The Traitor (1957 film)
The Traitor | |
---|---|
![]() British theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Michael McCarthy |
Written by | Michael McCarthy |
Produced by | Edwin J. Fancey |
Starring | Donald Wolfit Robert Bray Jane Griffiths Anton Diffring |
Cinematography | Bert Mason |
Edited by | Monica Kimick |
Music by | Jackie Brown |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Allied Artists (US) |
Release date | March 1957 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Traitor is a 1957 British film noir drama film directed by Michael McCarthy and starring Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Jane Griffiths, and Anton Diffring.[1] The film was also shown in the US with the title The Accursed. It was not released in the US until 1960.
Premise
A former resistance fighter tries to discover the traitor who has betrayed his colleagues in the German resistance during the Second World War.
Cast
- Donald Wolfit as Colonel Charles Price
- Robert Bray as Major Shane
- Jane Griffiths as Vicki Toller
- Carl Jaffe as Professor Stefan Toller
- Anton Diffring as Joseph Brezina
- Christopher Lee as Doctor Neumann
- Oscar Quitak as Thomas Rilke
- Karel Štěpánek as Mayor Friederich Sudermann
- Frederick Schiller as Alfred Baum
- Rupert Davies as Clinton, the butler
- John Van Eyssen as Lieutenant Bobby Grant
- Colin Croft as Theodore Dehmel
Theme music
The film's title music:'Prelude Without A Name' and incidental music written and conducted by Jackie Brown. Solo Pianist Dennis Wilson
Critical reception
Sky Movies wrote, "the specially written musical piece, Prelude, which has a vital part to play in the plot's unfolding, is hauntingly appealing. But too much talk tends to spoil the script's surprises";[2] and The Radio Times noted, "nuance was not Donald Wolfit's strong suit, but he had presence and power in spades. He totally dominates this story with a bluster and conviction that keeps an uninspiring tale of the hunt for a Second World War traitor from falling flat on its face";[3] while TV Guide concluded, "this is an offbeat espionage whodunit with some nervy moments."[4]
Around the film
- On a very similar plot line, French filmmaker Julien Duvivier directed in 1959 Marie-Octobre, also known as Secret Meeting, starring Danielle Darrieux and based on a novel by Jacques Robert published 1948.
References
- ^ "The Traitor". BFI.
- ^ "The Traitor".
- ^ "The Traitor". RadioTimes.
- ^ "The Accursed". TV Guide.
Bibliography
- Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
External links
- The Traitor at IMDb