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The Amateur (1981) More at IMDbPro »

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The Amateur (1981) -- Open-ended Trailer from Anchor Bay Entertainment

Overview

User Rating:
5.3/10   441 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Robert Littell (novel)
Robert Littell (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Amateur on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 February 1982 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The first 11 minutes will absolutely shock you. The last 11 minutes will rivet you to your seat. more
Plot:
A researcher for the CIA who convinces his superiors to send him to the eastern bloc in order to avenge... more | full synopsis
Awards:
10 nominations more
User Comments:
Spy story about a vendetta behind the Iron Curtain full of plot twists and thrills more (19 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

John Savage ... Charles Heller

Christopher Plummer ... Professor Lakos

Marthe Keller ... Elisabeth
Arthur Hill ... Brewer
Nicholas Campbell ... Schraeger
George Coe ... Rutledge
John Marley ... Molton
Jan Rubes ... Kaplan
Ed Lauter ... Anderson
Miguel Fernandes ... Botaro
Jan Triska ... Rodzenko
Graham Jarvis ... Porter
Jacques Godin ... Argus
Chapelle Jaffe ... Gretchen

Lynne Griffin ... Sarah
Vladimír Valenta ... Uncle Ludwig

Vlasta Vrana ... Guide
Neil Dainard ... Slater
Lee Broker ... Sharp-Eyed Man
Tedde Moore ... Newscaster
Maruska Stankova ... Eva Lakos
Iréna Mayeska ... Woman Clerk
George Buza ... Terrorist #4
George R. Robertson ... U.S. Consul
John Kerr ... CIA Security Guard
Guy Sanvido ... News Vendor
Robert Beatty ... Ambassador Neville
Walter Reyer ... Chancellor
Peter Wolsdorff ... General Felder
Henry Gomez ... Master Sergeant
Erin Noble ... Waitress (as Erin Flannery)
Lisa Schrage ... Teenage Girl #1
Susan Young ... Teenage Girl #2
Anthony Kramreither ... TV Director
Paul Reymont ... TV Technician
Midge Taylor ... Doorman (as Aubrey Taylor)
Roman Chabursky ... Busboy
Bob Lem ... Nakamura
Fred Culik ... Martin
Peter Langley ... Demolitions Expert
Harry Hornisch ... Watcher
Helmut Gräf ... Taxi Driver
Wally Bondarenko ... Czech Detective
Zdenek Gruner ... Czech Officer
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Directed by
Charles Jarrott 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Robert Littell  novel
Robert Littell  screenplay
Diana Maddox  writer

Produced by
Garth H. Drabinsky .... producer
Mario Kassar .... executive producer
Joel B. Michaels .... producer
Andrew G. Vajna .... executive producer (as Andrew Vajna)
 
Original Music by
Kenneth Wannberg 
 
Cinematography by
John Coquillon 
 
Film Editing by
Stephan Fanfara 
 
Production Design by
Trevor Williams 
 
Art Direction by
Richard Wilcox 
 
Set Decoration by
Rondi Johnson 
Steve Shewchuk 
 
Costume Design by
Suzanne Grace 
 
Makeup Department
Ken Brooke .... makeup artist
Margarete Ehringer .... hair stylist assistant: Vienna
Margarete Ehringer .... makeup assistant: Vienna
Patricia Green .... assistant makeup artist
James Keeler .... hair stylist
Albert Paradis .... assistant hair stylist
 
Production Management
Andreas Debowski .... assistant production manager: Vienna
Otto Boris Dworak .... production manager
Hannah Hempstead .... production supervisor: Vienna
Marilyn Stonehouse .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jon Anderson .... first assistant director
Gusti Brunjes-Goldschwendt .... assistant director: Vienna (as Gusti Brunjes)
Richard Halsey .... second unit director
Otta Hanus .... second assistant director
Robert Wertheimer .... third assistant director (as Bob Wertheimer)
 
Art Department
Guenter Bartlik .... scenic artist
John 'Frenchie' Berger .... property master (as John Berger)
Reinhard Binder .... prop assistant: Vienna
Richard Harrison .... draughtsman
Willi Holst .... head painter
Jiri Juda .... property buyer: Vienna
Denis Kirkham .... assistant set decorator
Herwig Libowitzky .... art director: Vienna
Ron MacMillan .... construction supervisor
John C. Rose .... assistant property master
 
Sound Department
Dennis Drummond .... sound effects editor
Wayne Griffin .... sound effects editor
Austin Grimaldi .... sound re-recording mixer
Joe Grimaldi .... sound re-recording mixer
Herb Heritage .... boom operator (as Herbert Heritage)
Michael O'Farrell .... sound effects editor
Dino Pigat .... sound re-recording mixer
Michael Rea .... assistant sound effects editor
Peter Shewchuk .... sound mixer
John Szoges .... assistant sound effects editor
Andy Malcolm .... foley artist (uncredited)
Don White .... foley recording mixer (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Michael Clifford .... special effects
Leland 'Bud' Fisher .... special effects
Gene Grigg .... special effects
 
