''The Trygon Factor'' is a 1966 British-West German

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by

Cyril Frankel Cyril Solomon Israel Frankel (28 December 19217 June 2017) was a British film and television director. His career in television began in 1953 and he directed for over 30 TV programmes until 1990. He directed many episodes of popular British TV sho ...

and starring

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for ''The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for '' Vani ...

and

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...

. It is one of the

films based on works by Edgar Wallace Edgar Wallace (1875–1932) was a British novelist and playwright and screenwriter whose works have been adapted for the screen on many occasions. British adaptations His works were adapted for the silent screen as early as 1916, and continued ...

of the 1960s and its German title is ''Das Geheimnis der weißen Nonne''/ ''Mystery of the White Nun''. The film is based on the 1917

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

novel '' Kate Plus Ten''.

Plot

A Scotland Yard inspector is called to investigate a series of unsolved robberies. Inspector Cooper-Smith (Stewart Granger) arrives at the country manor of a respectable English family. He discovers Livia Emberday (Cathleen Nesbitt), the mistress of the house, has turned to crime in order to bolster the family's flagging fortunes. With assistance from an order of bogus nuns, stolen goods end up in the warehouse of Hamlyn (Robert Morley), purportedly a respectable businessman.

Cast

as Superintendent Cooper-Smith *

as Trudy Emberday *

as Hubert Hamlyn *

Cathleen Nesbitt Cathleen Nesbitt (born Kathleen Mary Nesbitt; 24 November 18882 August 1982) was an English actress. Biography Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire,Before 1 April 1974 Birkenhead was in Cheshire England to Thomas and Mary Catherine (née Parry) Nesb ...

as Livia Emberday * Brigitte Horney as Sister General *

Sophie Hardy Sophie Hardy is a French actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

as Sophie *

Diane Clare Diane Clare (born Diane Dirsztay; 8 July 1938 – 21 June 2013) was an English film and television actress. Career Clare started acting at a very young age playing uncredited baby parts in films such as ''The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'' and ' ...

as Clare O'Connor (Sister Clare) *

James Robertson Justice James Robertson Justice (15 June 1907 – 2 July 1975) was a British actor. He is best remembered for portraying pompous authority figures in comedies including each of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series. He also co-starred with Grego ...

as Sir John (voice: English version) *

Siegfried Schürenberg Siegfried Schürenberg (12 January 1900 – 31 August 1993) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1933 and 1974. He was born in Detmold, Germany and died in Berlin, Germany in 1993, at age 93. Although he never p ...

as Sir John – German Version *

Eddi Arent Gebhardt Georg Arendt (5 May 1925 – 28 May 2013) was a German actor, cabaret artist and comedian. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1956 and 2002. He was born in Danzig, Free City of Danzig (present-day Gdańsk, Poland) and died in ...

as Emil Clossen *

James Culliford James Culliford (8 September 1927 – 23 March 2002) was a British actor on stage, film and television. Culliford was badly burned in a motoring accident that left the right side of his face partly disfigured. He met his life partner, the acto ...

as Luke Emberday *

Allan Cuthbertson Allan Darling Cuthbertson (7 April 1920 – 8 February 1988) was an Australian-born British actor. He was best known for playing stern-faced military officers in British films of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Cuthbertson was born in Perth, W ...

as Detective Thompson *

Colin Gordon Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor born in Ceylon. Biography He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ Church, Oxford. He made his first West End appearance in 1934 as the hind legs of a horse in a ...

as Dice *

Caroline Blakiston Caroline Georgiana Blakiston (born 13 February 1933) is an English actress. She is best known in her native United Kingdom for her role in the television comedy series ''Brass'', to international audiences as Mon Mothma in the ''Star Wars'' film ...

as White Nun * Richardina Jackson as Black Nun

Release

The film premiered in West Germany on 16 December 1966.

Critical reception

The Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'' called it a "farcical British crime drama"; ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' noted, "a complicated Scotland Yard whodunit which the spectator will find taxing to follow...Script is pocketed with story loopholes and attempts to confuse, plus certain motivations and bits of business impossible to fathom. Granger still makes a good impression"; while ''

Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...

'' wrote, "there are plenty of twists in the storyline of this often complex mystery feature." Cast member Susan Hampshire called the film "another B picture. Very often I did films because of tax demands" and said Stewart Granger had a big ego, but felt "we had a very interesting director in that film, Cyril Frankley, and I think it was one of the best acting performances I've ever given."Brian MacFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', Methuen 1997 p 278

Soundtrack

The soundtrack composed by Peter Thomas was released in 1968 on a library LP (production music) "Jazz Graphics / The Spy Set" - KPM 1042 without any reference to the film. The LP is currently available as Online release - again without any reference to the film. Parts of the soundtrack can be found on the CD "Kriminalfilmmusik - Peter Thomas", BSC Musik GmbH (2000).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trygon Factor, The 1966 films 1960s crime thriller films 1960s heist films British crime thriller films British heist films German crime thriller films West German films English-language German films Films based on British novels Films based on works by Edgar Wallace Films directed by Cyril Frankel Films set in country houses Works set in monasteries Constantin Film films 1960s British films 1960s German films