Customer Reviews

The Counterfeit Traitor

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is terrific that this wonderful film is now available on DVD. This is a gripping story of international espionage circa 1940-44. Based upon a true story, William Holden turns in his customary stellar performance as a Swedish petroleum industrialist (of American deriviation--he had renounced his American citizenship, married in Sweden and become a Swedish subject) who is initially blackmailed by Allied intelligence to spy for the British and Americans. Since Sweden is neutral, and Holden has extensive business connections in Nazi Germany, he is ideally suited to travel about Germany and locate targets for allied bombers.

The development of Holden's character is superb, and the viewer truly gets a sense of what it might have been like to be a secret agent of this sort during the war. Holden functions by blackmail and bribery, and the film does a fine job of not glossing over these basic components of spycraft. The story develops methodically. While initially Holden is a reluctant, even unwilling spy, eventually what he sees of German methods and brutality converts him into an enthusiastic allied agent. The same is true of some of those whom Holden has bribed or blackmailed into cooperating with his activities.

The cinamatography of the film is excellent, with European locales giving an authentic air to the film. While I often dislike it when there is a narrative that overlays a movie, in this film it is done very well, and adds a great deal to the story. The storyline moves at a brisk but thoughtful pace, never drags, and this film tells a great story.

This is one not to be missed by anyone who enjoys a good spy flick. Highly recommended.

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.

This film was a great depiction of how some people got caught up in the war effort against their will, but had their minds and wills changed by their expereinces in the field of espionage. William Holden turns in a perfect preformance as a synical man who learns the true meaning of doing the right thing. This incredibly compelling story should be seen by anyone who has ever faced the dilemma of doing a job that they disagreed with because it was forced on them by someone else who thought it was the right thing to do. Especially if, at the end of the job, they realized that the forcer was right. This movie is one of my fathers' favorites, and now a favorite of mine. See it ASAP!

I will never forget the first time I saw this movie. I ended up watching it from start to finish. That's how good it is. There are so many scenes in there that are so riveting, you cannot help but enjoy the film. From when he makes those statements about Nazism, and his Jewish friend, though shocked, took a back seat and let him be. Or the little Nazi boy who is the son of his German connection, want to tell the authorities about him at his own father's funeral. What a trip. I will truly keep you glued to your seat. Also his collaboration with Lilli Palmer is good. It will really make you wonder whether or not one will stand in the face of danger. It really makes you think. This is one of the best WW2 films out there

William Holden plays Erik Erickson, an American ex-patriot living in Stockholm. WWII has just begun. Erickson is an oil trader and as Sweden was neutral, he didn't care where the oil came from. This gives Erickson access to many German cities. He is blackmailed by British Agents and forced to spy for them. After seeing the brutal treatment of some Jewish prisoners, he goes from reluctant spy to eager spy. He proposes to build a refinery in Germany. This allows him to cultivate important relationships and recruit his own network. As the Nazi's take firmer control, his job becomes more risky. Eventually, he is uncovered and must escape back to Sweden.

This is based on actual people. Holden was best known as the other man in a string of films during the 50's (Born Yesterday, The Country Girl). In Counterfeit Traitor, Holden confirmed that he could headline a film. Lili Palmer plays his German contact. Palmer is at her most luminous in this film. She had a character with substance and she knew it.

This is a fine film about espionage. The script is intriguing and the direction is well paced. George Seaton does double duty as writer and director in this early effort.

Highly recommended.

DVD EXTRAS: None

This underated World War Two spy thriller is one of the best war films of all time & benefits from being filmed on location in Western Europe where the real-life story took place. William Holden is excellent as Eric Erickson, the American who became a Swedish citizen, then a wealthy businessman (with his own oil company), then became a spy for the Allies! Despite what the movie portrays, the real Erickson freely agreed to work for the Allies but refused any pay & at his own suggestion was put on the blacklist so that he could be a more convincing "pro-Nazi" businessman. Holden is great, but Lilli Palmer is also outstanding as his spy contact & love interest. Everything about this classic is perfect: the scenery, the nail-biting suspense, the beautiful music, & the flawless cast. By the way, a very young Klaus Kinski has a cameo as a Jewish refugee. The recently released dvd has no special features but at least the picture quality is good & the film is presented in widescreen format. This fabulous movie is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys spy thrillers!

A taunt political thriller that could just as easily been directed by Alfred Hitchcock (although it's missing many of Hitch's themes), "The Counterfeit Traitor" based on a true story focuses on a US born and raised naturalized Swede named Eric Erickson who is blackmailed by the British into becoming a spy for them. Erickson works as an oil broker trading with both the Allied and Axis powers as Sweden was neutral during the war. Erickson asks the agent blackmailing him "how does one become so cold blooded?" The agent replies, "watching Germans bomb London helps enormously." The British release a black list of those trading with the Germans and Erickson's name is on it. The only way to get it off is if he works for the British.
Erickson reluctantly agrees to work undercover for the British and a door to danger opens that imperils his life and a woman he cares for (Lili Palmer).

