A valet’s betrayal and the high-stakes espionage of the 1952 classic 5 Fingers
In short: Based on the true story of Elyesa Bazna, the 1952 film 5 Fingers follows a valet who sells top-secret British documents to the Nazis. Amidst the intrigue of wartime Turkey, this stylish noir explores the cold calculations of a spy who dreams of wealth but faces a bitter, ironic end.
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and released in 1952, 5 Fingers dramatizes the real-life exploits of Elyesa Bazna, an Albanian-born valet to the British ambassador in Turkey during 1943 and 1944. Known by the codename Cicero, Bazna photographed sensitive documents from his employer’s safe and sold them to the German embassy. The film’s screenplay, penned by Michael Wilson, draws from the 1950 book Operation Cicero by Ludwig Carl Moyzisch, who served as the Nazi commercial attaché in Ankara and acted as the primary intermediary for the spy.
The narrative centers on the protagonist’s complex relationship with Countess Anna Staviska, a destitute widow who agrees to facilitate his espionage for financial gain. As the valet attempts to secure his future, he entrusts his earnings to the Countess, only to discover she has betrayed him and fled with his money. The film’s tension escalates as the British counterintelligence agent Colin Travers closes in, and the Germans, misled by a malicious letter from the Countess, ultimately disregard the crucial D-Day invasion plans that the valet risked everything to provide.
Production of the film was an ordeal, with director Mankiewicz traveling to Turkey for background footage, including locating the original limousine of German ambassador Franz von Papen. The project faced significant scrutiny from local authorities, requiring high-level government intervention to allow the crew to depart with their film. Upon its release, 5 Fingers received critical acclaim for its sophisticated tone, with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times naming it one of the top ten films of 1952, despite some contemporary reviewers finding the dialogue-heavy pacing slow.
The story concludes with a final irony: after escaping to Rio, the protagonist is arrested for passing counterfeit currency, only to realize that the fortune he believed he had secured in Switzerland was also forged. This dark resolution underscores the film's focus on the precarious nature of wartime betrayal and the futility of the spy’s grand ambitions.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 5 Fingers
- Also: 5 Fingers
- Also: Wikidata — 5 Fingers · CC0
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