THE HOLCROFT COVENANT
US, 1985, 112 minutes, Colour.
Michael Caine, Anthony Andrews, Victoria Tennant, Lilli Palmer, Mario Adorf, Bernard Hepton.
Directed by John Frankenheimer.
The Holcroft Covenant is based on the bestseller by Robert Ludlum. Ludlum's The Osterman Weekend had been filmed by Sam Peckinpah. The Bourne Identity had been filmed as a miniseries.
The two films, however, show how difficult it is to encompass Ludlum's conspiracy plots in the space of a film's screenplay. This, despite the quality of the writers: George Axelrod, Edward Anhalt and John Hopkins. Direction is by John Frankenheimer who made such exciting thrillers in the '60s as The Manchurian Candidate and Seven Days in May as well as The French Connection Part 2 in the '70s.
The film has an offbeat cast led by Michael Caine with Lilli Palmer as his mother. Anthony Andrews is a suave villain though Mario Adorf strains credibility.
There are plots and counterplots but what is fascinating to read, proves somewhat disconcerting and confused as well as over-paced on the screen.
1. The popularity of Robert Ludlum's novels? The imagination about conspiracies? The intertangled webs? World conspiracies?
2. An adaptation and simplification of the novel for the screen? How satisfactory a version of the novel, interest, entertainment?
3. The European flavour of the film? international flavour? British locations, Geneva, Germany, the United States? Musical score?
4. The prologue and its mood: the Nazis at the end of the Third Reich? The money? The banker? Their toast to their children and the future? Their deaths? Mystery and suspense? the sepia tones of this prologue?
5. Michael Caine as Joel Holcroft: New York architect, his jobs, the news about the money, his visit to Geneva and its speed, the impact of the information? The death of Baldwin in his apartment? Phone messages? His visit to his mother and her interpretation? The murder attempt in New York? The arrival of Leighton and his information? His visit to Oberst? The accusation of being a Neo-Nazi? The encounter with Helden? His infatuation with her? The whirl of the news, the moving from country to country, the time space? Audience sharing the impact?
6. The focus on Helden and her being the daughter of one of the Nazis? The tests, the cars, wigs? The visit to Oberst? The decisions? Meetings? Her relationship with her brother? Tennyson and the riot? Goals? The encounter with Maas and his conducting the music? The atmosphere ot Berlin, deaths, the sleazy atmosphere? and his plan? Holcroft visiting Oberst and finding his mother? The deaths? Leighton and the revelation of the truth about Tennyson and Helden? His manoeuvring the situation? The press conference, the fight, Helden's death? Ambitions and disillusionment?
7. Johann Tennyson as pleasant, mysterious journalist, smooth style, signs, ambitions? His ruthless killing of Oberst and Holcroft’s mother? The list? The playback? Helden and her relationship with her brother? The signing and the fight? Tennyson and his ambitions to be a neo-Hitler?
8. Maas and his music, the contract to kill Holcroft’s mother? Sensitive and cruel? The signing of the document?
9. Leighton and his British style, his protection? The relationship with Oberst? Anti Nazi? Death?
10. Holcroft's mother, her divorce, her living in America, shop and its destruction? Her history? Her love for her son? The visit to Oberst? Her death?
11. Manfredi and the money? The world of bankers, money and spies? The build-up to the press conference, the media?
12. Neo-Nazis: the credibility of' the covenant, the conspiracy, the concealing of the plan? .Nazi hunters? Heroics? The credibility of the final press conference and foiling of the plot?
13. The implications of such gigantic conspiracies? The diabolical in the world? Matching conspiracies in history and real life? The foiling of such conspiracies? individuals and their heroism?
