The Cicero case
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Cicero case |
| Original title | Five Fingers |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1951 |
| length | 108 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| script | Michael Wilson |
| production | Otto Lang |
| music | Bernard Herrmann |
| camera | Norbert Brodine |
| cut | James B. Clark |
| occupation | |
| |
The case Cicero (in the original Five Fingers ) is an American thriller by Joseph L. Mankiewicz from the year 1951. The film is based on a true story and was designed by LC Moyzisch to the novel It happened in Ankara ... processed. The film was released in German cinemas on August 1, 1952.
action
During the Second World War, Turkey is a neutral state. The secret services of both the Allies and the Axis powers are trying to get the Turkish government on their side. One evening in 1944, the German ambassador Franz von Papen and his English counterpart Sir Frederic talked to the French countess Anna Staviska, the widow of a German-friendly count. The countess is impoverished, so she offers von Papen her espionage services. But the German ambassador refuses.
The German military attaché Moyzisch was offered photographs of secret British documents on the same night. The mysterious man who offers, demands 20,000 pounds . Moyzisch wants to refuse at first, but the man appears so confident that Moyzisch promises to speak to the ambassador. The man agrees. He goes to the British Embassy, where he works under the name Ulysses Diello as a butler for Sir Frederic. Sir Frederic, who knows that Diello was previously in the service of Count Staviska, talks to him about their poverty.
Von Papen received his consent to purchase the photographs. Moyzisch meets with Diello, who gets the code name Cicero. Moyzisch is amazed that the photographs show the minutes of the Allied conference in Tehran. Diello wants £ 15,000 for each roll of film. He goes to the countess, gives her 5,000 pounds and promises to get more if she hides his money. He also confesses his love for her. Countess Anna is disturbed by Diello's advance notice, but hides the money.
Moyzisch is ordered to Berlin . SD chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner and Hauptmann von Richter are not convinced of the authenticity of the photos. They want to wait for a bombing indicated in the papers. The bombing takes place, von Papen is upset that the civilian population could not be warned. Moyzisch buys another roll of film from Diello, who takes the documents from the ambassador's safe, photographs them and puts them back again.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry suspects von Papen of espionage. The British are sending their counter-espionage specialist Colin Travers to Ankara. The Germans believe Diello is spying on both sides and sending judges to shadow Diello. In the meantime, the relationship between the Countess, who has moved into a villa, and Diello is deepening. But their sudden wealth alarms Travers. The Germans also focus on the Countess. Diello, who meets von Richter, explains that he was only acting for the money and that all the documents photographed from the last six weeks were real. When von Richter left again, Diello told the Countess of his wish to go to South America. She promises to go with him.
In the next five weeks, Diello can shake off his British monitors and sell the Germans more photos. The Germans want to test it further. Von Richter asks about an Allied operation called the Overlord . Diello, who photographs everything that has the top secret imprinted on it, wants to look for it. Travers is certain that the countess was involved in the espionage case. A German message is intercepted which reveals that the spy works in the British embassy. Travers installs a new alarm system in the ambassador's safe. But Diello, who is plagued by premonitions, does nothing and skips the meeting with von Richter. With the countess he gets train tickets and false passports.
On the morning of the planned departure, Diello finds out that the Countess stole all the money and fled to Switzerland. She leaves a mysterious letter to Sir Frederic. Diello promises Richter to take photos of the documents about Operation Overlord and to hand them over to him in Istanbul . He pulls out the fuse so that the safe's alarm system no longer receives power. While Diello is busy with the recordings, a cleaning lady puts the fuses back in - the alarm goes off. The alarmed Travers recognizes Diello in the fugitive. Travers and his people follow him to Istanbul. There they are supposed to kill him before he can hand over the photos. Diello also plans to kill von Richter so that he does not fall into British hands.
On the way to Istanbul, Diello reads the Countess's letter. In it the countess reveals to the ambassador Diello's espionage activity. The angry Diello can shake off his British pursuers. He sells the photos for 100,000 pounds, but at the same time notices the Germans' plan to kill him. Even with Travers he realizes that he should be killed, so he flees from German and British secret service agents. In the meantime, the German ambassador has received a letter from the Countess denouncing Diello as a British spy.
Diello managed to escape to Rio de Janeiro . One evening he is visited by the head of his bank and a police officer. The banker informs him that his money has been confiscated. Forged pound notes by the Germans were also found on a woman in Switzerland. The sadly laughing Diello is arrested.
Reviews
"Exciting, objectivity-striving, historical agent film with an excellent James Mason in the leading role."
“Joseph L. Mankiewicz, master of snappy salon comedy, delivered a well-made, consistently exciting agent film, which is also well cast. (...) The director managed to wrest an intelligent, amusing and all-round successful film from the well-worn and often abused subject of »espionage in the Second World War«. "
"The Cicero case" is particularly convincing due to the acting performances of all the main actors, an exciting story that is characterized by the mutual hunt of the enemy secret services, the intrigues of the countess and the risky game of Diellos, and not least due to the pictures of the original locations (Ankara, Istanbul) filmed film. "
“An exciting and incomprehensible espionage case from World War II. [...] The film, clearly structured in its plot and executed fluently, suffers from cheap American clichés about the Nazi Germans. "
Awards
- Nomination for Best Director for Joseph L. Mankiewicz Winner: John Ford with Der Sieger
- Nomination for Best Screenplay for Michael Wilson Winner: City of Illusions
- Golden Globe 1953
- Golden Globe for Best Screenplay to Michel Wilson
- Edgar Allan Poe Award for screenwriter Michael Wilson and producer Otto Lang
background
The Albanian Elyesa Bazna , valet to the British Ambassador to Turkey, Sir Hugh Knatchbull Hugessen, was the real Cicero . In 1943/1944 he procured hundreds of documents for the Germans that contained information on British Middle East policy, as well as references to the Tehran Conference and the planned invasion of Normandy. Due to unprofessional agent management and distrust of Bazna, this information was not correctly evaluated. Bazna managed to escape. He died shortly before Christmas 1970 in Munich .
Nestor Paiva can be seen in a supporting role as the Turkish ambassador . For the French Danielle Darrieux it was the third role in a Hollywood film, for the native Austrian Oskar Karlweis the second and for his compatriot Herbert Berghof the first. John Wengraf, who was also born in Austria, went to Great Britain in 1933 before coming to the USA in 1941.
Art directors George W. Davis and Lyle R. Wheeler and set decorators Thomas Little and Walter M. Scott provided the furnishings . Charles Le Maire procured the costumes, Roger Heman Sr. was responsible for the sound . The special effects were created by Ray Kellogg and Fred Sersen.
In 1959 a 16-part TV series with the same title appeared.
Web links
- The case Cicero in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Critique of Variety (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Cicero case. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ CINEMA Online: All Films - Cinema.de .
- ↑ The Cicero case .
- ↑ Evang. Munich Prize Association, Review No. 485/1952