The Counterfeit Traitor
| The Counterfeit Traitor | |
|---|---|
| File:Counterfeit traitor.jpg Cover of the DVD | |
| Directed by | George Seaton |
| Written by | Charles Grenzbach George Seaton |
| Produced by | George Seaton William Perlberg |
| Starring | William Holden Lilli Palmer Hugh Griffith Carl Raddatz |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Counterfeit Traitor is a 1962 war film starring William Holden, Hugh Griffith, and Lilli Palmer. Holden plays an American-born Swedish citizen who agrees to spy on the Nazis in World War II. It was based on a nonfiction book of the same name by Alexander Klein. The film was directed by George Seaton.[1]
Plot
Erickson (Holden) is an American-born Swedish oil man who is pressured by Allied intelligence agents, led by a British agent (Griffith), to spy for the Allies. Erickson begins his job reluctantly, as it causes marital discord and forces him to pose as a Nazi. He agrees because otherwise his business would be destroyed by the Allies, but over time, realizes it is the right thing to do.
He is influenced in making this moral decision by one of his contacts in Germany, a religious woman (Lilli Palmer) who gives him guidance on the meaning of life and right and wrong. Erickson has a number of close calls, but eventually escapes to Sweden in a harrowing sea voyage.
Cast
- William Holden - Eric Erickson
- Lilli Palmer - Frau Marianne Möllendorf
- Hugh Griffith - Collins
- Carl Raddatz - Otto Holtz
- Ulf Palme - Max Gumpel
- Ernst Schröder - Baron Gerhard von Oldenburg
- Charles Régnier - Wilhelm Kortner
- Ingrid van Bergen - Hulda Windler
- Helo Gutschwager - Hans Holtz
- Wolfgang Preiss - Colonel Nordoff
- Werner Peters - Bruno Ulrich
- Erica Beer - Klara Holtz
- Stefan Schnabel - Gestapo agent at funeral
- Klaus Kinski - Kindler, Jewish Refugee
- Jochen Blume - Dr. Jacob Karp
- Erik Schumann - Nazi Gunboat Officer
- Dirk Hansen - Lieutenant Nagler
- Poul Reichhardt - Fishing Boat Skipper
- Ludwig Naybert - Stationmaster
See also
- List of American films of 1962
- Eric Erickson, the real-life spy on whom the book and film are based[1]
References
- ^ a b "Alexander Klein, 83; Wrote Spy Thriller (obituary)". New York Times. August 24, 2002. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
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External links
 | This article about a war drama film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1962 films
- 1960s drama films
- 1960s spy films
- 1960s thriller films
- American spy films
- American films
- American thriller films
- American war drama films
- English-language films
- Films about Nazi Germany
- Films based on biographies
- Film scores by Alfred Newman
- Films directed by George Seaton
- Films set in the Baltic Sea
- Paramount Pictures films
- World War II spy films
- War drama film stubs