Fräulein Doktor (1969)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Alberto Lattuada

Writers:

Duilio Coletti (writer)
H.A.L. Craig (writer)

Release Date:

15 May 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Espionage... that begins with a kiss fires the fuse of the poison gas war.

Plot Keywords:

Espionage | Spy | Italy | WWI | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Suzy Kendall	...	Fraülein Doktor
Kenneth More	...	Col. Foreman
Capucine	...	Dr. Saforet
James Booth	...	Meyer
Alexander Knox	...	Gen. Peronne
Nigel Green	...	Col. Mathesius
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Atkinson	...	Maj. Rops
Virginia Bell	...	Dona Julia
Roberto Bisacco	...	Schell
Dusan Bulajic	...	Col. Delveaux
Bernard De Vries	...	Lt. Wilhelm von Oberdorff
Dusan Djuric	...	Aide to Ludendorff
Michael Elphick	...	Tom
Joan Geary	...	Landlady
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Hans Ruppert
Gérard Herter	...	Capt. Munster
Malcolm Ingram	...	Cartwright
Olivera Katarina	...	Marchioness de Haro (as Olivera Vuco)
Zoran Longinovic	...	Wounded English soldier
Milutin Micovic	...	Blondel (as Miki Micovic)
James Mishler	...	Gen. von Ludendorff
Silvia Monti	...	Margarita
György Nagyajtay	...	Chilean ambassador
Ralph Nossek	...	Lean agent
Mario Novelli	...	Sgt. Otto Latemar
Mihajlo-Bata Paskaljevic	...	Wounded English soldier
Adreina Paul	...	Dona Elena de Rivas
Kenneth Poitevin	...	Lt. Ernest Wiechert
Milivoje Popovic-Mavid	...	Chaplain
Maggie Rennie	...	Mrs. MacPherson
Ljubo Skiljevic
Neale Stainton	...	Sergeant
Aleksandar Stojkovic	...	Chemist
Colin Tapley	...	Gen. Metzler
Andréas Voutsinas
Janez Vrhovec	...	Belgian colonel
John Webb	...	Agent #1
Walter Williams	...	Gen. von Hindenburg

Also Known As:

Fraulein Doktor (USA)
Gospodjica Doktor - Spijunka bez imena (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
The Betrayal

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Italy | Yugoslavia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:M

Company:

Avala Film

Trivia:

Last film of Colin Tapley.

Make sure you tape this one!

I am not ordinarily a fan of spy thrillers because the spies always seem to live in their own world oblivious to the realities of the rest of the world around them. But this film shows for the first time a spy who sees first hand the results of her work. There is blood on her hands literally as well as symbolically. It is interesting that the one time we see a spy coming face to face with the realities of their handiwork, it is a woman who is the spy.

Like others have mentioned, the battlefield scenes contain some of the most horrific scenes of war carnage ever shot. Not since Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" has the futility and horror of battle been so profoundly depicted. No war was more futile and insane than the first world war, and the grisly images of melting skin and soldier's bodies spasming and writhing in agony are a perfect illustration of one of the biggest turning points in world history. War was no longer played according to rules or any standard of humanity. This is also poignantly shown in a scene when a German general reluctantly pins a medal on "Fraulein Doktor" because she'd killed Lord Kitchener and Kitchener had been a personal friend of his.

One has to put aside some of the 60s-style make-up and hairstyles, but most of the acting is very good and the whole movie will keep your attention all the way through to to the riveting climax. Id' rank this along with "Gallipoli", "Paths of Glory" and "King and Country" as one of the best WWI movies ever made. And to echo some of the other comments here.... I wish I had taped this!