The Defector (film)
1966 French film / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about The Defector (film)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Defector is a 1966 thriller film starring Montgomery Clift, Hardy Krüger, Roddy McDowall and Macha Méril. It was directed by Belgian director/producer Raoul Lévy and based on the 1965 novel L'espion (The Spy) by Paul Thomas.[3]
The Defector | |
---|---|
Directed by | Raoul Lévy |
Written by | Raoul Lévy Robert Guenette Montgomery Clift[n 1] Peter Francke[n 1] [1] |
Based on | 1965 novel The Spy by Paul Thomas |
Produced by | Raoul Lévy Conrad von Molo |
Starring | Montgomery Clift Hardy Krüger Macha Méril |
Cinematography | Raoul Coutard |
Edited by | Roger Dwyre Albert Jurgenson |
Music by | Serge Gainsbourg |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Gaumont S.A.B.(France) Warner Bros. Pictures(USA) |
Release dates | 20 Oct 1966 (W. Germany) 16 Nov 1966 (USA) 24 Nov 1967 (Sweden) 17 May 1968 (Finland) |
Running time | 106 minutes |
Countries | France West Germany |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.5 million[2] |
This was Clift's final film, and he only agreed to the part so that he could prepare himself for his next role in the 1967 film Reflections in a Golden Eye (the role went to Marlon Brando). Although obviously very ill (he died less than three months after most of the shooting was completed), Clift still managed to give a convincing performance in what has been termed a very moody and somber film. This characterization is in stark contrast to the exuberance displayed by his love interest, who was played by Méril, an obviously more youthful woman.
Lévy committed suicide on December 31, 1966, less than two months after the film's American release.