Geheimzentrale Lissabon

Ray Milland had quite an hand in this quite classy looking seaside drama. He ("Capt. Evans") finds himself intrigued by an offer of $10,000 from the debonaire but entirely unscrupulous "Mavros" (Claude Rains) if he will suspend his usual brandy smuggling operations and bring a wealthy and recently kidnapped American to safety in Portugal. The whole operation is being funded by "Sylvia" (Maureen O'Hara) the much younger wife of the captured industrialist, so of course there are temptations afoot to maybe ensure his money is suddenly available for re-distribution. "Evans" turns out to be a bit of a babe magnet here as he also manages to attract the attention of "Maria" (Yvonne Furneaux) who works for "Mavros" and who takes an immediate shine to her sailor boy - despite the obvious chagrin of henchman "Serafim" (Francis Lederer). Who's going to prevail in this battle of hearts, wits and double-crosses? The story itself here is quite solid and Rains cones across well as the duplicitous schemer but O'Hara was always better when her character was allowed to let her hair down. Here, she is a bit stifled by the rather limited scope for her character and the equally linear contribution from an unremarkable Milland. The thriller elements are all too readily subsumed into the menage-à-trois romance and even the elements of menace are just too undercooked. It's got a good look to it and Nelson Riddle works some magic on traditional Portuguese music, but the rest of this is all a bit so what? It's watchable to see a group of consummate professionals do their work, but the film itself is nothing at all memorable.

Ray Milland was not a great director, as this effort shows. This colour film shows much of Lisbon and the surrounding area in the mid-1950s, which is welcome. There are several excellent performances. Claude Rains is magnificent as usual as a devious and urbane crook, Francis (originally Franz) Lederer is superb as his henchman and assassin, underplaying and thereby increasing the menace of his character (which in the script cannot have amounted to much). Yvonne Furneaux is a charming ingenue who tries very hard indeed to be convincing about throwing herself into the arms of an aged Ray Milland and telling him she loves him. Maureen O'Hara flashes her usual Irish fire, but she also has to tell Milland she loves him, and two beautiful gals throwing themselves at Milland in competition is really too much to take, since he looks like he needs a month's rest in a sanatorium rather than a heady romance. Milland always had great 'watchability' and he still retains some in this film. This film has a very weak script and absolutely atrocious cinematography by Jack Marta, who seems only to use about two lights in his interiors. A friend who worked with Ray Milland once told me that Milland was the meanest man with money he had ever known, and he would always try to share taxis with poor actors and then pretend he had forgotten his money and make them pay. (That is why everyone tried to avoid sharing cabs with Milland.) Perhaps Milland, who co-produced this venture, was too mean to pay Marta to have proper lights! The interior shadows and lighting are simply unimaginably awful.There is an equally atrocious score by Nelson Riddle. Somebody should have taken a whip and beaten Milland back into his box. He had no business producing and directing. There is a fine authentic song performed by Anita Guerreiro in this film, who gives us a few moments of real music. Milland obviously loved Portugal, and we can be grateful for his enthusiasm in showing some of it to us as it was then. If only the film had come up to a higher standard, we would be able to say on our postcards: 'Having a wonderful viewing, wish you were here!'

Elegant is the only word to describe this wonderful example of 1950s film-making at its best. Art direction is usually one of those obscure technical credits nobody ever bothers about, but in this case the entire movie is a feast for the eyes thanks to clever art direction using subtle shades of blue and brown to reflect the beautiful natural locations in Portugal. Almost every frame is a painting in its own right and the movie is worth watching just for its sumptuous looks alone.

Against this delightful visual backdrop, a complex double/triple-cross crime story is allowed to unfold at a leisurely pace as the viewer is gradually let in on the intricacies of the plot. Characters and motives also develop with the story and by its conclusion little is what it first seemed. Claude Rains, Maureen O'Hara and Ray Milland (who was also director and associate producer) are each excellent in their roles. Claude Rains in particular as a raffishly handsome crime boss with impeccable breeding is both lovable and chilling. Ray Milland has all the women falling at his feet, and not without reason. Maureen O'Hara is alternately tough and romantic as we see her character gradually revealed.

Movie buffs might even see some tongue in cheek allusions to the plot of Casablanca, particularly in the final scene, as this cleverly crafted story unfolds. There's certainly something to please everyone. I'm a person who rarely enjoys movies made in the 1950s because of the stifling social values of the era, but for me Lisbon has been a revelation of the artistic heights which could be achieved in that era when the movie makers stopped trying to preach political and social values and just did what they were good at.

