Il mistero dei tre continenti

William Dieterle did very good work with the material at hand. For such an unknown piece of filmmaking, the viewing experience is surprisingly pleasant. First of all, this is a spy thriller shot in Europe and Asia, with beautiful location scenes in Stockholm, the French Riviera, Naples, Bangkok, the Thai jungle and Angkor-Vat. The color photography is indeed excellent and one wonders how they managed to get such fine results without incurring into huge expenses. Add to that, a few very decent special effects, keeping in mind the film was produced in 1959-1960. The plot involves typical Cold War themes, dealing with espionage concerning a top secret formula that must not get into the wrong hands. The film could be 20 minutes shorter but one watches it without any difficulty. The international cast deserves praise, especially the excellent Micheline Presle as a spy working for the enemy. Martha Hyer is, as always, a welcome presence in any film. Why Hitchcock never did significant work with her? Incredible!