''The Executioner'' is a 1970 British

cold war The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

neo noir Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating s ...

spy thriller film directed by

Sam Wanamaker Samuel Wanamaker, (born Wattenmacker; June 14, 1919 – December 18, 1993) was an American actor and director who moved to the United Kingdom after becoming fearful of being blacklisted in Hollywood due to his communist views. He is credited a ...

Panavision Panavision is an American motion picture equipment company founded in 1953 specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses dur ...

and starring

George Peppard George Peppard (; October 1, 1928 – May 8, 1994) was an American actor. He is best remembered for his role as struggling writer Paul Varjak in the 1961 film '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and for playing commando leader Col. John "Hannibal ...

as secret agent John Shay who suspects his colleague Adam Booth, played by

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

, is a

double agent In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organ ...

. In the film, Peppard's character tries to prove the double role of his colleague to his spy-masters and when he fails to do so he kills him. It was produced by

Charles H. Schneer Charles Hirsch Schneer (May 5, 1920 – January 21, 2009) was an American film producer, best known for working with Ray Harryhausen, the specialist known for his work in stop motion model animation. Life and career Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he ...

for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

and filmed in

and

Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...

Plot

John Shay (

), a British

MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), G ...

agent, had grown up in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and who was nearly killed while on assignment abroad. Convinced that he was framed, he returns to London to uncover the mole responsible for the set-up. John Shay suspects that his colleague Adam Booth (

) is a Russian spy. The action takes place in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

and

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

, where Shay goes in his investigation trying to gather evidence that Booth is a double agent. When Shay's superiors are not convinced, and even after a special hearing clears Booth of any wrongdoing, he takes matters into his own hands and executes Booth. Shay assumes the identity of Booth, and, with the assistance of Booth's widow Sarah (

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

) and his own girlfriend Polly (

Judy Geeson Judith Amanda Geeson (born 10 September 1948) is an English film, stage, and television actress. She began her career primarily working on British television series, with a leading role on '' The Newcomers'' from 1965 to 1967, before making he ...

), he launches into an investigation to uncover Booth's connections. Shay maintains a romantic relationship with both women. Booth's wife is the romantic interest of Shay and British scientist Philip Crawford ( George Baker), who provided information to Shay about Booth being a double agent. Shay's superiors are Col. Scott ( Nigel Patrick) and Vaughan Jones ( Charles Gray). Polly assists him in his investigations by providing him with information apparently confirming his suspicions. Shay finds a plane ticket in Booth's pocket which he then uses to fly to Athens along with Booth's widow, who is unaware that her husband has been murdered by Shay. Upon arrival in Athens, Shay assumes Booth's identity and subsequently goes to Corfu, where he is captured along with Sarah by Soviet agents who want Crawford in return for the freedom of their captives. A CIA agent under the name of Professor Parker (

Alexander Scourby Alexander Scourby (; November 13, 1913 – February 22, 1985) was an American film, television, and voice actor known for his deep and resonant voice and Mid-Atlantic accent. He is best known for his film role as the ruthless mob boss Mike ...

) manages to free them both. Colonel Scott (Shay's superior) reveals that Sarah's husband was indeed a double agent who was used by MI5 to supply the Soviets with false information.

Cast

as John Shay *

as Sarah Booth *

as Polly Bendel *

Oskar Homolka Oskar Homolka (August 12, 1898 – January 27, 1978) was an Austrian film and theatre actor, who went on to work in Germany, Britain and America. Both his voice and his appearance fitted him for roles as communist spies or Soviet officials, for w ...

as Racovsky * Charles Gray as Vaughan Jones * Nigel Patrick as Colonel Scott *

as Adam Booth * George Baker as Phillip Crawford *

as Prof. Parker *

Peter Bull Peter Cecil Bull, (21 March 1912 – 20 May 1984) was a British character actor who appeared in supporting roles in such films as '' The African Queen'', ''Tom Jones'', and ''Dr. Strangelove''. Biography He was the fourth and youngest son o ...

as Butterfield *

Ernest Clark Ernest Clark (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 sc ...

as Roper *

Peter Dyneley Peter Dyneley (13 April 1921 – 19 August 1977) was a British actor. Although he appeared in many smaller roles in both film and television, he is best remembered for supplying the voice of Jeff Tracy for the 1960s " Supermarionation" TV serie ...

as Balkov *

Gizela Dali Gizela Dali ( el, Γκιζέλα Ντάλι; born Adamantia Mavroidi el, Αδαμαντία Μαυροειδή; 27 August 1937 – 10 September 2010) was a Greek actress. She was born in 1937 in Plaka Athens, and she died of cancer in 2010, ag ...

as Anna

Reception

''Film and Television Daily'' writes that the film recreates in an exciting way the "recurring themes" of espionage and counter-espionage, that "embrace the fantastic and implausible". ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' criticises the redundancy in the film and calls it a "triple-cross suspenser" where "interest fades fast". Paul Mavis writes that the film has a "twisty plot" and a good cast and praises the direction of Wanamaker but criticises the complexity of the plot which, according to Mavis, clashes with the action parts. Mavis also calls for "tighter editing". The book ''Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973'' calls Peppard's acting "easygoing" and criticises Wanamaker's direction as making the film feel slower-paced than it actually is. ''

Films and Filming ''Films and Filming'' was the longest-running British gay magazine prior to the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales.Bengry, Justin"The Queer History of Films and Filming."''Little Joe: A magazine about queers and cinem ...

'' writes that Peppard plays his role in such wooden fashion as to make a believable spy but sometimes "he overemphasises his inflexibility"; however, director Wanamaker keeps the pace tight enough that Peppard's inflexibility does not really affect the film to any great extent.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Executioner, The 1970 films 1970s spy thriller films Films directed by Sam Wanamaker British spy thriller films Cold War spy films Films set in Athens Films set in Corfu Films set in London Films set in Istanbul Films shot in Greece Films shot in Corfu Films scored by Ron Goodwin Columbia Pictures films Films produced by Charles H. Schneer British neo-noir films 1970s English-language films 1970s British films