The File of the Golden Goose

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The File of the Golden Goose
The-file-of-the-golden-goose-movie-poster-1969.jpg
Directed by Sam Wanamaker
Written by Robert E. Kent
Screenplay by John C. Higgins
Story byJohn C. Higgins
Produced by David E. Rose
Edward Small (executive) [1]
Starring
Narrated by Patrick Allen
Cinematography Ken Hodges
Edited by Oswald Hafenrichter
Music by Harry Robertson
Production
companies
Caralan Productions Ltd.
Dador Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release dates
  • June 1969 (1969-06)(UK)
  • October 2, 1969 (1969-10-02)(NYC)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The File of the Golden Goose is a 1969 British neo noir thriller film directed by Sam Wanamaker and starring Yul Brynner, Charles Gray and Edward Woodward. [2] [3] Its plot involves an American detective being sent to Britain to track down a major international criminal. [4]

Contents

It is a reworking of the 1947 American film noir T-Men , directed by Anthony Mann.

Plot summary

A trail of counterfeit hundred dollar bills has been discovered in several places around the world. When this comes to the attention of the United States Secret Service, they assign one of their top men, Pete Novak, to the case of finding out who is producing and distributing them.

Pete realizes that this is an assignment that demands his full attention, so he immediately breaks up with his girlfriend in preparation for the journey he must take. Before Pete can even begin his search, he is ambushed by a gang of hoodlums trying to shoot him down as they drive by outside his home. He concludes that the gang must have been tipped off by someone on the inside of the service about his new assignment. He manages to kill them, but discovers afterwards that the killers have accidentally shot and killed his ex-girlfriend in the process.

The killing of the girlfriend makes the whole assignment very personal for Pete. To begin the search for the counterfeit distributor, he travels across the Atlantic to London to visit Scotland Yard headquarters, since they are in charge of the counterfeit investigation in Europe. There, he meets up with Superintendent Sloane of the Yard, who arranges for him to be partnered by an investigator by the name of Arthur Thompson. Arthur is a very happily married jolly old copper, who manages to ignore all of Pete’s remarks about the inappropriateness of being a married man working as an agent or policeman.

Pete and Arthur start infiltrating the counterfeit organization, posing as members of the Golden Goose gang – a gang that has been all but erased from the face of the earth by the police. They use their fake identities to hide their undercover infiltration from the head of the illegal operation, "The Owl" Harrison, and are ultimately successful in stopping the counterfeit operation. [5]

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Absolutely routine thriller in which it is difficult to suppress yawns of boredom (and some twinges of embarrassment) as Yul Brynner slowly discovers the merits of togetherness. Although both he and Edward Woodward give thoroughly competent performances, and are ably supported by Charles Gray (a hedonistic villain) and Graham Crowden (a sadistic killer inseparable from his umbrella-knife), the film plods wearily homewards through an exceptionally uninteresting batch of fights, intrigues and sinister encounters." [6]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Incredibly predictable spy thriller which almost makes an eccentricity out of collecting so many clichés and so many tourist views of London. Len ten TV episodes cut together." [7]

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References

  1. "'Kremlin Letter' Set in Spring" Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 27 Aug 1968: d17.
  2. "The File of the Golden Goose". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  3. BFI.org
  4. Thompson, Howard (3 October 1969). "Spy Story: Golden Goose' Treads a Familiar Trail". New York Times. p. 34.
  5. "The File of the Golden Goose". DVDtalk.com. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  6. "The File of the Golden Goose". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 36 (420): 145. 1 January 1969 via ProQuest.
  7. Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 345. ISBN   0586088946.