The Traitor

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Whodunnit Drama History Mystery Thriller

Survivors of the World War 2 German Resistance Group attend an annual reunion at an English country house. The reunion is hosted by Colonel Price, who intends to find out which guest had bet... Read allSurvivors of the World War 2 German Resistance Group attend an annual reunion at an English country house. The reunion is hosted by Colonel Price, who intends to find out which guest had betrayed their leader.Survivors of the World War 2 German Resistance Group attend an annual reunion at an English country house. The reunion is hosted by Colonel Price, who intends to find out which guest had betrayed their leader.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

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YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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5.7340

Featured reviews

4Leofwine_draca

Old dark house mystery with a Nazi twist

THE TRAITOR is nothing more than one of those 'old dark house' type mystery films dressed up as something else. There's a definite Agatha Christie vibe going on here (think TEN LITTLE INDIANS) as a group of characters meet up in a sprawling mansion to discover which of their number is a secret Nazi traitor intent on claiming the lives of the rest of the group.

The story has a WW2 background with the assembled men being Germans who are former members of a resistance group fighting against the Nazis. One of their number hangs himself and the men believe a traitor forced him to do the deed; the rest of the running time follows a classic whodunit mould with Robert Bray the investigating hero.

THE TRAITOR suffers from a slow and stodgy first half where it takes an age for the men to even be informed that there's a traitor in their midst. Still, it does pick up towards the end and particularly at the climax, and there's a solid cast to keep you watching. Donald Wolfit (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE) is the one-armed lead, and he's supported by the familiar faces of Christopher Lee and Anton Diffring. Not a classic, more of a curiosity piece for fans of this era.

2planktonrules

Unbelievably boring!

You would think with a plot like you'd have in "The Accursed" that the film would be exciting. However, I found it to be a boring, talky mess.

When the film begins, there's a reunion of WWII resistance fighters. However, it seems that several folks aren't there this year and it appears as if someone is killing them! Perhaps one of them is really an old Nazi taking out their vengeance on the group. A nice setup, huh? Well, this all comes out in the first few minutes of the film...what follows are a bunch of folks in an old house...and a US military man who shows up and talks and talks and talks trying to piece together what's happening.

Had the film been able to unfold OUTSIDE the room and there had been far less talking, it would have been a good film. But you don't SEE any of the action and the result is just claustrophobic and boring....very, very boring despite fine actors like Christopher Lee and Anton Diffring being in the movie.

5malcolmgsw

And the traitor is...

This could have been better as a TV play or radio play or anything but a film.It has a very good cast including that scene stealer,Donald Wolcott,everyone favourite German,Anton Differing,and a pre Dracula Christopher Lee.The film is an old dark house mystery with a Nazi twist.They are going to be told who was the traitor in their midst but the informer is murdered.They don't call the police and decide to find and try the murderer themselves.After another murder the culprit is finally unmasked using one of the oldest tricks known to thriller writers.So it all ends up neatly tied up.Much too much talk and rather statically filmed.

10english-rose

Excellent British thriller!

This is a wonderful example of post-war British thrillers at their very best. Members of a French Resistance unit meet each year in England on the anniversary of their leaders death at the hands of a traitor in their midst. When they learn that the identity of the person responsible for this treacherous act is about to become known he or she decides to prevent their secret from being revealed. The ensemble cast are all ideal for their roles, Anton Diffring stands out as a concert pianist instead of his usual role as a nasty Nazi. He really could play the piano well, although I don't think he played the score in this film. It is difficult to guess who the murderer is, I'm still not sure how the investigating military officer comes to his conclusion, but I have watched this film dozens of times and never tire of going along for the ride! It is good to see Christopher Lee also playing a role other than his well-known vampire ones, along with many other well-known European faces, especially Jane Griffiths. This film is impossible to find on video or DVD so if you have the chance to see it don't let the opportunity pass you by!

2happytrigger-64-390517

not a british gem

I was really disappointed with that spy thriller : it's slow, no movement, just people listening to each other with no intensity, no particular camera angles, the camera is just placed in front of the actors. The whole movie is boring and the final twist is ridiculously directed, I was puzzled to see that lack of intelligence. The actors all seem sleepy, even Christopher Lee. And the director Michael McCarthy directed only 8 movies rather unknown.

On the same subject, just to see an inspired direction, I advise "Marie-Octobre" directed in 1959 by Julien Duvivier, same meeting in a house with only one woman (and what a woman, Danièle Darrieux) with top notch masculine casting like Lino Ventura, Bernard Blier, Robert Dalban, Paul Meurisse, Serge Reggiani, Noël Roquevert, Paul Frankeur, Daniel Ivernel, ... There is real camera and setting work, and the actors are really playing tough.

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The house where most of the film is set would later appear as: 1. the hotel used by the lovers in The Rough & The Smooth [1959]; 2. the tennis club in School For Scoundrels [1960]; 3. Jane's house in "The Nudist Story" [5/60] 4. Rod Taylor's training ground in The Liquidator [1965]; 5. the Eatons' house in The Devil Rides Out [1968]; 6. "The Elizabethan Hotel" in The Avengers S7 Episode 20 "Wish You Were Here" [12/2/69]; 7. Paul Kirstner's house in Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) Episode 7 "Murder Ain't What It Used To Be" [2/11/69]; 8. "Merstham Manor" in Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) Episode 9 "The House on Haunted Hill" [16/11/69]; 9. garden used for croquet in Department S 2/8 The Perfect Operation [26/11/69]; 10. Mrs Howe's house in Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) Episode 14 "Who Killed Cock Robin?" [21/12/69]; 11. the house named "Marling Dale" Byrom Blain is chauffeured to at the start of the episode in Department S 2/14 "The Bones of Byrom Blain" [28/1/70]; 12. the house used as base by Carter and Drieker in Department S 2/19 "A Ticket to Nowhere" [11/3/70]; 13. the house used by Ralph Bates & Judy Geeson in Fear In The Night [1972]; 14. the restaurant visited by Strand in Special Branch S4 Episode 12 "Diversion" [2/5/74]; 15. Green's house in The Professionals 2/5 In The Public Interest [4/11/78] and 16. the honeymoon hotel in Hammer House of Mystery & Suspense episode 1 Mark of The Devil [5/9/84].

Goofs
When Shane is speaking to Col. Price, Shane puts a spoon into his coffee cup as seen from a side angle. When shown from the front, Shane is holding the handle of the cup and the spoon is not in it. When the angle switches back to the side shot, the spoon is again in the coffee cup.

Quotes
Friederich Suderman: Did he have time to name one of us?
Colonel Price: No. All he said was, "There's been a mistake."
Friederich Suderman: Well! Couldn't that mean that Gareth wasn't betrayed? That it was all a mistake?
Alfred Baum: That's why one of us stabbed him. Because he was bringing such good news!