5 Fingers

"The true story of the most fabulous spy of all time!"

1952 1h 48m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 106

ThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During WWII, the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.

“The true story of the most fabulous spy of all time!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

James Mason
Ulysses Diello
Danielle Darrieux
Condesa Anna Staviska
Michael Rennie
Colin Travers
Walter Hampden
Sir Frederic Taylor
Oskar Karlweis
L. C. Moyzisch
Herbert Berghof
Col. von Richter
John Wengraf
Count Franz Von Papen
Ben Astar
Siebert

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writers: Michael Wilson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

74 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, shot by Norbert Brodine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

James Mason and Danielle Darrieux and Michael Rennie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The true story of the most fabulous spy of all time!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044314 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joseph L. Mankiewicz directs. Norbert Brodine behind the camera. Bernard Herrmann scores. James B. Clark cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

174 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, shot by Norbert Brodine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Bernard Herrmann. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor James B. Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5James Mason and Danielle Darrieux and Michael Rennie carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The true story of the most fabulous spy of all time!".
7IMDB entry: tt0044314 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Norbert Brodine
Original score: Bernard Herrmann
Editing: James B. Clark
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: 5 Fingers (1952)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-09-11
★ 7/10
James Mason ("Diello") is great in this superior WWII espionage story. He portrays the ostensibly obliging valet to the British Ambassador in Turkey. He has a bit of a sideline in secrets, though, and when he hooks up with the recently penniless Polish "Countess Anna" (Danielle Darrieux) to launder the ill-gotten gains, he begins to proceed with his cunning plan: to amass enough funds from the Nazis to retire to a millionaire's lifestyle in South America. When the British start to suspect, they bring Michael Rennie ("Travers") out from London to investigate. Not only does this put pressure on our treacherous friend, but when his partner absconds with all of the loot he has to think fast to survive... The story begins with a question in Parliament about the authenticity of a newspaper article suggesting this fantastic plot, so there is some truth to it. Add to that, the fact that the Nazis were so keen to get the information, but not trusting enough of their source to actually use and it gives our story an extra potency, too. Mason injects quite a bit of panache into his likeable, if totally duplicitous, character and the remainder of the tightly-knitted cast keep the pot boiling really well. Joseph Mankiewicz took the production to Istanbul which, again, assists with the realism of this really quite gripping drama with a suitably fitting conclusion. It's good, this film!

Production companies