lilli Palmer, fine actress though she generally is, gives an uneven account of herself here.
Seaton's problem as a director is that he's afraid to let himself go. Afraid to trim superfluous or long-winded dialogue, afraid to let his cameraman throw a few mood shadows across his actors' faces, afraid to fully utilize the scenic impact of his real locations, afraid to clap on the pace. To George Seaton, shears and shadows are the enemy.
OTHER VIEWS: Ingmar Bergman fans in particular and admirers of Swedish cinema in general are unlikely to be enamored of the cursory treatment accorded Ulf Palme and Eva Dahlbeck, whilst Klaus Kinski followers will be forced to wait a mighty long time to see their idol do a three-minute, no-dialogue stint (though it is one of the most memorable moments in the film). But then neither the Bergman nor Kinski cliques are likely to want to see The Counterfeit Traitor anyway. For $4½ million, neither the producer nor picturegoers seem to have gotten equivalent value for their money.
Nonetheless, this picturization of a real-life drama does maintain a high degree of suspense throughout the twists and turns of an often hair-raising plot. Real locations help authenticity, and the principal players (in particular Holden, Palmer and Griffith) come across with honor. - JHR writing as George Addison.