London calls North Pole
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | London calls North Pole |
| Original title | Londra chiama Polo North |
| Country of production | Italy |
| original language | English , Italian , German |
| Publishing year | 1956 |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Duilio Coletti |
| script |
Ennio De Concini Oreste Biancoli Cesare Zavattini Vinicio Marinucci |
| production | Duilio Coletti |
| music | Nino Rota |
| camera |
Gabor Pogany Mario Capriotti |
| cut | Mario Serandrei |
| occupation | |
| |
London calls North Pole is an Italian-German spy and agent film by Duilio Coletti, set in World War II, starring Curd Juergens and Dawn Addams . The story was based on a factual report by HJ Giskes about the so-called England game .
action
Amsterdam 1943. In the Netherlands occupied by the German Wehrmacht, the British agent and cryptographer Mark Landers, who runs a transmitter for the Dutch resistance movement and thus maintains contact with London, falls into the hands of Wehrmacht colonel Bernes from the Abwehr. So far, Landers had coordinated the British-backed resistance activities. But now the Germans, after they have switched off Landers and "turned around" for themselves, want to use the transmitter, whose contact transmissions run under the radio code "London calls North Pole", for themselves and spread a lot of misinformation. The German defense switches on the British radio and agent network without the British becoming aware of it. Agent radio operator Landers is forced to continue to transmit messages to England, which, however, have to comply with German requirements. In return, Bernes promises not to have him and his comrades executed, which would correspond to the usual way of dealing with exposed spies.
Bernes met with his own comrades-in-arms, who usually tackle their opponents much harder, with his "soft" course on little understanding and soon comes under pressure to succeed. And success actually comes. Various material can be confiscated in large quantities shortly after being dropped in the Netherlands, thus preventing attacks on the infrastructure, which might also kill civilians. In addition, many agents are arrested who are also apparently released in order to gain greater credibility.
Shortly afterwards, the Dutch resistance boss, whom everyone only calls the "gorilla" because of his brawny appearance, makes an attempt with his people to free the resisters who were held in a monastery by the Germans. The action fails all along the line, numerous resistance fighters have to lose their lives, the "gorilla" can escape. In order to at least save his own brother Chris, who has been captured, the "gorilla" secretly enters into a deal with Bernes and promises him a secret list with the names of British agents active in the Netherlands for the release of Chris and gives him a hint about the upcoming one Operation Market Garden .
One day, when a London officer named Mary Wintergreen shows up, things soon get out of hand. Out of love for a British agent accused of treason, John Guinness, Mary wants to conduct her own investigation in the Netherlands and prevent his shooting at home. Because Bernes also let Guinness escape to England and spread the suspicion via a radio message that he also works for the German counter-espionage and is therefore a double agent. Mary is in great danger when she enters a music store in Amsterdam, the owner of which actually works as a double agent for both the resistance and the Germans. She shoots him and initially escapes. Bernes had recently fallen in love with the attractive British agent during a foreign assignment in Barcelona in neutral Spain, which he undertook under the camouflage of a Swiss. When he wants to arrest the announced agent at the opera, his astonishment is great when he recognizes Mary.
Meanwhile, the SD takes over the defense and wants to transport the prisoners away, but leaves the Dutchman Chris, the brother of "Gorilla", free. When Chris is released, the prisoners who remain can watch his departure and smell treason. While Mary, thanks to Bernes' help, was able to leave the Netherlands for England in the early morning with a pass, the German Abwehr chief was arrested by the SS.
Production notes
The filming of London calls North Pole began with the studio recordings in Rome in October / November 1955, the filming continued in January 1956 with the field recordings in Amsterdam and the surrounding area. The premiere took place in Italy on November 30, 1956, the German premiere was on July 27, 1957 in the Gloria-Palast in Stuttgart.
Reviews
Der Spiegel wrote: “The busy Curd Juergens as humane as well as efficient" defense "boss in occupied Holland in his best role for a long time: The plot ... goes back to a factual report, and the military events on the underground front may almost correspond to reality . A faded love story, in which the German Abwehr chief and a British agent (Dawn Addams) are involved, looks less likely. "
When it comes to cinema time, it says: “Without Curd Jürgens in the role of Colonel Bernes, who appears as a father, London calls North Pole would be worth little. The human touch of his character needs an actor who can embody it with a completely natural charisma. (...) He is at war because the political situation has developed that way. Incidentally, his personal attitude towards his own regime is left out in the film, which emphasizes the ahistorical attitude of the drama. Because if you had opened this barrel, you would probably not have been able to avoid grappling with the fact that a simple fellow traveler without ambitions would hardly have been able to become head of the German counterintelligence. (...) Instead, the espionage drama deals more generally with the moral predicament that can be encountered in times of war. Bernes is on the side of the Germans and does everything for their victory, but wants to achieve as much as possible for the blown spies. He doesn't like the cruelty that still reigns when it's not about direct firefights. On the part of the English agents and the Dutch resistance members, predicament also arise because friends or family members are endangered by one's own actions. "
In the lexicon of international films it says: "Confused espionage film, which remains irrelevant even as an image of time."
Individual evidence
- ^ Review in Der Spiegel from August 21, 1957
- ↑ Criticism on kinozeit.de
- ↑ London calls North Pole. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed June 1, 2020 .
Web links
- London Calling North Pole in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- London calls North Pole at filmportal.de