Topaz (1969)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Genres - Drama, Spy Film, Thriller |
Sub-Genres - Political Thriller |
Release Date - Dec 19, 1969 (USA - Unknown), Dec 19, 1969 (USA) |
Run Time - 127 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom, United States |
MPAA Rating - PG
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Filmed on locations ranging from Denmark to the Universal backlot, Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz is based on a novel by Leon Uris. Frederick Stafford, a veteran of European-filmed James Bond rip-offs of the 1960s, is cast as Andre Devereaux, a French secret agent assigned to snoop around Cuba in the months prior to the 1962 missile crisis. Someone is supplying Castro -- and, by extension, Moscow -- with NATO secrets; it is up to Devereaux to liquidate the "mole." Aiding Devereaux is CIA agent Nordstrom (John Forsythe) and aristocratic anti-Castro Cuban Juanita (Karin Dor), who happens to be the girlfriend of pro-Castroite Rico Parra (John Vernon). The director seems to be in awe of the fact-based storyline, and as a result, the film is more cut-and-dried than most Hitchcock efforts. Three different endings were filmed for Topaz; the Laserdisc version carries all three, as does the print available to the American Movie Classics cable service. According to the MPAA, the film was originally rated M but later changed to PG; however, a number of home-video issues of Topaz officially list it as "Not Rated."
Characteristics
Moods
Keywords
Cuba, espionage, French [nationality], scientist, secret-agent
Attributes
High Production Values