The File on Devlin

The File on Devlin is a 1969 American TV film for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, and was directed by George Schaefer. It was based on a novel by Catherine Gaskin.

Plot

The film follows a young woman drawn into Cold War intrigue after her father, a Nobel Prize-winning author, disappears while travelling near the Russian border. Left in possession of his unfinished manuscript, she becomes embroiled in a dispute over the work with her estranged stepmother and attracts the attention of a journalist whose motives are unclear. She soon discovers that the manuscript has attracted the interest of intelligence agencies from several countries, making it difficult to know whom she can trust.

Cast

Production

The novel was published in 1965.

George Schaefer had just directed the feature film Pendulum. He called the film "an old fashioned spy story with a mysterious disappearance, an old castle, dark corridors and secret passages, great fun."

Elizabeth Ashley made it after having been retired for five years. Rehearsals started in July 1969, and it was mostly shot in the studio with two days location.

Reception

One review called it "a thriller that thrilled indifferently." The New York Times called it "an overstuffed, improbable bit of claptrap without suspense, wit or intelligence."

References

  1. ↑ The Red and the Green. By Iris Murdoch. The Sioux. By Irene Handl. All the Rest Have Died. By Bill Gunn. Nice Try. By Thomas Baird. The File on Devlin. By Catherin Gaskin. Pretty Tales for Tired People. By Martha Gellhorn. The Stronghold. By Meyer Levin (Book Review) GALLOWAY, DAVID D.... The Spectator; London Vol. 215, Iss. 7165, (Oct 22, 1965): 520.
  2. 1 2 Wheeler Dealer in Return to TV Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 30 July 1969: d16.
  3. ↑ Elizabeth Ashley Returns to Acting Los Angeles Times 21 Nov 1969: d25.
  4. ↑ McCallum Set for TV Drama Los Angeles Times 18 July 1969: d16.
  5. ↑ Viewing things By John Beaufort. The Christian Science Monitor 31 Jan 1970: 6.
  6. ↑ TV: 'Mirror, Mirror' Is a Reflection on Success By GEORGE GENT. New York Times 22 Nov 1969: 75.