Topaz (1969)
Frederic Stafford, John Forsythe, Dany Robin; d. Alfred Hitchcock; B

It is easy to dismiss Topaz as being a "dissapointment" from Hitchcock. Now, and even when it was released in theaters, people have (or had) certain expectations from Hitchcock and his films, and when one of his films does not, or did not, meet those expectations, it is and was considered a "failure" by the director. Unfortunatley, for too many people, these expectations are that Hitchcock's films be full of suspense, tension, fear, romance, humor, and artistry as well as these films be entertaining. It's perfectly fine to want these things in his films, however some of his good films have been dismissed because of this, and Topaz is one of them.

Topaz is an interconnecting story of espionage, romance, affairs, and betrayal. Several different stories told in four different countries during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, involving different characters, all of who are, in some way or the other, connected to one French spy, Andre Devereaux (Frederic Stafford). An interesting and engaging espionage film, it focuses on the lives of Devereaux, his family and the spies he works with. Almost all of these characters are caught, either by the camera or by another character, in the act of betrayal. A Russian government official betrays his country by defecting to America. Andre betrays his wife Nicole (Dany Robin) by having an affair with a Cuban woman (Karin Dor). The Cuban woman betrays her country by giving out information about Russian missiles in Cuba to the United States, and at the same time betrays her other lover and landlord, a high official in the Cuban government. Each of the characters' lives are effected, mostly negatively, by these betrayals. The only characters who are not caught in the act of betrayl are Andre's daughter and American contact Michael Norstrom (John Forsythe, making his second appearance in a Hitchcock film since The Trouble With Harry). This film is brilliant in its observance of its characters, all of who are well-written, three dementional characters. All actors do a good job in their roles despite the fact that some forget which nationality their characters are. The film should also be recognized for its beautiful cinematography and score, dream-like in feel which adds to the film's "anything can, and does, happen" theme. The scene that shows these the best would be the famous scene in which Karin Dor is murdered.

The thing that kills Topaz, though, is that Alfred Hitchcock's name is attatched to it. As I said before, the name Hitchcock does come with excessive baggage. Hitchcock was a prisoner of his own success, and any movie that strayed out of his usual offerings was considered a failure. This is the case with Topaz. Being an espionage thriller, it is held up in comparison to films like North By Northwest and Notorious, an unfair comparison at that. In my opinion, Topaz is a film unto itself, despite the fact that it is directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is simply rediculous to throw out this film because it's not "Hitchcockian". Topaz is an espionage film, a good and entertaining one at that, and that's all it should be considered, legendary director or no legendary director.

© Vert A Go Go Reviews 2000