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Topaz (Alfred Hitchcock, 1969)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Leon Uris (novel), Samuel Taylor (screenplay)
Cast: Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Length: 2h 23mins
About: A French secret intelligence agent, who has dealings with both the Communist Russians and with the Western World, finds his talents being pressed into service at the height of the Cold War. After he discovers evidence that leads up to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, he must then risk his life going undercover to gather information on a Russian Spy ring that is embedded in the French government.
Review: Topaz is often regarded as one of Hitch's weaker films...it's anything but weak. Hitch in the mid 1960's decided to walk away from the film style that had made him a household name in the 1950's. In the 40's and 50's Hitch had become known for making high end entertainment movies that focused on specific thriller elements, while delivering much more than just entertainment. Hitch was at top of his game after completing the Birds in 1963.
Perhaps due to his relationship with French director François Truffaut, Hitch did a 180 turn with Topaz, a sophisticated film made in the style of European cinema. Gone were the eye candy special effects that Hitch's fans had grown to love. Gone too were the big name Hollywood stars, instead Hitch went with French actors who were unknown to mainstream American audiences.
Hitch was known to be very aware of what audiences thought of his movies and he aimed to have the biggest mass appeal, he aimed to please. Perhaps it was the criticisms of his past work as nothing more than pop entertainment that propped Hitch to make such a drastically different film in Topaz.
However, audiences of the day hated Topaz for the most part, most likely due to the fact it wasn't what Hitch usually made. Especially criticized was the original ending of the movie. So sensitive was Hitch that he re-shot an entirely different ending than the one he had planned.
I found Topaz to be more cerebral, but just as well crafted as Hitch's earlier films. The French actors were not as dynamic as Hollywood actors, but that's just a difference in acting style and actually works in favor of this smart, spy thriller with a complicated intelligent plot.
If you ever wondered what a real James Bond would have been like, circa 1964, check out Topaz.
Topaz (Alfred Hitchcock, 1969)
Writers: Leon Uris (novel), Samuel Taylor (screenplay)
Cast: Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Length: 2h 23mins
About: A French secret intelligence agent, who has dealings with both the Communist Russians and with the Western World, finds his talents being pressed into service at the height of the Cold War. After he discovers evidence that leads up to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, he must then risk his life going undercover to gather information on a Russian Spy ring that is embedded in the French government.
Review: Topaz is often regarded as one of Hitch's weaker films...it's anything but weak. Hitch in the mid 1960's decided to walk away from the film style that had made him a household name in the 1950's. In the 40's and 50's Hitch had become known for making high end entertainment movies that focused on specific thriller elements, while delivering much more than just entertainment. Hitch was at top of his game after completing the Birds in 1963.
Perhaps due to his relationship with French director François Truffaut, Hitch did a 180 turn with Topaz, a sophisticated film made in the style of European cinema. Gone were the eye candy special effects that Hitch's fans had grown to love. Gone too were the big name Hollywood stars, instead Hitch went with French actors who were unknown to mainstream American audiences.
Hitch was known to be very aware of what audiences thought of his movies and he aimed to have the biggest mass appeal, he aimed to please. Perhaps it was the criticisms of his past work as nothing more than pop entertainment that propped Hitch to make such a drastically different film in Topaz.
However, audiences of the day hated Topaz for the most part, most likely due to the fact it wasn't what Hitch usually made. Especially criticized was the original ending of the movie. So sensitive was Hitch that he re-shot an entirely different ending than the one he had planned.
I found Topaz to be more cerebral, but just as well crafted as Hitch's earlier films. The French actors were not as dynamic as Hollywood actors, but that's just a difference in acting style and actually works in favor of this smart, spy thriller with a complicated intelligent plot.
If you ever wondered what a real James Bond would have been like, circa 1964, check out Topaz.