Set in 1950s , Lisbon , Portugal, it details an international thief hiring a skipper named Robert Evans (Ray Milland) who lives on a yacht by the river . The latter mostly smuggles consuming products such as cigarettes and booze. Lisbon's police inspector, Joao Casimiro Fonseca (Jay Novello) , is aware of this and often times attempts to catch Evans red-handed but to no avail. At the same time, American Sylvia Merrill (Mauren O'Hara) , wife of industrialist Lloyd Merrill, arrives in Lisbon to arrange the secret release her husband from Communist doings . As Robert Evans has to rescue Maureen O'Hara's husband , but events go awry . She first complains to the State Department about her husband's imprisonment but U. S. officials seem unable to make any progress to obtain his release. Sylvia Merrill contacts wealthy jewel crook and smuggler Aristides Mavros (Claude Rains) , a Greek living in Lisbon, to negotiate a bribe for Communist officials and have her husband released from his Soviet jail .

A thriller movie with adventure , romence , thrills , plot twists set in a city of intrigue , murder and excitement . On location story with gorgeous outdoors from Lisbon brilliantly photographed by Jack Marta and regarding morals among gentlemen thieves. A familiar and simple script concerning a smuggler is hired to release the rich husband of an American woman who's just arrived in Lisbon ; along the way, intercrossing high stakes and ordinary battle of wits , being told less-than-average panache . It contains attractive scenarios , acceptable performance but nothing special . Stars Ray Milland giving a nice acting as an American expatriate Captain Robert John Evans does a bit of smuggling of consumer goods and contraband using his fast boat . While Maureen O'Hara is pretty good as the damsel in distress who attempts to rescue his elderly husband from Communist prison behind the Iron Curtain . Being well accompanied by a nice support cast , such as : Claude Rains as big shot criminal Aristides Mavros , the wonderful Yvonne Furneaux as Madalena Massenet , Francis Lederer as heinous murderer Serafim , Percy Marmont , Jay Novello and Edward Chapman.

It packs a lot of Lisbon sightseeing , such as : Tagus River, Lisbon, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Belém, Panoramic view from the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte , Lisbon , Palácio de Seteais, Sintra, Lisbon, Tobis Portuguesa, Lumiar, Lisbon, Tower of Belém , Praça do Comércio, Cascais, Lisbon,Castelo São Jorge,Lisbon Airport, Portela, Loures, Lisbon Lisbon, Portugal. The motion picture was professionally directed by Ray Milland . Ray was a notorious actor, but also a producer and a craftsman filmmaker. With this Lisbon (1956), Ray Milland moved into another direction, turning out several off-beat, low-budget films with himself as the lead, notably A Man Alone (1957) his Western debut , The Safecracker (1958) , Panic in Year Zero! (1962) and Hostile Witness (1969) . Rating : 5.5/10 . Less-than-notable , but acceptable and passable . The flick will appeal to Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara fans.

Lisbon is the local for this adventure romance, starring Ray Milland and Maureen O'Hara. It is beautifully photographed on location and the story is rousing and the intrigue suspenseful. Claude Rains, is the thief who Sullivan hires to get back her elderly husband, a millionaire, who has been kidnapped by the Chinese. Rains, is of course, suave, devious, and wonderful as the man of many tastes, including beautiful young women. He has always been good in such a part, as he was in Notorious, as the Nazi spy. Ray Milland is dashing, elegant and just nice to look at. His part as the smuggler gives him a chance to use a little comedy, especially when pursued by a beautiful young woman who Raines employs as a "secretary." She is enamored of Milland and she tries to help him escape the hands of Sarafin, who works for Raines and wants to kill Milland to keep the girl for himself. Maureen seduces Milland, but he rejects her advances after she tells him she wants her husband back "dead." He returns the husband alive, and Raines is picked up by the police for the smuggling that Milland was doing all along. Nice twists all around. Milland is still so wonderful to look at and listen to, it is not surprising that all the women are in love with him. For those who thought that Yvonne Furneaux had a hard time throwing herself into the arms of Milland, you have to remember that she is living with Claude Rains as his mistress. Therefore Milland would not look older to her. He directs this film with just enough pace to make it interesting, and the O'Hara character is smooth and crafty. Beautiful to look at scenery only adds to the pictures appeal.