The Counterfeit Traitor (1962)

66% of users liked it
(906 ratings)

In this tense espionage drama set in 1942, William Holden plays Eric Erickson, an American-born Swede who is put on the Allied blacklist for trading oil with the Nazis. Collins (Hugh Griffith), a British intelligence agent, offers to expunge Erickson's name from the blacklist after the war in return… More In this tense espionage drama set in 1942, William Holden plays Eric Erickson, an American-born Swede who is put on the Allied blacklist for trading oil with the Nazis. Collins (Hugh Griffith), a British intelligence agent, offers to expunge Erickson's name from the blacklist after the war in return for information on the Nazis. Erickson agrees to the plan and proceeds to make it look as if he is pro-Nazi. This subterfuge causes him to be branded a traitor, and his wife, believing Eric to be a Nazi, walks out on him. Nevertheless, Eric continues with his deceit and makes the Germans think that he is planning to construct an oil refinery in Sweden to serve as a fuel supply for Germany. As a result he is allowed entrance to four German oil refinery, and he passes on the information to Collins. But Eric is being put under surveillance by the Nazis. They discover that Eric's lover, Marianne (Lilli Palmer) is working for the Allies. Suddenly both Marianne and Eric are arrested and thrown into Moabit Prison -- with dire consequences for both of them. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: George Seaton
Written By: George Seaton
Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Apr 17, 1962 Wide
On DVD: Jul 13, 2004

Critic Reviews

Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Not good enough to be great, too grim to be enjoyable as a spy yarn.

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Good spy thriller, Lilli Palmer is excellent.

Cast

            William Holden as Eric Erickson

            Lilli Palmer as Marianne Mollendorf

            Hugh Griffith as Collins

            Erica Beer as Klara Holtz

            Ernst Schroeder as Baron von Oldenbourg

            Eva Dahlbeck as Ingrid Erickson

            Ulf Palme as Max Gumpel

            Werner Peters as Bruno Ulrich

            Carl Raddatz as Otto Holtz

            Charles Regnier as Wilhelm Kortner

            Martin Berliner as Porter

            Phil Brown as Harold Murray

            Peter Capell as Unger

            Ejner Federspiel as Prof. Christiansen

            Klaus Kinski as Kindler

            Reinhard Kolldehoff as Col. Erdmann

            Günter Meisner as Priest

            Wolfgang Preiss as Col. Nordoff

            Bendt Rothe as Mogens

            Stefan Schnabel as Jaeger

            Erik Schumann as Nazi-Gunboat Officer

            Ingrid van Bergen as Hulda Windler

            John Wittig as Sven

            Max Buchsbaum as Fischer

            Holger Hagen as Carl Bradley

            Albert Rueprecht as Capt. Barlach

            Poul Reichhardt as Fishing-Boat Skipper

            Ernst Schroder
            
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