Topaz

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Luke S Apr 5, 2019 Is Topaz (1969) Alfred Hitchcock's worst movie? I suspect there were bad films in his early silent days but this does represent a turn for the worse after so many great films in the previous decades (I'll have to rewatch Torn Curtain, 1966, soon). Hitch inexplicably gave the lead, French spy Andre Devereaux, to Frederick Stafford, who comes across rather like a wooden Roger Moore â" so all the good acting happens around him (especially in the third act in Paris where Michel Piccoli and Philippe Noiret appear). Leon Uris's novel may have been foisted upon Hitchcock but Uris himself soon left the project and Hitch and Vertigo writer Samuel Taylor apparently wrote the script on the fly. Maybe it shows â" the film feels very long (with its three acts taking place in America, Cuba, and France) and some of its plot mechanics feel abrupt. Perhaps that's because Hitchcock never seems to care much about the MacGuffin (the secrets about the Russian nuclear missiles in Cuba) â" as usual, it's just a device to allow him to build suspense. However, there isn't a lot of suspense here. Perhaps we worry that Devereaux's contact (and mistress) in Cuba will be caught â" but we don't get much of a chance to know her (and during that time we are dismayed that Devereaux is cheating on his wife, spoiling his good guy image). Perhaps we are invested in finding out who Columbine is (the French diplomat working for the Russians) but it takes a long time to get to Paris and the possible suspects aren't introduced until that third act. Nevertheless, this is still Hitchcock and he is still a masterful director. Just watching how he sets up his shots, edits efficiently to provide maximum information to the viewer, and, of course, dazzles with some trick shots (Karin Dor collapsing into her purple dress) is worth the price of admission. Just don't expect anything on par with Vertigo, Rear Window, Notorious, Psycho, or even Marnie (1964). See more

George P Sep 22, 2018 Topaz is like a James Bond film made for bureaucrats. The dry plot is told through dull performances by uninteresting characters, all while lacking Hitchcock's trademark wit and suspense. I wonder if anyone truly enjoys this movie. See more

Theodore R Jul 10, 2018 Topaz is well shot and acted with good dialogue too. However, it entirely fails as a thriller as it lacks in suspense, danger and palpable tension. The movie's also tremendously boring owing to its slow pace and uneventful story. It's a surprising misfire from Hitchcock. See more

Hagrid P Feb 17, 2018 Perhaps the least satisfying of Hitchcock's movies 'Topaz' is a great film sabotaged by lackluster casting and a truly awful score from Maurice Jarre. How this film misses Bernard Herrmann's urgent strings and sense of menace. Jarre had done amazing work with David Lean, but this marked a dramatic slide into mediocrity. All of Hitchcock's skill behind the camera is undone by the jarring soundtrack. A case of 'what might have been'. See more

Anakin R Jan 14, 2018 More complicated than thrilling or suspenseful, generally a step backward for Hitchcock.

Poe P Nov 3, 2017 Topaz should appeal to those who like intricate, Cold War spy thrillers, but not to those who prefer action. It is one of Hitchcock's weaker efforts, at the end of his career. The biggest problem seems to come from trying to stuff so much from Leon Uris' big novel into a standard-length film. It is clunky at times and, while sustaining an interesting level of suspense, does not sustain dramatic interest nor rise to the dramatic occasions that the story presents. There are some excellent scenes, but some pedestrian ones as well. While watching the film it occurred to me that some of Hitchcock's techniques that had worked so well in earlier years seemed to fall flat. And does anybody know why he declined to use box-office stars in the film? Forsythe, Piccoli and Noiret are excellent, but in rather small roles. See more

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Topaz

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