Film Review
Alfred Hitchcock's later films may not be his best or most popular but
they retain a fascination for those who appreciate his work and can
sympathise with his spirited, albeit only marginally successful, attempts to tread new
ground in the twilight of his career. If
Topaz had been made by any other
director, it would have been regarded as an acceptable political
thriller in its day. It has a compelling storyline,
some inventive photography and an impressive international cast (which includes just
one American actor, John Forsythe). Unfortunately, audiences had expectations of what a
Hitchcock film should be like and they generally responded unfavourably
to the film. To this day,
Topaz
is held in poor esteem and is often cited as Hitchcock's worst
film, which is to do it a terrible injustice.
The reasons for the unpopularity of
Topaz
are not hard to see. The biggest let down
is that it does not have any instantly recognisable star actors - no
James Stewart, Cary Grant or Ingrid Bergman. What it does have is
a set of some very capable actors who would be largely unknown to
mainstream cinema audiences in America. The lead character was played by the
Czech-born Frederick Stafford, who had recently become famous in France
for his portrayal of special agent O.S.S. 117 (the French equivalent of
James Bond) in a popular series of spy thrillers. Philippe
Noiret, Claude Jade, Dany Robin and Michel Piccoli were also all big
name actors in France at the time the film was made, but were virtually
unknown in the United States outside the minority art house audiences. It has been suggested that
Hitchcock deliberately avoided casting big name American actors for
this film after his uncomfortable experiences with Paul Newman and
Julie Andrews on his previous film,
Torn
Curtain (1966).
Another flaw with this film is its weak ending.
Topaz was
unusual for Hitchcock in that shooting began before work on the
screenplay had been completed. Hitchcock's original ending for
the film involved an old-fashioned duel between the main protagonists played by
Frederick Stafford and Michel Piccoli, but this was binned in response
to a very negative reaction from a preview audience. The second
ending is the one which is seen in the restored version of the film
available today - with Piccoli's character allowed to leave France on
an a plane bound for Russia. For the initial release in 1969,
this ending was also rejected and replaced (at the last minute) by a bland shot of a closed
door implying that Piccoli's character committed suicide after his
treason had been exposed. Many other cuts were made for this
first release, which shortened the film by around thirty minutes.
Topaz may not be Hitchcock's
best film but it is far from being the terrible misfire that it is
often described as. It is an engaging and distinctive film, with
convincing characterisation, a well-honed plot and several moments of
pure cinematic genius. The story,
based on a popular spy thriller
by Leon Uris, takes in several exotic locations, and examines the
notion of betrayal from various angles, contrasting the blatant marital
infidelity of the hero, Devereaux, with the treacherous activities of
his opponents. Hitchcock's most underrated film,
Topaz has far more in common with the hard-edged political thrillers that were being
made in Europe at the time than with their much cosier bland Hollywood
counterparts, and that's why it failed - because Hitchcock dared to be different.
© James Travers 2008
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Next Alfred Hitchcock film:
Frenzy (1972)
Film Synopsis
The year is 1962 and tensions between East and West are at their
height. When a Russian intelligence officer defects to the United
States, the CIA make two shocking discoveries. First, the Soviets
are planning a covert military operation in Cuba which may drastically
alter the balance of power. Second, NATO secret documents are
being diverted to the Soviet Union by unknown officials in the French
government. French agent André Devereaux is assigned
to investigate these matters and what he uncovers is a morass of
intrigue, deceit and betrayal...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.