Flight from Vienna

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this relatively short movie. Several reviews here had me skeptical by suggesting that the acting and/or direction were subpar. I found this to be completely untrue. The budget was small, yes, but they made the most of it and I thought they made good use of the scenery and locals. The plot was easy to follow and there was enough tension to keep it interesting. The main players were Theodore Bikel and John Bentley who were excellent. Bentley exudes confidence and Bikel was perfect as the Hungarian defector. It was also interesting to see Donald Gray in a role other than Mark Saber. He did fine and here had a prosthetic arm unlike his Saber character who went without. All in all a pleasant, if short, diversion.

Theodore Bikel returned to his native Vienna to make this cheapjack second-feature for E.J. Fancey, possibly utilising some sort of sponsorship deal, a ploy he had used before (see "London Entertains" and "Calling All Cars" among others). The dismal "thriller" lumbers along for an hour without the encumbrance of a plot. Bikel is a Hungarian scientist who wants asylum in the west. Will he get it and did anyone care one way or the other? Two things hang in the air: Cold War paranoia and fond memories of "The Third Man." It appears that everything was grabbed by a scratch crew that evidently didn't include a sound recordist. The entire film, apart from a couple of scenes shot in the UK, is post-synchronised, evidently in someone's bathroom. "Adrienne Scott". Fancey's daughter, is a non-speaking extra in the pre-credits sequence but is still billed 5th. Bikel looks as though all he's thinking about is his imminent escape not to the UK but Hollywood. A poster in a cafe indicates that the film was made in 1954. By the time it was released Bikel was long gone, no doubt with memories of dross like this fading fast.

Theodore Bikel is Colonel Sandor Kosice. A Hungarian government agent who fears for his safety as his political masters have been replaced.

Kosice manages to scramble to Vienna but the communists are on to him. The British in Vienna are unsure if Kosice is a plant. To test his loyalties they want him to go back behind the Iron Curtain and smuggle out a scientist. Kosice even gets his wife to escape this time.

However Kosice is not out of danger. As the British deliberate whether to grant him asylum, the Hungarians send an agent to assassinate him.

Flight from Vienna is cheaply made B thriller that runs for less than a hour. It does not have much of a story and also lacks thrills. Kosice is fired upon so many times as he escapes to the west and they all miss him.

Bikel gives a sincere performance in what is a slow moving film with lots of filler scenes. The British operatives also come across as incompetent who unduly put Kosice's life in danger.

Another boring film from quickie producer E. J. Fancey. Fancey seemed to have the uncanny knack of turning everything he made into the most tedious fare imaginable and FLIGHT FROM VIENNA is no exception. The storyline concerns a Hungarian defector who escapes from the Iron Curtain but is coerced into going back to rescue both his wife and a top scientist by the British intelligence.

Sadly for a Cold War thriller this film is almost entirely devoid of thrills and merit. The main character, played by Theodore Bikel, is one of the dullest imaginable and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The reliable John Bentley is a little better in support but has very little to work with.

FLIGHT FROM VIENNA is only an hour long but it feels at least twice that thanks to the slow pacing and talky nature of the script. In fact the production values make this look so dated that it could pass for a film made in the 1930s given the right storyline. Even fans of British B-films from the 1950s will struggle to enjoy this one.

A tinny but reasonably engrossing Cold War quickie largely shot in Vienna with mainly post-synced dialogue (of which there is plenty) centring on the exploits of a Hungarian defector; released the same year things in that poor country got really ugly.

We rarely see Viennese star Theodore Bikel the folk singer in movies; but he here briefly appears strumming a guitar in the opening sequence before he gets down to the serious business of spiriting his wife and the usual World Famous Scientist from behind the Iron Curtain.

It's only an hour long, slickly cut together and it's incredible age makes it interesting today as a period piece.