The Man Who Never Was (1956)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Ewen Montagu (book)
Nigel Balchin (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 May 1956 (France)

Genre:

War | Drama

Tagline:

The most fiendish plot ever conceived! The most amazing "human being" ever created! The most diabolical phantom--

Plot:

True story of a British attempt to trick the enemy into weakening Sicily's defenses before the 1943 attack, using a dead man with faked papers.

Plot Keywords:

Dead Body | Spain | False Identity | Air Raid | Europe

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Clifton Webb	...	Lt. Cmdr. Ewen Montagu
Gloria Grahame	...	Lucy Sherwood
Robert Flemyng	...	Lt. George Acres
Josephine Griffin	...	Pam
Stephen Boyd	...	Patrick O'Reilly
Laurence Naismith	...	Adm. Cross
Geoffrey Keen	...	Gen. Nye
Moultrie Kelsall	...	The Father
Cyril Cusack	...	Taxi driver
André Morell	...	Sir Bernard Spilsbury
Michael Hordern	...	Gen. Coburn
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Vice-Admiral
Joan Hickson	...	Landlady
Terence Longdon	...	Larry (as Terence Longden)
Gibb McLaughlin	...	Club porter

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK

Language:

German | Latin | English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

West Germany:12 | UK:U | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved

Company:

Sumar Productions

Trivia:

Stephen Boyd was cast at short notice as the German spy after the original choice dropped out.

Goofs:

Continuity: The British submarine that releases the corpse of "Major Martin" is completely dry immediately after it surfaces from the ocean depths.

Quotes:

Voiceover in pre-credits sequence: Last night I dreamed a deadly dream / Beyond the Isle of Skye / I saw a dead man win a fight / And I think that man was I.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Back to the Beach (1987)

Soundtrack:

Bless 'em All

Fascinating Sleeper!

While I am old enough to have seen many of Clifton Webb's movies, I had never heard of this one. We found it in a video store display. i am delighted to have bought it. The story was streamlined, and well told. No wasted or unnecessary subplots. It was much more intrigue than a usual war movie, and clearly a suspenseful tale. The fact that it is true, only adds to the enjoyment. In spite of it's age, it holds up well. The acting is quite sincere and believable. Gloria Grahame is in one of her best roles. The English cast was mostly unfamiliar, but well chosen. Great and moving ending. I would put as a must see for any WWII or history buff. Most women will sympathize, and not too gory or bloody. But still will appeal to men for the suspense.