The Two Headed Spy
| The Two-Headed Spy | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Andre DeToth |
| Produced by | Bill Kirby |
| Written by | J. Alvin Kugelmass Michael Wilson (originally credited as "James O'Donnell") Alfred Levitt (uncredited) |
| Starring |
Jack Hawkins Gia Scala Erik Schumann Alexander Knox |
| Music by | Gerard Schurmann |
| Cinematography | Ted Scaife |
| Edited by | Raymond Poulton |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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17 November 1958 (UK) 2 March 1959 (US) |
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Running time
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93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Two-Headed Spy is a 1958 British spy thriller, with elements of film noir, set in the Second World War, and directed by Andre DeToth. It starred Jack Hawkins, Gia Scala, Erik Schumann and Alexander Knox. The film was based on a story by J. Alvin Kugelmass called Britain's Two-Headed Spy and is notable for having been scripted by blacklisted writers.
The story commences in 1939. Alex Schottland (Jack Hawkins), a general in the German Army, is actually a British agent who was planted in Germany toward the end of the First World War. He is growing weary of being a spy, but is urged to continue by his friend and fellow British agent, Cornaz (Felix Aylmer), who is posing as a watchmaker.
Schottland passes on information that Germany is about to attack Russia. Capt. Reinisch (Erik Schumann), Schottland's suspicious aide, discovers that Schottland has changed his name from Scotland and is of British ancestry. However, his superiors scoff at the possibility that Schottland is a spy. To deflect suspicion, Schottland says that "defeatists" in the high command have been leaking information to the enemy.
Cornaz is arrested after their courier to the British is arrested. Schottland, as a customer at the watchmaker's shop, is summoned to headquarters for questioning. There Schottland is forced to watch impassively as Gestapo officer Müller (Alexander Knox) tortures Cornaz to death in a gruesome scene, in which a fire hose is used to force water into Cornaz's bowels.
Schottland is arrested but soon released because of intervention by a high-ranking Nazi, Ernst Kaltenbrunner. Cornaz's replacement is Lili Geyr (Gia Scala), an attractive pianist. He pretends to be having an affair with Geyr while actually giving her information. That antagonizes Reinisch, who is in love with Geyr. Schottland is ordered to the front, and shoots a corporal who interrupts him broadcasting information to the Allies. Schottland returns to Berlin, and, now unable to transmit important information, has decided to resort to sabotage. He begins to cunningly trick Hitler into making strategic military blunders.
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Wikipedia