''Spy for Germany'' () is a 1956

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Werner Klingler Karl Adolf Kurt Werner Klingler (23 October 1903 – 23 June 1972) was a German film director and actor. He directed 29 films between 1936 and 1968. He was born in Stuttgart and died in West Berlin, West Germany. Early life Klingler acquire ...

that stars

Martin Held Martin Held (1908–1992) was a German television and film actor. Partial filmography * '' Dark Eyes'' (1951) - Alexander Grabner * ''Homesick for You'' (1952) - Direktor Petermann * '' Canaris Master Spy'' (1954) - Obergruppenfuehrer Heydrich ...

Nadja Tiller Nadja Tiller (16 March 1929 – 21 February 2023) was an Austrian actress in film, television, and on stage. She was one of the most popular German-speaking actresses in the international cinema of the 1950s and 1960s, receiving international re ...

and

Walter Giller Walter Giller (23 August 1927 – 15 December 2011) was a German actor. He was very successful in the 1950s and 1960s, when he was often seen as a comedic leading man. One of his most successful and more serious roles was in ''Roses for the Pro ...

.BFI.org
/ref> Based on a book by Will Berthold, the film depicts the mission of a German spy Erich Gimpel during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to discover how far the American nuclear programme had progressed. It was shot at the

Tempelhof Studios The Tempelhof Studios are a film studio located in Tempelhof in the German capital of Berlin. They were founded in 1912, during the silent era, by German film pioneer Alfred Duskes, who built a glass-roofed studio on the site with financial back ...

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

and on location in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in America. 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 ...

Hans Kuhnert Hans Kuhnert (4 January 1901 – 29 July 1974) was a German actor, art director and production designer. Kuhnert began his career as an actor during the silent era. He played the lead alongside Olga Chekhova in ''Violet''.Hardt p.225 From the mid ...

and

Paul Markwitz Paul Markwitz (16 July 1908 – 19 March 1968)Kay Weniger: Das große Personenlexikon des Films Volume 5, Berlin 2001, , pg. 281f was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. He worked on over 50 films between 1935 and 1 ...

Plot

In 1944, with defeat imminent, German counter-intelligence is desperate to know how soon the US will have nuclear bombs. Experienced agent Erich Gimpel is assigned the mission, but he says he cannot pass for an American. He is partnered with immature American defector Billy Cole and the two are taken to the US East Coast by submarine. Hiding out in a seedy New York hotel, Gimpel tries to find leads to scientists working on the nuclear programme, but his cover is blown when Cole defects back to the FBI. Gimpel bumps into an old colleague who offers him the use of his empty apartment. This gives him perfect cover to pursue his enquiries, the only flaw being that a key to the apartment has also been given to another friend of the owner. This is Joan Kenneth, an attractive young woman who is setting up a dress shop. She accepts the presence of the mysterious stranger, and begins to fall in love with him. Gimpel at last gets through to a scientist, who tells him that he is too late as nuclear bombs will very soon be ready to drop on America's enemies. He decides to abandon his mission and defect to South America with Joan. At the airport desk he is arrested and, on being convicted as a spy, sentenced to hang. The death of President Roosevelt is followed by the customary moratorium on executions, so his penalty is commuted to life imprisonment. Joan is ready to wait for him and, when he is released after 11 years, he takes her back to Germany.

Cast

as Erich Gimpel *

as Joan Kenneth *

as Billy Cole *

Viktor Staal Viktor Staal (17 February 1909 – 4 June 1982) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * '' Everything for the Company'' (1935) * '' Eva, the Factory Girl'' (1935) * '' Das Einmaleins der Liebe'' (1935) * '' The World's in Love'' (1935 ...

as Oberst Sommerfeld *

Claude Farell Claude Farell, real name Monika Burg, also known as Paulette Colar, Catherine Farell, Paulette Kolar and Paulette von Suchan (7 May 1918 – 17 March 2008) was an Austrian actress. Partial filmography *''Der Kleinstadtpoet'' (1940) - Zenzi ...

as Inge Hagen *

Gustav Knuth Gustav Knuth (7 July 1901 – 1 February 1987) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1935 and 1982 and starred in the TV series ''Alle meine Tiere''. He was married to the actress Elisabeth Lennartz. Selected ...

as Roger Bentley *

Heinz Drache Heinz Drache (; 9 February 1923 – 3 April 2002) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1953 and 2002. He was born in Essen, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany of lung cancer. Selected filmography * '' Once ...

as Jim Newman *

Stanislav Ledinek Stanislav Ledinek (26 June 1920 – 30 March 1969) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1953 and 1968. He died in Istanbul, Turkey. Selected filmography * ''Such a Charade'' (1953) * '' Red Roses, Red Lips, Re ...

as Mr. Brown *

Martin Kosleck Martin Kosleck (born Nicolaie Yoshkin; March 24, 1904 – January 15, 1994) was a German film actor. Like many other German actors, he fled when the Nazi Germany, Nazis came to power. Inspired by his deep hatred of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis ...

as Griffins *

Günter Pfitzmann Günter Pfitzmann (8 April 1924 – 30 May 2003) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 60 films between 1950 and 2001. He narrowly escaped death due to heart problems which lead to him cancelling his seat aboard Concorde flight ...

as Korvettenkapitän Hilbig *

Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur (6 March 1886 – 13 May 1960) was a German film actor. Early life Stahl-Nachbaur was born in Munich, Germany and died at age 74 in West Berlin. Selected filmography * ''Das Geschlecht der Schelme. 1. Teil'' (1917) * '' ...

as Atomprofessor

References

External links

* 1956 films 1950s spy thriller films West German films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Werner Klingler Films set in 1944 Films set in 1945 Foreign films set in the United States World War II spy films Films based on biographies Films about nuclear war and weapons German spy thriller films 1950s German films Films shot in Boston Films shot in New York City Films shot at Tempelhof Studios German black-and-white films German thriller films Films scored by Werner Eisbrenner {{1950s-thriller-film-stub