The 1960s were the heyday of the spy thriller with the market flooded in the wake of the success of Bond. Now most of these films fall into two broad categories – the glossy, gadget-laden Helm/Flint kind and the more pessimistic, downbeat Le Carre/Deighton kind. For one reason or another my own preferences lean towards the latter. The Deadly Affair is an adaptation of an early John Le Carre novel, and in no way attempts to glamorize the world of espionage. Instead, it focuses on petty betrayals and the slightly dingy suburban surroundings of the protagonists.
The story, as with many of this type, deals with the investigation of a possible mole in British Intelligence. James Mason plays Charles Dobbs (in the novel it’s George Smiley – I suppose the change of name is understandable enough given how little the character has to smile about here) who is charged with the task of investigating a civil servant. MI5 has received an anonymous letter concerning said civil servant and questions must, therefore, be answered. Dobbs appears satisfied that the letter is nothing more than a hoax, but the apparent suicide of the suspect seems inconsistent. It is the questions raised by this death that drive the rest of the story along. There is also the secondary plot concerning Dobbs’ tortured domestic life with his nymphomaniac wife (played by Swedish actress Harriet Andersson) and the two strands are woven together successfully enough.
The film was directed by Sidney Lumet and has some nice location work around the vaguely depressing urban and suburban settings. Lumet’s style has never been the most exciting but that fits well enough with the mood – lots of grey skies and rain. Quincy Jones scored the picture and it’s one of the best things about it. The langourous, wistful jazzy music both evokes the mid-60s and reflects the emotional longings of the central characters.
The acting is a mixed bag, with the male characters coming off the best by far. James Mason is excellent and manages to convey the combination of determination, weariness, hopeless romanticism and pathos that the role requires – no mean feat that. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mason give a bad performance on screen and he ranks right up there as one of my favorite actors. There’s good support from Harry Andrews as a tough old retired policeman, and Roy Kinnear excels in a small role as a seedy, bigamous used car dealer. Maximilian Schell is adequate enough playing Dobbs old friend and former colleague, but nothing more. The female characters, however, are where the film falls down somewhat. Simone Signoret’s widow is too detached, although that may well be what the part of a concentration camp survivor demanded. The biggest problem, though, is Harriet Andersson. She gives one of the weakest performances I’ve seen in a long time. Given her role, you would have thought that some passion should be on display; but no, she’s ice-cold and blank throughout.
Overall, The Deadly Affair is a satisfying, if unspectacular movie. Currently, it’s available in R2 from Sony in a reasonable 1.85:1 transfer. The disc is a totally bare-bones one – literally. There isn’t even a real menu screen. While I’m grateful that the film is available, it has to be said that the cheap presentation of the disc is quite insulting.
Sergio Angelini
March 8, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Excellent overview though I was a bit more impressed with the Sony disc than you as I thought the transfer was remarkably good (at least for such a bare bones release, as you say). Andersson is the weak link, no question. I have always had the feeling that the film suffered a little bit at the hands of the censor or maybe that decision were made to lower a potential rating as several of the scenes between her and Mason seem truncated as if bits of bad language or references to her nymphomania were cut – especially in the scene in the bedroom fairly early on. No idea if this is true – just an impression. The cutting is certainly a bit choppy in their scenes and Lumet’s movies were always nothing if not elegant.
Colin
March 8, 2012 at 9:18 pm
You’re right, I was a bit hard on the DVD. I guess I wrote that piece (four years ago now!) back at a time when it wasn’t unreasonable to expect catalogue titles to feature some extras, maybe even a commentary. Viewed from a 2012 perspective, that’s no longer the case and it’s now just a relief to find a movie released at all. The transfer is a good one in all honesty and it’s very cheap to buy too.
The film itself is imperfect, but I’m extraordinarily fond of it and find myself drawn back to it frequently. I still think it’s Mason’s beautifully restrained and affecting work that carries the day. He was such a fine actor.
Sergio Angelini
March 8, 2012 at 9:27 pm
He was great at played tortured men like Smiley / Dobbs, who repress their emotions (Nicholas Ray’s BIGGER THAN LIFE is another great example). A terrific actor though I wish he had player fewer villains and been able to play more outright heroic roles in his prime during his Hollywood heyday. But then again, one should resist the temptation to re-write history really …
Colin
March 8, 2012 at 9:47 pm
One of Mason’s movies that I badly want to see released on DVD is Hotel Reserve, an adaptation of Eric Ambler’s nifty thriller Epitaph for a Spy. It gives Mason the oportunity to play a more heroic role.
In general though, he was perfect as the anti-heroic figure: Rupert of Hentzau, Johnny McQueen in the sublime Odd Man Out, and also in the neglected The Man Between – the latter has a couple of especially affecting scenes that always cut me up.
Sergio Angelini
March 8, 2012 at 10:47 pm
I agree MAN BETWEEN is a neglected Noir definitely deserving of a bit more attention (I did brief review of it several years ago here: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/721128/index.html). I do have an off-air of HOTEL RESERVE if you’re really interested …
Colin
March 9, 2012 at 4:13 am
That’s a fine review Sergio, and a very fair appraisal of the film. The Man Between does appear as a mash-up of earlier Reed themes, but I still think it has merits of its own. It’s not of the same quality of as Odd Man Out or The Third Man (or even The Fallen Idol) but, as your piece points out, the second half is extremely stylish.
Regarding Hotel Reserve, I’ll be in touch.