The Counterfeit Traitor

Although unappealingly long - 140 minutes to be precise - The Counterfeit Traitor turns out to be an absorbing, disturbing and rather exciting wartime suspense film. It gives William Holden his second-best role of the '60s (surpassed only by his work in The Wild Bunch) and provides good subsidiary roles for Lilli Palmer, Hugh Griffith and Ernst Schroeder.

Holden is terrific as a Swedish citizen born in the USA, named Eric Erickson. Erickson is a businessman trading oil from his Stockholm HQ during WWII. Many of his customers are Germans, and quite often he goes on business trips to war-torn Germany leaving the sanctuary of neutral Sweden behind. The British secret service approach him and plead for him to act as a spy, gathering sensitive information for them during his seemingly legitimate trips. Matters are complicated when Erickson meets fellow spy Marianne Mollendorf (Lilli Palmer), with whom he soon falls in love. His mission is seriously jeopardised when her spying antics are exposed, and she is seized by the Gestapo and taken away to be executed.

The film is well-made by ever-reliable director George Seaton. Seaton also wrote the screenplay, basing it on an Alexander Klein book, and he must be given credit for fashioning a thoroughly believable and suspenseful story. The film is shot on actual North European locations, and the use of real backdrops - as opposed to the usual studio lensing favoured by Hollywood in the early '60s - adds to the film's authentic flavour. Nowadays, the appeal of this kind of film is sadly limited, but if you have an affinity for this kind of stuff, then The Counterfeit Traitor is definitely a title worth tracking down.

When I hear the title THE COUNTERFEIT TRAITOR, I immediately think of my father because he often said it was his favorite spy film.

Seeing it, years later, I understand why. WILLIAM HOLDEN was in the middle of a winning streak of films at this time and establishing a secure foothold on his reputation as one of Hollywood's finest actors.

Since his role requires him to start as a cynical character, before he becomes convinced of the justness of his cause, it's a role that might well have gone to someone like HUMPHREY BOGART. But Holden, fortunately, got the part of the Swedish oil merchant who, through extortion and blackmail, is chosen by HUGH GRIFFITH to act as a spy against the Nazis in Denmark.

He does so, unwillingly at first, but gradually, through his meeting with another spy, LILI PALMER (in one of her best roles), comes to see things the way she does. The moment Palmer comes into the film, the plot thickens and interest mounts. The final result is a spy film that is truly mesmerizing, able to get a powerful grip on your heart and emotions, full of colorful action and intrigue.

Stunning location photography in and around Copenhagen is a plus factor, as is the rousing score by Alfred Newman. Holden has never been more persuasive in a role that fits him like a glove.

Taken from a true-life story, espionage tales don't come any better than this.

There really isn't much more to say except this gripping portrayal by Holden and Palmer is well worth the watching. Without exception the actors gave a fine performance, but the true heroes are the real people who risked their lives during WWll. Thank you AMC for bringing us this superb, often under rated film.

One of my favorite William Holden performances is in The Counterfeit Traitor where Holden plays an American born Swedish businessman who agrees to spy for British Intelligence after a bit of blackmail.

The offer he can't refuse comes after Holden is put on a list of undesirable businessmen who are doing business with the Germans. Holden is American born, but became a Swedish subject after deciding he would be working and living out of Stockholm. By agreeing to spy Holden will get cleared after the Allies win the war presumably.

Holden proves to be quite useful to the Allies giving them all kinds of information about where Nazi war production is so it can be targeted by Allied bombing. Of course each trip from Sweden to Germany brings new risk as the Gestapo is cracking down on traitors.

One of his contacts is Lilli Palmer, a prominent society woman with whom he begins an affair. Palmer was a refugee herself from Nazi Germany and she brings that dimension to her part that can't be imitated.

Alfred Hitchcock probably could have made this film a classic, still and all George Seaton who wrote and directed can't be faulted for the job he did. Holden and Seaton had worked well together before in The Country Girl and Seaton gets good performances from him and the rest of the cast.

Hugh Griffith is very good as the cynical British agent who is Holden's contact who is not above using any means to defeat the Nazis. I also liked Werner Peters the German actor who played a really terrific variety of Nazi types throughout the Sixties and who is suspicious of Holden from the gitgo.

But the best scenes in the film involve young Helo Gutschwager who is the son of one of Holden's German contacts and a true believing member of the Hitler Youth. First Holden to escape and then Gestapo agent Stefan Schnabel to apprehend Holden play some real mind games on this kid who has grown up with Hitler the only reality he knows.

The Counterfeit Traitor is one fine espionage film and definitely in the top ten of William Holden's performances.

I never tire of watching this great WWII spy/romance film. In my opinion, it is the single greatest World War II spy film ever made. It truly captures the danger, uneasiness, and on-the-edge drama of the life of a spy. William Holden is brilliant as Eric Erickson, the reluctant spy, and his story totally captivates us. It makes one wonder how many other stories like this one occurred during the war. The scene where the character of Hans Holtz (young Nazi boy who wants to turn Erickson in to the authorities) is truly riveting. When the film is over you wish there were more. If anyone can tell me the titles of any similar films, I would appreciate it. William Holden has to be the greatest actor of his generation!