L’Affaire Nina B. (1961)

L’Affaire Nina B. is a French thriller film first released in 1961, directed by Robert Siodmak.  The film is based on a novel by Johannes Mario Simmel and stars Nadja Tiller, Pierre Brasseur, Walter Giller, Charles Régnier and Hubert Deschamps.  It has also been released under the title: The Nina B. Affair.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


The funeral of German businessman Berrera attracts a distinguished crowd of mourners, but few tears are shed.  His chauffeur, Holden, recalls how, shortly after his release from prison, Berrera hired him and offered him a part in a crucial mission.  Crossing the border into East Germany, Berrera obtains some secret documents which expose a number of senior German figures as Nazi war criminals.  On his return to West Germany, Berrera is arrested on a trumped up fraud charge, but only after he has confided the documents in his chauffeur.  Reluctant to betray his employer, Holden resists various threats, but ultimately gives in – not just to Berrera’s enemies, but to also to his seductive wife Nina...

This dark story of political intrigue and betrayal is a late entry from director Robert Siodmak, one of the key figures in the development of American film noir in the 1940s.  Whilst it is far from being Siodmak’s best work – the plodding plot and leaden performances count heavily against it – L’Affaire Nina B. has the feel of a classic noir film, most noticeably in the beautifully shot external night sequences.  The controversial nature of the subject (senior German officials being exposed as war criminals, a hot topic at the time) accounts for the decision for the film to be made in French.

© James Travers 2007

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