''Master Spy'' (also known as ''Checkmate'') is a 1963 British

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a film genre, genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many Jame ...

directed by

Montgomery Tully Montgomery Tully (6 May 190410 October 1988) was an Irish film Film director, director and writer. Film career Born in Dublin, Tully studied at the University of London, and originally entered the film industry as a director of documentaries. ...

and starring Stephen Murray,

June Thorburn Patricia June Thorburn-Smith (8 June 1931 – 4 November 1967) was a popular English actress whose career was cut short by her death in an air crash. Early life Thorburn was born in Karachi, then part of British India. She was the eldest ...

and

Alan Wheatley Alan Wheatley (19 April 1907 – 30 August 1991) was an English actor. He was a well known stage actor in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, appeared in forty films between 1931 and 1965 and was a frequent broadcaster on radio from the 1930s to the ...

. The screenplay was by Tully and Maurice J. Wilson based on the short story "They Also Serve" by Gerald Anstruther and Paul White. The US release film poster identifies the Master Spy as Agent 909.

Plot

A Russian nuclear scientist, Dr Boris Turganev, defects from an unnamed country to the West. He is employed by the UK Government at a top secret scientific establishment to continue his work on neutron rays. He is introduced to a wealthy local man, Paul Skelton, and they identify themselves to each other as spies. Turganev's colleagues start to suspect he is stealing secrets for the communists; Turganev passes information to Skelton under the cover of their private games of chess. British Intelligence arrests them, and they are tried and sentenced to long prison terms. Turganev's colleague is puzzled that the secret document which Turganev was passing to Skelton had been altered and would not work. In a plot twist, it is revealed that Turganev was working for British Intelligence, who suspected Skelton and wanted to catch his

spy ring Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or Confidentiality, confidential information (Intelligence (information), intelligence). A person who commits espionage on ...

. A prison escape is engineered for Turganev so that he can return to his own country and continue his activities for the British with his cover intact.

Cast

* Stephen Murray as Boris Turganev *

as Leila Telford *

as Paul Skelton * John Carson as Richard Colman *

John Bown John Bown (1 July 1934 – 5 November 2017) was a British actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Commander Neil Stafford in the final season of the television series '' Doomwatch''. Life and career John Bown was ...

as John Baxter * Jack Watson as Captain Foster *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark MC (12 February 1912 – 11 November 1994) was a British actor of stage, television and film. Early life Clark was the son of a master builder in Maida Vale, and was educated nearby at St Marylebone Grammar School. After leaving ...

as Doctor Pembury *

Peter Gilmore John Peter Gilmore (25 August 1931 – 3 February 2013), known as Peter Gilmore, was an English actor, known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in 91 episodes of the BBC television period drama ''The Onedin Line'' (1971–1980), cre ...

as Tom Masters *

Marne Maitland James Marne Kumar Maitland (18 December 1914 – March 1992) was an Anglo-Indian actor and voice artist. He worked extensively in Britain, mainly in character roles, but also appeared in many Italian productions, after moving there in the 1 ...

as Doctor Asafu *

Ellen Pollock Ellen Pollock (26 April 1903 – 29 March 1997) was a British character actress who mainly appeared on stage in London's West End. She also appeared in several films and TV productions. The second child of Hanover merchant Adolf Meyer (1890-? ...

as Dr Mary Morrell * Hugh Morton as Sir Gilbert Saunders *

Basil Dignam Basil Dignam (24 October 1905 – 31 January 1979) was an English character actor. Basil Dignam was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. Before the acting, he tried many jobs, from a company clerk to a journalist. He acted on film and ...

as Richard Horton *

Victor Beaumont Victor Beaumont (born Peter Wolff; 7 November 1912 – 21 March 1977) was a German-born British film and television actor. Biography Beaumont billed under his birth name of Peter Wolff, appeared in a number of German films (''Revolt in the ...

as Petrov *

Hamilton Dyce Hamilton Dyce (14 March 1912 – 8 January 1972) was an English stage, film and television actor. Dyce's television work included the 1970 ''Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the B ...

as airport controller * Michael Peake as Barnes * Dan Cressey as policeman (uncredited) *

Derek Francis Derek Francis (7 November 1923 – 27 March 1984) was an English comedy and character actor. Biography Francis was a regular in the Carry On film players, appearing in six of the films in the 1960s and 1970s. He appeared in '' The Tomb of Lig ...

as police Inspector (uncredited) * John G. Heller as police officer (uncredited) * Aileen Lewis as woman boarding a plane (uncredited) * John H. Watson as detective at airport (uncredited)

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "Placid and plodding, this spy story is distinguished only by a few nice touches of characterisation." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the film "a TEPID, square-cut espionage drama." ''The

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

Guide to Films'' gave the film 1/5 stars, writing: "There isn't an atom of suspense in Montgomery Tully's tepid thriller about spying scientists. Indeed, the most exciting moments are the games of chess during which defector Stephen Murray passes vital secrets to communist squire, Alan Wheatley. There's a valiant attempt to put a sting in the tail, but only lab assistant June Thorburn fails to see through the slenderest web of deception. "

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

wrote, "While only 71 minutes, ''Master Sp''y has enough plot twists for a library-full of Fleming and LeCarre."

References

External links

* {{Montgomery Tully 1963 films British spy films Cold War spy films Films directed by Montgomery Tully British black-and-white films Films based on short fiction 1960s spy films Films scored by Ken Thorne Films shot at MGM-British Studios 1960s English-language films 1960s British films Allied Artists films