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Movies / On DVD / Topaz
Topaz

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Topaz (1969)

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71 %
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Reviews Counted:17

Fresh:12

Rotten:5

Average Rating:6.4/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: Alfred Hitchcock adapted this political thriller from Leon Uris's dense, complex spy novel, loosely based on actual events in the life of French spy Philippe de Vosjoli. The title, TOPAZ, refers... Alfred Hitchcock adapted this political thriller from Leon Uris's dense, complex spy novel, loosely based on actual events in the life of French spy Philippe de Vosjoli. The title, TOPAZ, refers not to the stone but to the Topaz Group, a nefarious band of French spies. Traveling through Cuba, Denmark, New York, and Virginia, among other locations, Hitchcock's tale tells of a Soviet scientist's defection that sparks an international furor extending way beyond the act itself. The story begins with American CIA agent Michael Nordstrom (John Forsythe), who is instrumental in uncovering Russian plans to place missiles in Cuba. For confirmation he turns to French agent Andre Devereaux (Frederick Stafford), who travels to Cuba to gather information. In the process, he discovers evidence of a shocking betrayal. The conclusion of the film is one of four endings Hitchcock filmed. This was one of two cold war-themed films directed by Hitchcock at the urging of his studio, the other being TORN CURTAIN. [More]

Starring: John Forsythe, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli, Frederick Stafford

Starring: John Forsythe, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli, Frederick Stafford, John Vernon, Dany Robin, Karin Dor, Claude Jade

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Samuel Taylor
Composer: Maurice Jarre

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Topaz

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1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/01/05
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
06/12/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
06/23/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

Hitchcock’s notorious reliance on stock footage and his affection for blue screening rather than adding veracity or contributing to the artifice of the filmmaking process, make it seem like his heart isn’t really in it.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
03/27/01
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
02/18/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Not Hitchcock's best work, but Hitchcock nevertheless.

comment Comment
10/05/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/16/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
01/29/04
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
EnPrimeur.ca

No review available.

comment Comment
11/14/02
Adam Nayman
Adam Nayman
eye WEEKLY

Rather tedious Hitchcock, but still heads above most suspensers.

comment Comment
10/16/04
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

No review available.

comment Comment
09/02/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

Possibly Hitchcock's worst movie. A crashing bore.

comment Comment
11/06/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/15/04
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Topaz is not only most entertaining. It is, like so many Hitchcock films, a cautionary fable by one of the most moral cynics of our time.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
05/08/05
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

The muddled Samuel Taylor screenplay smelled so bad I wouldn't wrap fish in it.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/10/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Not Alfred Hitchcock at his best.

comment Comment
08/02/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
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