The Counterfeit Traitor

Director: George Seaton George Seaton

Overview

In this taut WW II-era espionage thriller, a Swedish American entrepreneur successfully sends valuable information to the Allies by pretending to be a Nazi. The trouble begins when he is caught by the Gestapo. The film is based on the true story of one of the war's best spies, Eric Erickson.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2020
UPC:	0032429342904
Original Release:	1962
Source:	Paramount
Language:	English
Time:	2:20:00
Sales rank:	23,264

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

William Holden	Actor
Lilli Palmer	Actor
Hugh Griffith	Actor
Eva Dahlbeck	Actor
Ulf Palme	Actor
Werner Peters	Actor
Ernst Schroeder	Actor
Ingrid Van Bergen	Actor
Carl Raddatz	Actor
Helo Gutschwager	Actor
Erica Beer	Actor
Charles Regnier	Actor
Wolfgang Preiss	Actor
Jochen Blume	Actor
Dirk Hansen	Actor
Ludwig Maybert	Actor
Klaus Kinski	Actor
Erik Schumann	Actor
Gunter Meisner	Actor
Stefan Schnabel	Actor
Martin Berliner	Actor
Phil Brown	Actor
Peter Capell	Actor
Max Buchsbaum	Actor
Ejner Federspiel	Actor
Eva Fiebig	Actor
Holger Hagen	Actor
Kai Holm	Actor
Rene Kolldehoff	Actor
Louis Miehe-Renard	Actor
Jens Osterholm	Actor
Poul Reichhardt	Actor
Bendt Rothe	Actor
Albert Rueprecht	Actor
Ted Taylor	Actor
Werner Van Deeg	Actor
Georg Voelmmer	Actor
John Wittig	Actor
Jens Østerholm	Lars
John Banner	Actor
Alfred Newman	Composer

Technical Credits

Alexander Klein

George Seaton	Director
William Perlberg	Producer
Alexander Klein	Screenwriter
Hans Ebel	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

The Counterfeit Traitor is a top-grade studio film efficiently directed by George Seaton and boasting strong lead performances from William Holden and Lilli Palmer. A substantial asset to the film's realism is its primarily European supporting cast, including such distinctive performers as Klaus Kinski and Ernst Schröder. Also aiding the film is its rich, Technicolor look. Ironically, cinematographer Jean Bourgoin would receive an Oscar for his black & white photography of The Longest Day, released that same year. Based on a true story, the film opts not to explore the moral ambiguities of double agents who must help an enemy in order to accomplish their espionage tasks. Still, it is an entertaining, if old-fashioned spy yarn.