5 Fingers

James Mason is superb as a mercenary valet to Britain's ambassador to Turkey during World War II in this smart 1952 espionage thriller directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. A career servant to the titled classes of Europe, Mason's Ulysses Diello decides to make his fortune selling British military secrets to the Germans, enlisting a penniless French countess he once served, Anna Staviska (Danielle Darrieux), to help him hide his money and provide a safe house. The story is based on real events but fictionalizes the main character, who is given the code name Cicero by the Germans, and turned into a bitter, resentful man determined to break through class barriers and enter the old world of European high society. The direction is low key, with a focus on the culture of war-time Ankara (Turkey did not choose sides, and Allied and Axis powers both maintained a presence in the city). Mason exudes smooth arrogance and cynicism, while Darrieux schemes under a front of practiced social elegance—neither of them committed to anything but themselves. Released as part of Fox's manufacture-on-demand line of DVD-R releases, this is adequately mastered from a good-quality print with a clean (if soft) black-and white-image. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)