British Intelligence during World War II is trying to get the German High Command to shift it’s forces away from Italy prior to the invasion. To create the illusion of a plan for England to invade Greece a dead body is to be procured, allowed to be found with secret papers on him by Spanish authorities who will send the papers on to the Germans, or that’s the plan. First they have to find a body that will look drowned, and create an identity for him that will pass the examination of the German agent who is sure to check him out. Based on a true story.

The Man Who Never Was (1956)
  • Rating: (1,711 votes)
  • Taglines:The most fiendish plot ever conceived! The most amazing "human being" ever created! The most diabolical phantom-- » Terrifyingly true! Unbelievably real! »
  • Runtime:103 minutes
  • Director: Ronald Neame
  • Country:UK
  • Actors:
    Lt. Cmdr. Ewen Montagu
    Clifton Webb
    Lucy Sherwood
    Gloria Grahame
    Lt. George Acres
    Robert Flemyng
    Pam
    Josephine Griffin
    Patrick O'Reilly
    Stephen Boyd
    Adm. Cross
    Laurence Naismith
    Gen. Nye
    Geoffrey Keen
    The Father
    Moultrie Kelsall
    Taxi Driver
    Cyril Cusack
    Sir Bernard Spilsbury
    André Morell
  • Genres:War, Drama
  • Producers:
    André Hakim
    producer  
    Bob McNaught
    associate producer  
  • Plot: British Intelligence during World War II is trying to get the German High Command to shift it's forces away from Italy prior to the invasion. To create the illusion of a plan for England to invade Greece a dead body is to be procured, allowed to be found with secret papers on him by Spanish authorities who will send the papers on to the Germans, or that's the plan. First they have to find a body that will look drowned, and create an identity for him that will pass the examination of the German agent who is sure to check him out. Based on a true story. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
The Man Who Never Was
  • User's comment: by James Prine (jsprine@aol.com)

    Interesting, absorbing tale based on an actual British Intelligence operation during World War II. The casting (Clifton Webb is perfect in the lead role) was top notch, and the impeccable attention to even minor details was extraordinary. A fan of 'blood and guts' movies would be well advised to look elsewhere...this well-crafted little gem is for the connoisseur.

    Stephen Boyd gave a very good performance as an Irish secret agent working for the Nazis. In several scenes, he could barely contain his contempt for the English people he encountered during his mission in London. At one point, after setting himself up for capture by counter-intelligence agents, he awaits their arrival with his Luger pistol, obviously hoping for a bloody showdown, and when the agents fail to appear, he is both relaxed and also angry at not getting to kill anyone. Subtle, yet amazing.

    9 out of 10.


  • Quotes: Lieutenant George Acres: Monty, that parachute that didn't open... Suppose we were to drop a fellow out of a plane over enemy territory, with papers on him saying we were going to invade Greece, and his parachute didn't open. The Germans would find him dead, and the papers, and "Aha," they'd say, "Look at this. Officer with secret papers, parachute didn't open... they're going to invade Greece." Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu: Do we tell the man who jumps that the parachute doesn't work, or is it a sort of practical joke that he finds out on the way down? Lieutenant George Acres: Well, of course it would have to be somebody you didn't mind much about.
  • Also known as: Der Mann, den es nie gab (Austria), Der Mann, den es nie gab (West Germany), A sosemvolt ember (Hungary - imdb display title), El espía que nunca existió (Mexico - TV title), El hombre que nunca existió (Spain), L'homme qui n'a jamais existé (France), L'uomo che non è mai esistito (Italy), Manden, der aldrig har levet (Denmark), Mannen som inte fanns (Sweden), Mies, jota ei ollutkaan (Finland), O Homem Que Nunca Existiu (Portugal), O anthropos pou den ypirxe pote (Greece - transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title), Vatan borcu (Turkey - Turkish title),

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