The Secret Invasion (1964)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

R. Wright Campbell (written by)

Release Date:

12 February 1965 (Norway)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The Daring Plan; The Staggering Odds!

Plot:

The Nazis imprison an Italian general who was planning to switch sides and turn over his army to the Allied side...

Plot Keywords:

General | Prison | Nazi | American | Rooftop

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Stewart Granger	...	Maj. Richard Mace
Raf Vallone	...	Roberto Rocca - Organizer
Mickey Rooney	...	Terence Scanlon - Demolition
Edd Byrnes	...	Simon Fell - Forger
Henry Silva	...	John Durrell - Assassin
Spela Rozin	...	Mila (as Mia Massini)
William Campbell	...	Jean Saval
Helmo Kindermann	...	German Fortress Commandant
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Gen. Quadri
Peter Coe	...	Marko - Resistance Leader
Nan Morris	...	Stephana
Helmuth Schneider	...	German Patrol Boat Captain (as Helmut Schneider)
Giulio Marchetti	...	Italian Officer
Nicholas Rend	...	Captain of Fishing Boat
Craig March

Also Known As:

The Dubious Patriots (USA) (working title)
Geheimauftrag Dubrovnik (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
A Invasão Secreta (Brazil) [pt]
Cinque per la gloria (Italy) [it]
Gizli istila (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Invasión secreta (Venezuela) [es]
L'invasion secrète (France) [fr]
Mystiki apovasis (Greece) [el]
Salainen maihinnousu (Finland) [fi]
Secreta invasión (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #20682) | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Norway:16

Filming Locations:

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Company:

San Carlos Productions

Trivia:

Roger Corman came up with the idea for the film during a visit to the dentist, when he read a magazine article about Dubrovnik. To take his mind off the pain while the dentist was working, he tried to create a story which could be filmed there. After leaving the dentist, he returned to his office and wrote the first treatment for the script.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Aside from the military uniforms, all clothing worn by both the cast and the extras is current fashion, circa early 1960s.

More Corman stink

I've officially had it with Roger Corman... he always directed films which you think would be entertaining if not exceptional. Without fail, he's disappointed every time. It's not just the low budgets, it's the scripts, the way the story lines are handled, the acting....

This film was so bad, I couldn't make it past about 45 minutes. I can only imagine how much more bad acting, terrible direction, boring action, and stupid dialog ensue after I turned it off. Why this idiot has been so successful in his own way I'll never know.

I had to stop watching when one of the convicts holds his hands over a baby's nose and mouth and (I guess accidentally) smothers a baby while the mother stands right beside him, seemingly in another world. Somehow Corman seems to bring out the worst in the talent he works with. Please avoid this boring, stupid piece of junk.