The Quiller Memorandum (1966)

I wrote some time ago about "The Ipcress File" (sorry, only in the ro-version of the blog). I didn't see the sequels (there are at least two which theoretically may prove worthy of spending some time on them). However I've watched another movie last week placed in the same period (as subject and production time), also British, and overall the same kind of spy thriller, but with a completely different atmosphere, so to speak.

"The Quiller Memorandum" is placed somewhere in the '60s in the West Berlin. The intrigue is based on the assassination of two British agents involved in the discovery of a neo-Nazi movement HQ. This leads to giving the job to a third agent - the one with the name in the title - the difference being that this time is an American. The subject is relatively simple, and partly because of this, unlike in "The Ipcress File", here you can really feel the age of the movie. Other reasons for this impression are probably the directing style, the cinematography and actually pretty much of the movie making - even up to acting. However it still keeps a certain charm due to this "old" feeling that after all is just natural and common also to some of the early Bond movies. Speaking of Bond movies and others from the genre, you usually have a pretty typical secret agent construction as the main character. That would be probably the main difference in "The Quiller Memorandum". I do not know if they really wanted to come up like that, and I didn't see many movies with George Segal in the lead role, but the result here is completely different from anything I experienced on this genre. More specifically you can think of a parody of the classic type of character, however placed in a context as serious as it can be (for this type of movie at least). Starting from mimicry, replicas, to the fact that this "Bond" is not equipped with any gadgets and even he doesn't carry a gun, quoting approximately - "would just increase the chances to be killed". However as I said, the context of the action is not one of a comedy, although it might have some slight humor caused by the contrast between the German-Anglo rigidity and the American temperament. Overall sometimes it may seem a bit stupid on that part. For me, however, it was interesting.

Aside from a minor revelation to the end of the movie (which is actually left as an easy guess), the script relies more on witty dialogue than on complicating and twisting the plot. In the end the result is still quite “watchable”. The location setting is nice, I think the movie was filmed in West Berlin at least partially, so you have a bit of authentic 60's atmosphere from the area. There isn't much to tell on the movie making part besides that. The best part (except of the acting which depends on taste ... if it seems too "overacted" or not) would be the soundtrack. Just like in "The Ipcress File" (which was actually even better) you can appreciate the work of John Barry as composer. I think he is probably one of the best people in the industry from UK, at least for my taste of music - and again, at least for the productions made in the '60s and '70s when for example in the majority of films made in the U.S. you actually don't feel you have a soundtrack. In this case, it's just the opposite = it's clearly there. Well, that's all for today. I'll be back next week with a winter/spring preview of what is scheduled to premiere in the next moths. In the meantime ...

Rating: 3 out of 5