Topaz

Topaz (1969) starring John Forsythe, Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, John Vernon. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Pretty lame entry from Hitchcock has Forsythe as American spy and Stafford as French spy; they uncover early indications of Cuban missile crisis in 1962. A lot of the action takes place in France, as Stafford tries to sniff out upper-level Soviet spy ring called Topaz. Unfortunately, Hitchcock makes no effort to make us feel like the French speak French, and it gives the film an inauthentic feel. That, plus the weak script and wishy-washy ending left me feeling cheated. (The film on disc has good subtitles for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: C+