Scorpio **** (1972, Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Paul Scofield, John Colicos, Gayle Hunnicutt, J D Cannon) – Classic Movie Review 5061

Michael Winner’s 1972 spy film Scorpio was filmed at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D C and the crew were actually staying there on the night of the infamous break-in. Scorpio was the first film shot on location at CIA headquarters.

The 1972 American spy film Scorpio, based on the story by David W Rintels, is arguably director Michael Winner’s best film. It re-teams Winner with Burt Lancaster, his star in another of his successes, Lawman (1971).

Scorpio is a smoothly twisting tale of Cold War spy game shenanigans that stars Burt Lancaster as CIA agent Gerald Cross, who is suspected of double-dealing and is being hounded by the freelance killer he trained, Scorpio (Alain Delon), aka Frenchman Jean Laurier. The CIA has ordered Scorpio to assassinate Cross and the duo engage in a deadly cat-and-mouse game.

Paul Scofield turns in a smart performance as Lancaster’s Russian opposite number, Zharkov, while John Colicos, Gayle Hunnicutt and J D Cannon also star.

Winner, surprisingly, tones down the fashionable Seventies violence you would expect and instead concentrates on the spy intrigue, plot and acting, providing a satisfyingly complicated, totally intriguing undercover espionage thriller.

Also in the cast are Joanne Linville, Mel Stewart, Vladek Sheybal, Mary Maude, Jack Colvin, James B Sikking, Burke Byrnes, William Smithers, Shmuel Rodensky, Howard Morton, Celeste Yarnall, Sandor Elès, Frederick Jaeger, George Mikell, Robert Emhardt, Morgan Farley and Shane Rimmer.

The film had an awkward genesis. The script by David Wintels was bought by Walter Mirisch, who had a deal with United Artists. Michael Winner agreed to direct because it was a more serious spy film like The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. He recalled: ‘It has a good plot. Unexpected things happen. He liked its theme o ‘the problems of men who have opted out of normal society to make their own way.’

But Winner wanted a rewrite, Mirsch disagreed and Winner quit, prompting United Artists to dump Mirisch and let Winner take over, though Mirisch kept producer credit. Then Winner brought in his regular writer Gerard Wilson to do the rewrite.

Filming took place from 29 May to mid August 1972 in Washington, Vienna and Paris. The crew filmed at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D C next to the Kennedy Center and were actually staying there on 16 June 1972, the night of the infamous break-in.

Scorpio (1972, Alain Delon).

Scorpio is directed by Michael Winner, runs 114 minutes, is made by The Mirisch Corporation and Scimitar Productions, is released by United Artists, is written by David W Rintels and Gerald Wilson, shot by Robert Paynter, produced by Walter Mirisch, scored by Jerry Fielding, and designed by Herbert Westbrook.

It was released on April 19, 1973.

It cost $4 million, and earned $1,400,000 (US/ Canada rentals).

Scorpio (1972, Burt Lancaster).

Lancaster’s fee was $750,000 plus 10 per cent of the profits, which was good since the film cost $4 million, though there may not have been many profits. It was churlish of him, then, to say the film was ‘nothing incisive, just a lot of action’, ‘one of those things you do as part of your living, but you try to avoid doing them as much as you can.’

The film shows the CIA assassinating people and involved in nefarious plots, but Winner was still allowed to shoot in the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Furthermore, scenes at Cross (Lancaster)’s home were filmed at CIA director Richard Helms’s own home in NW Washington DC. Arnold Picker, chairman of United Artists, was surprised and made Winner show the CIA a copy of the script for approval before shooting began. Thus Scorpio was the first film shot on location at CIA headquarters. Winner was a persuasive, powerful man, but how did he achieve this?

The cast are Burt Lancaster as Cross, Alain Delon as Jean Laurier / Scorpio, Paul Scofield as Sergei Zharkov, John Colicos as McLeod, Gayle Hunnicutt as Susan, J.D. Cannon as Filchock, Joanne Linville as Sarah Cross, Mel Stewart as Pick, Vladek Sheybal as Zemetkin, Mary Maude as Anne, Jack Colvin as Paul Milney, James B Sikking as Harris, Burke Byrnes as Morrison, William Smithers as Mitchell, Shmuel Rodensky as Lang, Celeste Yarnall as Helen Thomas, Sandor Elès as Malkin, Frederick Jaeger as Novins, George Mikell as Dor, Robert Emhardt as Man in Hotel, Howard Morton, Morgan Farley and Shane Rimmer.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5061

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