A powerful well made film that has taken too long to show up on DVD, "The Counterfeit Traitor" features a strong, cynical performance by William Holden (I'm surprised he never appeared in a Hitchcock film given his demeanor) and an international cast of impressive supporting actors. Although "The Counterfeit Traitor" remains a perfect thriller and George Seaton's strong direction makes it worthwhile, I'm surprised that no studio has decided to remake this marvelous film.

Although the Technicolor images looks exceptional vivid, there's considerable analog defects that crop up in this transfer. It's not a problem with the transfer itself but of the source material. Clearly the original negative has a number of defects however I'm surprised that Paramount didn't clean this up just a bit more prior to release. There's not a huge amount of them but they do crop up throughout the movie. Still, the image looks fairly sharp with solid blacks. The film features a restored mono soundtrack that sounds very good. The 5.1 mix doesn't improve on the original soundtrack significantly as the 5.1 format isn't all that friendly to mono.

William Holden stars as Eric Erickson, a New York born Swedish oil merchant with extensive business dealings with Nazi Germany in 1942. Sweden's neutrality and his numerous connections allowed Holden unencumbered access to Germany. This status puts Holden in a compromising position courtesy of Allied intelligence. Threatened with the loss of his lucrative business, the opportunistic Holden is coerced by Agent Collins played by Hugh Griffith into working undercover for the Allies.

Under the pretext of constructing a Nazi operated oil refinery on Swedish soil, Holden is bequeathed a Gestapo issued passport to travel around Germany. His dangerous mission is to relay back to Griffith sensitve wartime information and to recruit anti Nazi German industrialists to the Allied cause. His German contact Frau Mollendorf, is a highly regarded German socialite played by Prussian born Lilli Palmer. Together they provide crucial intelligence to aid in the war effort.

Holden whose bogus pro-Nazi stance in Sweden has alienated his friends and eventually his wife, soons falls in love with Palmer. The Gestapo noose, however, is closing around their necks. Palmer gets apprehended unknown to Holden, who learns of the collapse of the spy ring back in Stockholm.

Holden implores Griffith to allow him back to Germany for one last mission, to identify sites beginning production of revolutionary jet engines. While in Hamburg his cover gets blown and he's nearly caught. Using underground contacts, he undergoes a harrowing escape from the Third Reich through Denmark to make his way back to Sweden with the critical information.

Director George Seaton puts an emotive touch on his portrayal of those who sacrificed so much for freedom from tyranny. He focuses on the scoundrels leading the Nazi party and the inhuman means by which they formulate their racist policies. He was very careful to credit the efforts of those in occupied lands and also Germany who refused to kowtow to National Socialism. The movie filmed beautifully in Copenhagen, Hamburg and Berlin was a panorama of those picturesque sites.

THE COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR is a well made and suspenseful drama about the real life exploits of Erik Erikson. Erikson, an ex-patriot American turned Swedish citizen, is an industrialist blackmailed into spying for the Allies. As a petroleum importer from neutral Sweden, he is able to access and catalog the Reich's oil injustry and pass along targets to the Allies.

Throughout the film, we witness the gradual change in Erikson, portrayed masterfully by William Holden, as he tranforms from coerced Allied operative to willing spy.

COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR assembled a great cast and was filmed on location in (then) West Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. Look for some familiar military film regulars in COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR including a very blonde Wolfgang Preiss (The Longest Day, Anzio, Raid on Rommel) and Werner Peters (The Battle of the Bulge). If you listen carefully, you will also hear John Banner (Sergeant Schultz of Hogan's Heroes fame) overdubbing some of the German background voices -- particularly the scene where a Polish worker is executed at the oil refinery.

COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR is more than a run-of-the-mill war movie. The film involves the audience in amateur spy Erickson's odyssey through Nazi Germany and his harrowing escape from German security forces. It was well worth the wait for this film to appear on DVD.

A much-ignored WWII gem, one that has stayed with me since grade school, "The Counterfeit Traitor" is one of the best told true-life stories of all. William Holden, as Eric Erickson the compromised Swedish industrialist, gets snared by the Allies to spy in and out of wartime Berlin. George Seaton's direction plays this exciting intrigue against a business(capitalism) backdrop most effectively. Tension runs between betrayal and capture in 3 countries, building to a powerful climax, only so due to masterful dialogue. Take note, there is very little time spent on graphic violence, yet nailbiting tension pervades. As a viewer, you will find a bonanza in character actors like Hugh Griffith and the budding Klaus Kinski in a powerful cameo. How this true tale gets told in a little over 2 hours is amazing. I suspect the reason this film has not be re-made goes against claims that war is not business;Exciting, dirty business with shades of gray, heroes and villains on both sides. When words and images drive storyline it clashes with today's studio heads.
50 years removed from the war, true personal heroics are trinkling into public print, but "Counterfeit Traitor" was the first inkling that heroes do show up when evil lurks.