I knew the gimmick in "The Thief" because the actress "introduced" in the film, the gorgeous Rita Gam, was a friend of mine.
This is an interesting film because it's silent all the way through. Milland plays Dr. Allan Fields, a scientist with the Atomic Energy Commission, who has been selling secrets to the Russians. We see Milland photographing documents and slipping the film to someone who slips it to someone else, etc.
Fields doesn't seem particularly happy to be doing this, so one wonders why he is - and a poster came up with a brilliant thought which I'll get into later. Anyway, Fields' phone rings constantly but he never answers it. Is it a coded message or doesn't he want to talk to these people? We don't know.
One day, one of the messengers with the film is hit by a car. The police retrieve the film, and soon, the FBI is investigating everyone from the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington.
Fields goes to a safe house of sorts, where he receives a passport and clothes, but he must wait for a signal and instructions. In the meantime, he meets one of his neighbors, a leggy brunette (Gam) who, even in silence, makes it very clear that she'd like a good time.
The theory one reviewer had is that the Russians are blackmailing the Milland character because he's gay. The proof for the reviewer is that he doesn't seem to want Gam. No way of knowing - he could have been wary of any involvement as well.
This was a feature film that ran 86 minutes, so I suppose they really couldn't cut it. But it does get a little tiring, with Fields going in and out of his apartment, passing film around, etc.
Martin Gabel plays one of the messengers. Rita Gam is positively stunning, very similar to Ava Gardner - I believe she was hired by MGM as a threat to Gardner. Hollywood really wasn't for her. She eventually returned to her theater roots, and later became a producer and an author of several books.
Certainly worth checking out. A very good performance by Milland, who seems as beaten down as he did in The Lost Weekend, and walking the same New York streets. The locations for those of us from New York City are fun to see.
This is an interesting film because it's silent all the way through. Milland plays Dr. Allan Fields, a scientist with the Atomic Energy Commission, who has been selling secrets to the Russians. We see Milland photographing documents and slipping the film to someone who slips it to someone else, etc.
Fields doesn't seem particularly happy to be doing this, so one wonders why he is - and a poster came up with a brilliant thought which I'll get into later. Anyway, Fields' phone rings constantly but he never answers it. Is it a coded message or doesn't he want to talk to these people? We don't know.
One day, one of the messengers with the film is hit by a car. The police retrieve the film, and soon, the FBI is investigating everyone from the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington.
Fields goes to a safe house of sorts, where he receives a passport and clothes, but he must wait for a signal and instructions. In the meantime, he meets one of his neighbors, a leggy brunette (Gam) who, even in silence, makes it very clear that she'd like a good time.
The theory one reviewer had is that the Russians are blackmailing the Milland character because he's gay. The proof for the reviewer is that he doesn't seem to want Gam. No way of knowing - he could have been wary of any involvement as well.
This was a feature film that ran 86 minutes, so I suppose they really couldn't cut it. But it does get a little tiring, with Fields going in and out of his apartment, passing film around, etc.
Martin Gabel plays one of the messengers. Rita Gam is positively stunning, very similar to Ava Gardner - I believe she was hired by MGM as a threat to Gardner. Hollywood really wasn't for her. She eventually returned to her theater roots, and later became a producer and an author of several books.
Certainly worth checking out. A very good performance by Milland, who seems as beaten down as he did in The Lost Weekend, and walking the same New York streets. The locations for those of us from New York City are fun to see.