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 Suderman
- 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 were written and conducted by Jackie Brown. The solo pianist was Dennis Wilson.
Critical reception[]
[[Sky Movieswrote, "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] 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] TV Guide concluded, "This is an offbeat espionage whodunit with some nervy moments."[4]
Around the film[]
- On a very similar plot line, the 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 in 1948.
References[]
- ^ "The Traitor". British Film Institute.
- ^ "The Traitor".[dead link]
- ^ David Parkinson. "The Traitor". RadioTimes.
- ^ "The Accursed". TV Guide.[dead link]
Bibliography[]
- Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
External links[]
- The Traitor at IMDb
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- English-language films
- 1957 films
- British films
- British drama films
- 1957 drama films
- Films shot at Elstree Studios
- Films directed by Michael McCarthy
- Films set in England
- Allied Artists films
- 1950s British film stubs