''The Counterfeit Traitor'' is a

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

espionage 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 ...

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. ...

starring

William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...

, Hugh Griffith, and Lilli Palmer. Holden plays the Swedish-American oil executive Eric Erickson, who is forced to spy on the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

World War II 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 ...

. It was based on a nonfiction book of the same name by Alexander Klein. The film was directed by

George Seaton George Seaton (April 17, 1911 – July 28, 1979) was an American screenwriter, playwright, film director and producer, and theater director. Seaton led several industry organizations, serving as a three-time president of the Motion Picture Aca ...

Plot

Eric Erickson (Holden) is an American-born Swedish oil executive who is pressured by Allied intelligence agents, led by a British agent (Griffith), to spy for the Allies. Erickson begins his job reluctantly, as it causes marital discord and forces him to pose as a Nazi. He agrees because otherwise his business would be destroyed by the Allies, but over time, realizes it is the right thing to do. Besides, Griffith recorded the meeting, He is influenced in making this moral decision by one of his contacts in Germany, a religious German Christian woman (Lilli Palmer) who gives him guidance on the meaning of life and right and wrong. Erickson has a number of close calls, but eventually escapes to Sweden in a harrowing sea voyage.

Cast

- Eric Erickson * Lilli Palmer - Frau Marianne Möllendorf * Hugh Griffith - Collins * Carl Raddatz - Otto Holtz * Ulf Palme - Max Gumpel * Ernst Schröder - Baron Gerhard von Oldenburg * Charles Régnier - Wilhelm Kortner * Ingrid van Bergen - Hulda Windler * Helo Gutschwager - Hans Holtz * Wolfgang Preiss - Colonel Nordoff * Werner Peters - Bruno Ulrich * Erica Beer - Klara Holtz * Stefan Schnabel - Gestapo agent at funeral *

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...

- Kindler, Jewish Refugee * Jochen Blume - Dr. Jacob Karp * Erik Schumann - Nazi Gunboat Officer * Dirk Hansen - Lieutenant Nagler * Poul Reichhardt - Fishing Boat Skipper * Ludwig Naybert - Stationmaster * Louis Miehe-Renard - Poul * Kai Holm - Gunnar * Jens Østerholm - Lars *

Eva Dahlbeck Eva Elisabet Dahlbeck (8 March 1920 – 8 February 2008) was a Swedes, Swedish stage, film, and television actress. She received a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Brink of Life'' (1958). Dahlbeck ...

- Ingrid Erickson

References

External links

* * 1962 films 1960s war drama films 1960s spy films 1960s thriller films American spy films American thriller films American war drama films Films about Nazi Germany Films based on biographies Films scored by Alfred Newman Films directed by George Seaton Films set in Berlin Films set in Germany Films set in Copenhagen Films set in Denmark Films set in Stockholm Films set in Sweden Films set in the Baltic Sea Films shot in Berlin Films shot in Hamburg Films shot in Germany Films shot in Copenhagen Films shot in Denmark Films shot in Stockholm Films shot in Sweden Paramount Pictures films World War II spy films 1962 drama films Films produced by William Perlberg Films produced by George Seaton 1960s English-language films 1960s American films English-language war drama films English-language thriller films {{1960s-US-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links