Spies at Work (1957)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Spies at work |
| Original title | Les espions |
| Country of production |
France , Italy |
| original language | French |
| Publishing year | 1957 |
| length | 137 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Henri-Georges Clouzot |
| script | Henri-Georges Clouzot Jérôme Géronimi |
| production | Henri-Georges Clouzot |
| music | Georges Auric |
| camera | Christian Matras |
| cut | Madeleine Gug |
| occupation | |
| |
Spione am Werk ( French : Les espions [ German : The Spies ]) is a 1957 Franco- Italian feature film by Henri-Georges Clouzot . A French psychiatrist comes after the adoption of a lucrative and seemingly innocuous mission of a US intelligence service between the mills of several intelligence agencies and must realize that through his naive act in a nihilistic fall milieu not only others but also himself in the highest danger. The German premiere took place on September 19, 1957, in Great Britain and the USA the film was not shown. The German version is heavily shortened. The film is based on the novel The Midnight Patient by Egon Hostovský .
action
The psychiatrist Dr. Malic runs a small, run-down private clinic that only accommodates Lucie, a shocked woman, and the wealthy drug addict Monsieur Valette. Malic is in dire need of funding to renovate and buy new equipment to cure Lucie when Colonel Howard shows up and makes him an offer.
Howard introduces himself as an American secret agent belonging to a legendary unit. The Americans are looking for an unsuspecting hiding place for the East German nuclear scientist Dr. Hugo Vogel, who fled East Germany with her help. Malic has no other job than to accommodate Vogel in a room as a patient for a certain period of time and not to let anyone see him. Malic agrees immediately in exchange for a million francs in cash, as he hopes that Lucie will be particularly hopeful.
The very next day, Malic's cook and nurse disappeared and were replaced by agent Connie Harper and her staff. It suddenly becomes clear to Malic that he is only the pro forma head of the clinic and that the Americans have now taken over command. Then Alex (Curd Jürgens) appears, who all present assume that he is Dr. Bird be. Alex himself is completely covered.
As announced by Howard, the employee of an Eastern secret service, Michel Kaminsky, appears shortly afterwards. He is a secret service professional of Lithuanian origin and stands out for his serene, cynical attitude. He tries by all legal means to get Malic to bring him to Alex; but the psychiatrist sticks to Howard's instructions to shield Alex completely. At the same time as Kaminsky, the opaque American Sam Cooper appears, who pretends to be interested in the clinic. Cooper and Kaminsky know each other, which Malic is astonished to see.
After a short time, Cooper lures Malic into a school where he allegedly works as a teacher. Here Malic meets all kinds of friends, including his nurse, who, as it turns out, have all been questioned by Cooper about Alex. Cooper explains to Malic that Howard is his subordinate, but apparently works for his own account or for the Soviets . Malic is surprised and, at Cooper's urging, promises to sneak a photo of Alex when he sleeps. Cooper tries to convince Malic by drawing attention to the dangers that Vogel poses: some Middle Eastern despot or South American dictator could get hold of the cheap atom bomb invented by Vogel and endanger human existence .
In fact, Malic photographs the drugged patient Valette. Since Kaminsky learns that Malic Cooper has leaked a photo, he asks for a photo to establish the strategic balance. Kaminsky also receives a photo from Valette. Since Malic has become unsure of his approach, he confides in Alex and confesses his deception. Alex is horrified and tells Malic: He's not Dr. Vogel, rather, on Howard's behalf, he should distract both secret services. Howard is an idealist who does not want Vogel's sensational invention of a cheap atomic bomb, which can be manufactured at a fraction of the previous cost and thus by anyone, to fall into the hands of the Americans, as this would disturb the strategic balance. Malic does not dislike this idea. Alex disappears because his task is finished.
With the help of Connie Harper, who works for Cooper, Malic sets out to find Howard and the real Dr. Bird. Kaminsky is on their heels. Through Kaminsky, who openly reveals his secret service capabilities, Malic knows that the room where his phone is located is being bugged. Malic manages to track down Howard, but he has already grasped the hopelessness of his situation, since the bluff with Alex has been blown. Howard has already taken poison. Dying, he asks Malic to help Vogel, who is about to take a train south.
On the train, in which Cooper and Kaminsky are also on, Vogel manages to contact Malic. Vogel is devastated. He invented the cheap atomic bomb by accident and has no interest in using it. He is even ready to commit suicide if necessary so that neither side can gain access to his knowledge and thereby endanger the nuclear stalemate. While Malic searches the train, Vogel remains in Malic's sleeping car compartment. Malic meets Kaminsky and Cooper, the three of them go to Malic's compartment. But the window is open, Vogel's hat is on the bed. Malic accuses Kaminsky of the murder of Vogel, which the agent denies. The conductor, who must have seen Vogel and Malic together in the compartment, has disappeared; the new conductor claims that there was never a conductor other than himself on duty in the car. Since Vogel did not have a ticket either, his train journey and thus his existence on the train cannot be proven.
Malic is desperate. Back at the clinic, he explains his situation to Lucie. He wants to report Vogel's murder to the police , but fears that no one will believe him. Lucie is as upset as Malic and suddenly starts to speak. She is ready to stand by Malic as a witness when the phone rings. Malic suddenly realizes that he and Lucie are of course bugged and that Kaminsky is informed of his intentions. The phone keeps shrilling.
criticism
“... This is how the delirious anti-logics arises that Clouzot and his film criticized. It was not yet clear that he was one of the first to demonstrate the paranoia that would soon have a massive impact on film and literature as a symptom of the effects of the Cold War and the undermining of democracies through underground machinations. With spies at work , Clouzot created the prerequisites for the modern agent thriller ahead of time . "
Lore
- A DVD edition was released in 2008.
literature
- Horst Schäfer / Wolfgang Schwarzer: Top secret. Agent and espionage films - characters, affairs, scandals. Henschel Verlag, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-89487-281-0 .
Web links
- Spies at work in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- German movie poster