''Spy in the Sky!'' is a 1958 American-British

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

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

W. Lee Wilder William Lee Wilder (August 22, 1904 – February 14, 1982) was an Austrian-American screenwriter, film producer and director. He was the brother of the film director Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – Marc ...

and starring Steve Brodie,

Andrea Domburg Andrea Domburg (21 April 1923 – 23 July 1997) was a Dutch film, stage and television actress. She was awarded the Theo d'Or in 1968 for her stage work. Her screen appearances were mostly in Dutch film and television, although she appeared in t ...

and

George Coulouris George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor. He was perhaps best known for his collaborations with Orson Welles, most notably ''Citizen Kane''. Early life Of Anglo-Greek origin, Coulouris ...

. It was written by Myles Wilder based on the 1954 novel ''Counterspy Express'' by Albert Sidney Fleischman.

Plot

A German scientist who knows the secrets of the Sputnik rocket programme goes on the run from the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

Cast

* Steve Brodie as Vic Cabot *

Sandra Francis Sandra or SANDRA may refer to: People * Sandra (given name) * Sandra (singer) (born 1962), German pop singer * Margaretha Sandra (1629–1674), Dutch soldier * Sandra (orangutan), who won the legal right to be defined as a "non-human person" Pla ...

as Eve Brandisi *

as Alexandrine Duvivier *

as Col. Benedict * Bob De Lange as Sidney Jardine * Hans Tiemeijer as Dr. Fritz Keller, alias Hans Krauss *

Herbert Curiel Herbert may refer to: People * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, Northern Territor ...

as Pepi Vidor * Dity Oorthuis as Fritzi * Albert E. Gollin as Martin, consul's representative * Leon Dorian as Agent Max Maxwell * Roland Wagter as soldier * Monica Witkowna as gypsy singer * Harold Horsten as pawnbroker

Production

The film was shot at the Cinetone Studios in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and on location in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

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: "This story is full of complications which scarcely compensate for the lengths to which the basically simple plot is stretched. A weak script gives the cast very little opportunity for performances, and in the circumstances they make their parts as credible as could be expected." ''

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), ...

'' wrote: "It is a routine spy story of poor quality that will be adequate in U.S. only for lower case double-bill bookings. ...The cast performs adequately under Wiider's direction, but not to any advantage, their own or the picture's. The continuity is confusing and finally annoying. The photography, by

Jim Harvey James Harvey (born 2 May 1958) is a Northern Irish football manager and former player. Playing career As a player, Harvey began his career at Glenavon in his hometown of Lurgan, before joining Arsenal in 1977. He made only three Football Leag ...

, is often interesting, but it has a curious composition. It consists almost entirely of medium close-ups, two or three-shots, and closeups, indicating it was shot with television, not feature picture release in mind. Very little advantage is taken of the foreign location."

References

External links

* 1958 films 1950s spy thriller films American spy thriller films British spy thriller films Films directed by W. Lee Wilder Allied Artists films Films shot in Amsterdam Films shot in Vienna Films based on American novels 1950s English-language films 1950s American films 1950s British films English-language spy thriller films {{1950s-thriller-film-stub