Le vie segrete

Certainly has the Feel of a "Backwards" Stagnant Locale with the Police-State Lurking In and Out of Baroque Buildings.

The Characters All Have a Suspiciously Worried, Frowning Attitude with No-Non-Sense Brutality Against Any Who Dare Question Authorities.

When They Put On an "Act" of Welcome, it is More Like a Comedy Sketch than a Practiced Con. For that Matter, Widmark's "Acts" are just as Silly and Transparent.

Neither Does the Film Any Good at Maintaining Suspense or Intrigue.

John "Johnny" Williams First Full-Fledged Score is OK Full of Sudden Blaring and Bombastic "Stings".

The 3rd Act has Most of the Action and Sadism, both a Staple of the Bad Commies in these Cold-War Types.

Getting There may be a Slog for Some as the Film is Slightly Dated by its Verbosity Not Violence.

Film Debut, in a Small Role, is Santa Berger. Widmark's Wife at the Time, Writes Her One and Only Screenplay.

The Story is Somewhat of a Mess to Sort Through, as Things Go Undefined and Loose Ends are Fraying Everywhere.

Not Bad, but Doesn't Rise to the Best of Richard Widmark or Phil Carlson.

With Low Expectations...

Worth a Watch.

This is a good cold war spy thriller that had all the elements to make it a great one, but it fell short. The culprit was the screen play's habit of inserting "magical" moments when characters emerge suddenly to change the scene without explanation. Because it's a spy film we are supposed to accept and believe that these moments occur because the forces at work are brilliant and well prepared etc., but it happened too often. Otherwise the film is very good indeed, with great on-location shots, excellent cinematography, a fine score, and a uniformly excellent, believable cast. Senta Berger lights up the screen in her US film debut, but her character's arrival, disappearance, then arrival and disappearance again are examples of those magical moments. Kudos to @krocheav who wrote a great review and brought out many of the strong and interesting points of the production, especially the "firsts" for John Williams, Richard Widmark, Jean Hazlewood, Senta Berger, Sonja Zieman and Alistair Maclean. [NB, I saw the film before I read that review.]

This typical Cold War spy thriller, full of impossible to understand plot turns, bad guys and bad girls who turn to be good, maybe, doesn't have much going for it except Max Greene's (Mutzy Greenbaum) dazzling B&W deep focus photography and one of John Williams' first atmospheric scores. Phil Karlson, the director, who occasionally made a decent film, was hired and then fired by star/producer Richard Widmark who mostly snarls. Karlson does an OK job with the confusing script, but this is no THIRD MAN. If you stop trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and just watch the imagery, worth your while. Added bonus: Lots of excellent European character actors looking sinister and the luscious Senta Berger looking delicious in one of her first English language roles.

This is not a superior Cold War thriller but it has its moments, and so much of it was shot on location in Vienna and elsewhere that we get excellent atmosphere. The action takes place in Budapest under the Communists, and all the dark streets at night have no streetlights, no cars, no people. All the streets are cobblestone gleaming in the moonlight, a seemingly endless succession of them considering all the chase and escape incidents in the film. Richard Widmark produced this film, as an excellent vehicle for himself as the hero, and he also directed part of it. It is based on a story by Alistair MacLean. The lead girl is played by Sonja Ziemann, who in real life was married to the actor Charles Regnier who plays "The Count" in the film. Widmark has been sent to find and fetch an anti-Communist resistance leader back to Austria, since the Communists want to torture and kill him. All the action is standard Cold War stuff, though that is not to say it is inaccurate. The action is frenetic and intense. We also don't know for a long time who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. It is well worth reminding ourselves what things were like in Eastern Europe then, lest we forget.

An above-average Cold War thriller, "The Secret Ways" was produced by its star, Richard Widmark. An American for pay, Michael Reynolds, is hired to go behind the Iron Curtain and bring out Professor Jansci, a scientist and member of the Hungarian resistance. Reluctantly teamed with the professor's daughter, Reynolds poses as a writer and crosses the border from Vienna to Budapest, where a few surprises await. Despite a leisurely beginning, the film holds interest and builds to an exciting climax.

Widmark as Reynolds is largely on target as the mercenary without a personal life; unfortunately, he teeters on an unconvincing edge when he mocks Communist authorities and when he staggers through a staged drunken scene. German actress Sonja Ziemann as Julia, Jancsi's daughter, is effective, although her character creates unnecessary complications, and she seems more a token love interest than key player.

The award-caliber cinematography by Mutz Greenbaum captures the dark side of Vienna and locations that pass for Budapest in strikingly-lit black-and-white images. The Baroque architecture, deep passageways, cobble-stone streets, wrought-iron staircases, and lingering vestiges of World War II damage are captured in shadowy night scenes. The lines etched in Widmark's face complement the textures of rough brick facades, stretched barbed wire, and walls of peeling paint. The inky photography creates an eery atmosphere that enhances the suspense as silhouetted figures are chased through dark back alleys and down starkly-lit stairways. At times tilted at an angle, Greenbaum's camera infused Vienna with a mystery and menace not seen since "The Third Man."

Directed by Phil Karlson and based on an Alistair MacLean novel, "The Secret Ways" has a slow pace initially, which may deter viewers accustomed to James Bond and Jason Bourne. However, the film is similar to other 1960's thrillers such as "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and requires patience to appreciate. Sensational photography, a solid Widmark performance, and a backward glimpse at Cold War intrigue in the early 1960's make the film worth catching.