Conspirator (1949 film)

Conspirator is a 1949 American-British film noir, suspense, espionage, and thriller film directed by Victor Saville and starring Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor. Based on the 1948 novel Conspirator by Humphrey Slater, the film is about a beautiful 18-year-old American woman who meets and falls in love with one of a British Guards, an officer who turns out to be a spy for the Soviet Union. After they are married, she discovers his true identity and forces him to choose between his marriage and his ideology. When his Soviet handlers order him to murder his young American wife, he is faced with the ultimate choice. The film was made for distribution by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Conspirator
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVictor Saville
Produced byArthur Hornblow Jr.
Written bySally Benson
Gerard Fairlie
Screenplay bySally Benson
Based onConspirator
1948 novel
by Humphrey Slater
Starring
Music byJohn Wooldridge
CinematographyFreddie Young
Edited byFrank Clarke
Production
company
Distributed byMGM
Release date
  • 9 December 1949 (1949-12-09) (UK)
  • 24 March 1950 (1950-03-24) (USA)
Running time
87 minutes
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,832,000[1]
Box office$1,591,000[1]

The film created some controversy over the age difference between Robert Taylor, who was in his late 30s, and Elizabeth Taylor, who was only 16 at the time of production. The producers were careful to cut mentions in the film of the British traitors during the Second World War, such as John Amery and Norman Baillie-Stewart, out of fear of litigation by their families.[2] An indirect mention of Baillie-Stewart remained in the film, however, with him being referred to not by name but simply as "that fellow in the Tower". The plot of the film also bore some similarities to the later case of the Cambridge Spies, including Donald MacLean.

Plot

Cast

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $859,000 in the US and Canada and $732,000 overseas and resulted in a loss to the studio of $804,000.[1]

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References
Citations
  1. The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  2. Walker 1991, p.78–79.
Bibliography
  • Walker, Alexander (1991). Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor. New York: Grove Press. ISBN 978-0802113351.


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