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The Counterfeit Traitor | Classification: Action/Adventure Directed: - George Seaton Actors/Actresses: - William Holden - Lilli Palmer Fast-paced intrigue that makes you think. Even though William Holden's box office popularity had waned by this time in his career, his acting skills were never better than in his portrayal of an American-born Swedish citizen pressured into working for the Allies in WWII. A well-written script with interesting characters brought to life by a superior international cast (Hugh Griffith, Wolfgang Preiss, Klaus Kinski, Ulf Palme to name just a few). Besides Holden, Lili Palmer is a stand out as one of his German contacts, a conflicted Catholic who understands the greater good of what she has been doing but, as the bombs start falling, is tormented by the knowledge that the information she passes on can, and does, bring death and destruction to noncombatants, especially children. Lots of interesting faces and touches: a Hamburg dominatrix (complete with whip), the great face of the old stationmaster, the confounding of the tracking dogs with a blood and cocaine mix, the Danish citizenry openly defying the Nazis, the son-from-hell, and did anyone else notice the menorah in Gestapo Colonel Nordoff's (Preiss, fine here, once again) office? My only complaint is the quality of the VHS. This film recently aired on AMC and it was considerably crisper than my VHS. A DVD from the cleaned-up print would be most welcome. Regardless of the format, this is a movie not to be missed. Should be better known Little-known, underappreciated film, based on the true story of a man forced by the Allies into spying on the Nazis. It's one of William Holden's better performances. The movie does quite a good job of creating anxiety in the viewer. The fog of war Another brilliant William Holden performance highlights this thinking person's WWII adventure. The screenplay is based on the true-life memoirs of a Swedish businessman who agreed to "pose" as a Nazi sympathizer in order to help locate strategic industrial bombing targets within Gemany for Allied intelligence. The movie eschews the "Where Eagles Dare" approach and opts for a more realistic, soul-searching examination of how human beings, regardless of what "side" they are on, behave during times of conflict - closer to "All Quiet On The Western Front". The movie does have a fair amount of suspenseful and tense moments, but there is more "inner" conflict going on with Holden's character as he is is forced to challenge his own moral and ethical code the deeper he falls into intrigue. An obvious comparison would be with the namesake character of "Schindler's List"- the initially "neutral" businessman who comes to realize that there are some things worth fighting for, personal consequences be damned. There is a moment at the end of "Counterfeit Traitor" where someone notices Holden is wearing a black armband, and asks him who it is for. Holden pauses a beat, and then says "It is for...so many." It is one of the most beautifully played and moving codas I have ever seen in a war film, and a subtle tribute to all the people who lost thier lives in WWII. DVD notes: Paramount has done a decent transfer, aside from some washed out colors in a few scenes, the widescreen print is crisp. The audio is excellent. No extras, but kudos to the studio for releasing this hard to find gem! Buy The Counterfeit Traitor at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Counterfeit Traitor Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Counterfeit Traitor This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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