Stunts
Robert Hannah .... stunt coordinator
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Crone .... Steadicam operator
John Davidson .... grip
James Devis .... camera operator: second unit
Tony Eldridge .... best boy
Norbert Erben .... electrician: Vienna
Ron Gillham .... key grip
Glen Goodchild .... best boy grip
Wayne Goodchild .... grip
Waldemar Haidinger .... electrician: Vienna
Peter Holba .... grip: Vienna
Chris Holmes .... gaffer
Sam Hughes .... electrician
Erich Kristufek .... gaffer: Vienna
Walter Lobarzewski .... electrician: Vienna
David A. Makin .... second assistant camera (as David Makin)
Richard G. Mason .... underwater camera operator
Anton Pfneisl .... electrician: Vienna
Herb Reischl Sr. .... generator operator
Eduard Richter .... grip: Vienna
Mike Rutter .... camera operator: second unit (as Michael Rutter)
Thom Ryan .... first assistant camera
Robert Saad .... underwater camera operator
John Spurrell .... electrician
Shin Sugino .... still photographer
Jimmy Turrell .... camera operator
Adolf Wazin .... generator operator
 
Casting Department
Michael Feinberg .... casting: USA (as Mike Feinberg)
Mike Fenton .... casting: USA
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lena Ilgisonis .... wardrobe assistant: Vienna
Aleida MacDonald .... wardrobe mistress
Nadia Ongaro .... wardrobe assistant
 
Editorial Department
Richard Halsey .... supervising editor
Bruce Lange .... assistant film editor
Marta Nielsen .... second assistant film editor
 
Music Department
Leonard A. Engel .... music mixer supervisor (as Len Engel)
Eric Tomlinson .... music recordist
Albert Woodbury .... orchestrator
 
Transportation Department
Bill Jackson .... transportation coordinator
 
Other crew
Michael Brownstone .... location manager
James Carruthers .... craft service
Victoria Eves .... production secretary: Washington D.C.
Lynda Friendly .... unit publicist
Isabelle Groote .... production assistant: Vienna
Gerda Haller .... production secretary: Vienna
Angela Heald .... production secretary
Joanne Jackson .... production accountant
Connie Josefs .... script researcher
Margo Ley .... assistant to director
Margaret Livingston .... executive assistant to producers
Suzanne Lore .... production coordinator
Lyn Lucibello .... production accountant
Carl Lawrence Ludwig .... production assistant: Vienna
Sandra Marley .... script supervisor (as Sandra Ulosevich Marley)
Patracian McCarthy .... assistant to producers
Heather McIntosh .... production controller
Stuart Neumann .... location manager: Washington D.C.
Tom Pinteric .... production assistant
Douy Swofford .... title designer
Lorraine Valentine .... production accountant
Rich Watts .... production assistant
Alan Zweig .... production assistant
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M | UK:15 | UK:AA (1981) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1982) | USA:R (Certificate #26475) | France:-12 | Norway:18 (1982) | Iceland:16

FAQ

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Spy story about a vendetta behind the Iron Curtain full of plot twists and thrills, 22 May 2009
6/10
Author: ma-cortes from Santander Spain

This spy/action/thriller concerns about a CIA computer analyst named Heller(John Savage) , when his girlfriend encounters traveling across Europe, she's suddenly kidnapped in an Embassy by a terrorist group , a Baader Mainhoff-alike, and is shot by the leader named Brewer (Nicholas Campbell). Then Heller seeks vengeance, and contacts to girlfriend's father(Jan Rubes). Later obligates his CIA superiors(Arthur Hill,George Coe), under threat blackmail(to publish it a journalist played by John Marley) , for becoming CIA camp agent trained by a veteran(Ed Lauter) and to send him to the Communist Bloc countries . In Czechoslovakia he unites forces to Cia agent(Marthe Keller) and is pursued by a contra-espionage chief(Christopher Plummer) in Praga. Meanwhile Heller investigates and aware a cobweb of lies underneath the company.

This exciting film gets tension, suspense, action ,mystery and a bit of violence, however sometimes in a little confused and embarrassing . Mediocre screenplay with some gaps by Robert Littell and based on his novel. The movie belongs to ¨Cold war genre¨ , whose maxim height were the John Le Carre novels and his various cinematic adaptations such as ¨The spy who came in freeze, The Kremlin letter and Russia House¨.Suspenseful musical score and colorful cinematography filmed in streets of Vienna(lookalike Praga) and interior scenarios shot in Canadian studios. The movie was a flop though is today better considered, in fact Leonard Matlin rated it as 'Bomb'. The motion picture is professionally directed by Charles Jarrot. He has an eclectic career as TV as cinema with a plethora of success(Anne of the thousands days, Mary of Scots) and failures at the box office(Condorman, Last flight of Noah's Ark, Amateur). Rating : Passable and acceptable.

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