''Les Espions'' ("The Spies") is a 1957 French-Italian noir
mystery film
A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...
directed by
Henri-Georges Clouzot and starring
Curd Jürgens,
Peter Ustinov O. E. Hasse,
Sam Jaffe,
Paul Carpenter,
Véra Clouzot,
Martita Hunt and
Gérard Séty. The music was composed by
Georges Auric.
It was shot at the Saint-Maurice in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. The film's sets were designed by the
art director
Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
René Renoux.
Plot
The plot concerns a doctor at a rundown psychiatric hospital who is offered a million francs to shelter a new patient. Soon, the place is full of suspicious and secretive characters, all apparently international secret agents trying to find out who and what the patient is.
Cast
*
Curd Jürgens as Alex
*
Peter Ustinov as Michel Kaminsky
*
O. E. Hasse as Hugo Vogel
*
Sam Jaffe as Sam Cooper
*
Paul Carpenter as Le Colonel Howard
*
Véra Clouzot as Lucie
*
Martita Hunt as Connie Harper
*
Gérard Séty as Le docteur Malic
*
Gabrielle Dorziat as Madame Andrée - I'infirmière
*
Louis Seigner as Valette - le morphinomane
*
Pierre Larquey
Pierre Larquey (10 July 1884 – 17 April 1962) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1913 and 1962. Born in Cénac, Gironde, France, he died in Maisons-Laffitte at the age of 77.
Selected filmography
* ''P ...
as Le chauffeur de taxi
*
Georgette Anys as La buraliste
*
Jean Brochard as Le surveillant-général
*
Bernard Lajarrige as Le garçon de café
*
Dominique Davray as L'Alsacienne
*
Daniel Emilfork
Daniel Emilfork (7 April 1924 – 17 October 2006) was a Chilean stage and film actor who made his career in France.
Biography
Emilfork was born in San Felipe, Chile after his Jewish socialist parents from Kiev fled a pogrom in Odessa. At ...
as Helmut Petersen - un espion
* Jean-Jacques Lécot as Le faux contrôleur (as Jean-Jacques Lecot)
*
Robert Lombard as Le contrôleur
*
Patrick Dewaere as Le petit Moinet (as Patrick Maurin)
*
Clément Harari as Victor - le faux garçon de café
*
Sacha Pitoëff as Léon (as Sacha Pitoeff)
*
as Pierre
External links
*
1957 films
1950s psychological thriller films
1950s spy films
French spy thriller films
French psychological thriller films
Films directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Films scored by Georges Auric
Films with screenplays by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Films set in psychiatric hospitals
Cold War spy films
1950s French films
French mystery films
Italian mystery films
French black-and-white films
Italian black-and-white films
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