Telefon ** (1977, Charles Bronson, Lee Remick, Donald Pleasence, Tyne Daly, Alan Badel, Patrick Magee, Sheree North) – Classic Movie Review 6783

Director Don Siegel’s far-fetched and feeble 1977 spy thriller, based on Walter Wager’s 1975 novel, stars Charles Bronson as a KGB agent called Major Grigori Borzov, who is sent to stop programmed Russian spies from blowing up America, and Lee Remick plays Barbara, the single CIA agent he has got to help him. Bronson as a KGB agent? Mmm!

Donald Pleasence also stars as psychotic rogue Stalinist Nikolai Dalchimsky, a KGB headquarters clerk, who travels to America with the Telefon Book containing the names, addresses and phone numbers of all the sleeper agents, and one by one activates the Russian ‘sleepers’, hypnotised saboteurs planted years earlier, via Telefon.

It also stars Tyne Daly as Dorothy Putterman, Alan Badel as Colonel Malchenko, Patrick Magee as General Strelsky and Sheree North as Marie Wills.

Telefon is a disappointing and unconvincing thriller from Siegel who had carved out a commendable niche in this genre. There is virtually no real suspense or pace, and the hypnotised human bomb plot is truly naff. However, there are some action thrills and decent performances to keep the movie going at a low level of engagement. It could be enjoyed just for the vintage cast.

In cinema screenings, the microphone boom makes regular appearances at the top of the screen as an unwanted visitor. Siegel replaced original director Peter Hyams, who co-scripts with Stirling Silliphant. There is some formidable talent involved for such mediocre results.

Lee Remick: ‘He’ll bite me!’

Also in the cast are Frank Marth as Harley Sandburg, John Mitchum as Harry Bascom, Ed Bakey as Carl Hassler, Hank Brandt as William Enders, Åke Lindman as Lieutenant Alexandrov, Ansa Ikonen as Dalchimsky’s mother, Kathleen O’Malley as Mrs Maloney, Michael Byrne as a Soviet military officer and Ville-Veikko Salminen as a Russian steward.

Telefon is directed by Don Siegel, runs 102 minutes, is released by MGM, is written by Peter Hyams and Stirling Silliphant, is shot in widescreen and Metrocolor by Michael Butler, is produced by James B Harris and scored by Lalo Schifrin.

Charles Bronson stars as a KGB agent called Major Grigori Borzov

It was largely shot at Great Falls, Montana, and on the MGM Hollywood backlot, standing in for Houston. 5 Embarcadero Center in San Francisco (also used three years earlier in The Towering Inferno) stands in for the Houston Hyatt Regency. There was also shooting in Finland, hence Finnish actors like Ansa Ikonen.

Siegel said Remick was terrified of Bronson. When Siegel asked her to touch Bronson’s face for a shot, she replied: ‘I don’t dare. He’ll bite me!’

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6783

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