Hotel Reserve

Hotel Reserve
Original UK cinema poster
Directed by	Lance Comfort Mutz Greenbaum Victor Hanbury
Produced by	Lance Comfort Mutz Greenbaum Victor Hanbury
Screenplay by	John Davenport
Based on	Epitaph for a Spy  by Eric Ambler
Starring	James Mason Lucie Mannheim
Music by	Lennox Berkeley
Cinematography	Mutz Greenbaum
Edited by	Sidney Stone
Production company	RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release dates	June 1, 1944 (1944-06-01) (Premiere-London)[1] December 22, 1945 (1945-12-22) (U.S.)[1]
Running time	79-90 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Hotel Reserve is a 1944 spy film starring James Mason as an innocent man caught up in pre-Second World War espionage. It was based on Eric Ambler's novel Epitaph for a Spy. Unusually, it was both directed and produced by a trio: Lance Comfort, Mutz Greenbaum (credited as Max Greene) and Victor Hanbury.

Plot

In 1938, refugee Peter Vadassy (James Mason) decides to take a vacation at the Hotel Reserve to celebrate both his completion of medical school and his impending French citizenship. When he goes to pick up some photographs at the local pharmacy, he is taken away and questioned by Michel Beghin (Julien Mitchell) of French naval intelligence. When his negatives had been developed, some of them turned out to be of French military installations. It is discovered that while the camera is the same make as Peter's, the serial number is different. Peter is released on condition that he find out which other hotel guests have cameras like his.

Peter does some snooping and eavesdrops on a suspicious conversation between Paul Heimberger (Frederick Valk) and the hotel's proprietor, Madame Suzanne Koch (Lucie Mannheim). He searches Heimberger's room and finds several passports, all with different names and nationalities. Heimberger catches him in the act, but eventually matters are straightened out. Heimberger explains that he was originally a Social Democratic newspaper publisher who was anti-Nazi and been sent to a concentration camp for two years. After he was released, he joined an underground movement against the German regime.

Peter spots his camera in the pocket of a dressing-gown belonging to Odette Roux (Patricia Medina) and Andre (Herbert Lom), a couple on their honeymoon. Andre first tries to bribe Peter into giving him the negative and, when that fails, threatens him with a pistol. The police arrive at that moment and arrest Peter for espionage.

The Rouxs leave the hotel, but find Heimberger trying to disable the hotel's car. Andre shoots him dead and the couple speed off to Toulon, unaware that they are being tracked by the police. Beghin had known the identity of the spies all along and merely used Peter to further his true goal; to find out who the Rouxs are reporting to. The spy ring is captured. Andre gets away, but is caught on a roof by Peter. Andre slips and falls to his death.

Cast

• James Mason as Peter Vadassy
• Lucie Mannheim as Madame Suzanne Koch
• Raymond Lovell as Robert Duclos, a hotel guest given to exaggeration
• Julien Mitchell as Michel Beghin
• Herbert Lom as Andre Roux
• Martin Miller as Walter Vogel
• Clare Hamilton as Mary Skelton, a hotel guest who is attracted to Peter. A sister of Maureen O'Hara, her real name was Florrie Fitzsimons. This was her only film appearance.
• Frederick Valk as Emil Schimler, alias Paul Heimberger
• Victor Rietti as Restaurant owner (bit part)
• Patricia Medina as Odette Roux
• Anthony Shaw as Major Anthony Chandon-Hartley, a guest
• Laurence Hanray as Police Commissioner (as Lawrence Hanray)
• David Ward as Henri Asticot, a guest
• Valentine Dyall as Warren Skelton
• Joseph Almas as Albert, the waiter (as Josef Almas)
• Patricia Hayes as Woman
• Hella Kürty as Hilda Vogel
• Ivor Barnard as P. Molon, the pharmacist
• Ernst Ulman as Detective in Black Suit

References

External links

• Hotel Reserve at the Internet Movie Database
• Hotel Reserve at the TCM Movie Database