The Defector

The Defector is an exciting Cold War film. It reminds me of Gregory Peck's The Chairman. Unfortunately this film is out of print. It seems that any films that deal with the Cold War are curiously going out of print or disappearing. If you get a chance see The Defector.

This movie is one of those that you never heard of, but you should have. It pulls you in through excellent direction and authentic dialect and location shooting. This movie could very well be a documentary of a real cold war scenario. Those who are interested in espionage and intrigue should enjoy this movie. Get the popcorn ready and sit back for the duration.

While making "The Defector", the director obviously went out of his way to produce a decent contemporary spy movie, containing an intricate plot, suspenseful action, beautiful scenery (lots of nice German locations – both city and countryside – and characteristic locals), tin loads of extras and an unexpected ending. Up to a point, he succeeded in his mission. The movie is certainly enjoyable enough to watch. Unfortunately there are also some drawbacks causing it not to exceed the level of decent mediocrity. I suppose the problem is in the direction, for the leading actors are top-quality performers and the plot and scene setting are lifelike enough. In my experience, the dialogues are very clear – so clear, in fact, that they tend to lose the sort of grim realism and shadiness that might have added to the overall mood expected from this movie genre. The scenes are framed in such a way the viewer is in no doubt what is going on, but is not sucked in at the same time. From what we see, we understand it's all very serious business, but it just doesn't feel that way. The mental torture session in the specially prepared hotel room is gruesome, but it does not send shivers up our spines. The same thing goes for some other scenes in which Bower (Clift) is grilled by the Stasi. The slight caricature qualities of some of the additional characters (uniformed guards, labourers, Frieda Hoffman's (Macha Méril) flat mates) plus the occasionally corny traditional music are not helpful in this respect (the alienating sci-fi music in the torture scene is different – I suppose this was composed by Serge Gainsbourg – the rest seems miles away from his style). I do appreciate the ending of "The Defector", which leaves room for speculation (= did this happen by accident or on purpose?), but again, I was not as much in awe as I felt I should have been. In short, "The Defector" meets the mark, but could have done without a certain degree of directional awkwardness.

The Defector is the final screen appearance of the great Montgomery Clift. It is a decent enough performance, but barely matches the high standards of his earlier performances.

The film itself is typical '60s Cold War stuff, with a complex plot and lots of cloak and dagger treachery. Clift plays a scientist who is blackmailed into working as a spy behind the Iron Curtain. His cover is dangerously thin from the beginning, but by the end it has been blown wide open and he has to flee for his life. Indeed, the film only really comes to life during that final half hour or so. The build up is mildly intriguing, but not sufficiently so to make this a great film. The location photography helps to give the film a sense of authenticity, if nothing else.

I wouldn't recommend The Defector to anyone other than spy afficianados or fans of Montgomery Clift.

Montgomery Clift was entering the final months of his life when he shot this film and it's kind of depressing to see how fragile he looks. In medium shots he doesn't look too bad, but when the camera gets in close you can see the gauntness, the way the skin looks parchment-thin across his cheeks. His fingers are orange from nicotine and, even without knowing that he was trying to use this film as an audition for the Brando role in Reflections in a Golden Eye, you can sense a trace of desperation in his eyes. His career was hanging by a thread and he knew it.

The film tells a dour, jaundiced cold war espionage tale in a way that was quite fashionable in its day. It does well in capturing the austere mood of a communist bloc country and the location photography is interesting, but the story is very slow and there really isn't much to it until the final couple of reels. The scene which encapsulates the entire film consists of Clift and Hardy Kruger talking at a table and Clift's contribution to the conversation is mostly to repeatedly ask for his passport. The contrast (and conflict) of their respective countries' ideologies could (and has) make for an interesting subtext for a film, but its treatment is too dour here. There are nice touches, and an expectation on the part of the filmmakers of a degree of attention and intelligence on the part of their audience, but it never really succeeds in its objectives.