ASSIGNMENT Paris 1952
This Columbia Pictures production was released at the height of the "Red Scare" film cycle. This one stars Dana Andrews, George Sanders, Audrey Totter and the drop dead beautiful Marta Toren.
Andrews is a reporter based in Paris for the "New York Herald Tribune". His beat is looking into any dirty business involving the Red Bloc embassies. At the moment, the big deal is a Herald reporter that was grabbed up in Budapest. The man has been charged as an American spy and sentenced to 20 years. The commies have a confession on tape, though of course no one believes it.
Now the pretty Marta Toren shows, she is also a reporter for the Herald. Toren has just returned from covering the trial in Hungary. Andrews takes a liking to the woman, and is soon being a pest looking for a date etc. The man in charge of the Paris office is, George Sanders. He wants someone to go to Budapest and dig up some info for the newspaper. Andrews gets picked to do the assignment. He is also filling in for the man just convicted.
Needless to say the Reds are keeping a close eye on reporter Andrews. Of course none of the locals will talk to Andrews for fear of the Secret Police. (The Hungarian version of the NKVD was known to be particularly nasty)
Of course Andrews discovers what he needs to and sends out the info in a coded broadcast. This gets him collared by the Secret Police types. Andrews is now in for a series of "forceful" interviews and a spot of brainwashing. The Reds are really interested in the return of defector, Sandro Giglio. Giglio has some information that is most embarrassing to the leader of Hungary. A deal is made by Sanders for the return of the Andrews.
While the film is by no means a waste of time, I was expecting more from it.
The film has a somewhat rushed feel to it, as if hurried into production because of current headlines. The screenplay writer, William Bowers, and the director, Robert Parrish, had scored with their earlier films, the noir, THE MOB and CRY DANGER. This one is the weakest of the three.
Parrish was an actor turned film editor, turned director. He received two Oscar nominations, winning one for his editing of, BODY AND SOUL. Oscar type Burnett Guffey handled the cinematography duties. Guffey, was Oscar nominated 5 times, winning for BONNIE AND CLYDE and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
This Columbia Pictures production was released at the height of the "Red Scare" film cycle. This one stars Dana Andrews, George Sanders, Audrey Totter and the drop dead beautiful Marta Toren.
Andrews is a reporter based in Paris for the "New York Herald Tribune". His beat is looking into any dirty business involving the Red Bloc embassies. At the moment, the big deal is a Herald reporter that was grabbed up in Budapest. The man has been charged as an American spy and sentenced to 20 years. The commies have a confession on tape, though of course no one believes it.
Now the pretty Marta Toren shows, she is also a reporter for the Herald. Toren has just returned from covering the trial in Hungary. Andrews takes a liking to the woman, and is soon being a pest looking for a date etc. The man in charge of the Paris office is, George Sanders. He wants someone to go to Budapest and dig up some info for the newspaper. Andrews gets picked to do the assignment. He is also filling in for the man just convicted.
Needless to say the Reds are keeping a close eye on reporter Andrews. Of course none of the locals will talk to Andrews for fear of the Secret Police. (The Hungarian version of the NKVD was known to be particularly nasty)
Of course Andrews discovers what he needs to and sends out the info in a coded broadcast. This gets him collared by the Secret Police types. Andrews is now in for a series of "forceful" interviews and a spot of brainwashing. The Reds are really interested in the return of defector, Sandro Giglio. Giglio has some information that is most embarrassing to the leader of Hungary. A deal is made by Sanders for the return of the Andrews.
While the film is by no means a waste of time, I was expecting more from it.
The film has a somewhat rushed feel to it, as if hurried into production because of current headlines. The screenplay writer, William Bowers, and the director, Robert Parrish, had scored with their earlier films, the noir, THE MOB and CRY DANGER. This one is the weakest of the three.
Parrish was an actor turned film editor, turned director. He received two Oscar nominations, winning one for his editing of, BODY AND SOUL. Oscar type Burnett Guffey handled the cinematography duties. Guffey, was Oscar nominated 5 times, winning for BONNIE AND CLYDE and FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.