Topaz: More Bravura Moments

To continue with the theme from my previous post, there are two more scenes of some significance in which Hitchcock cuts out dialogue altogether - or at least our ability to hear it. Both involve the black actor Roscoe Lee Brown who is on our right in the picture. He had a very rich, baritone voice and had trained as a Shakespearean actor so he was often called upon to play a certain sort of urbane, upper class black man. (I remember him from television shows like "All in the Family" and "Sanford and Son" from the 70's when he was often used as a comic foil. Sadly he passed away last year at the age of 81.) Anyway, in Topaz he plays a florist shop owner in Harlem who originally is from the isle of Martinique. Remember, the movie takes place around the time of the Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962 and that shortly before that Castro and his delegation had been to New York for a session of the United Nations. In order to show their "solidarity" with the oppressed classes of 'capitalist America' they deliberately chose a hotel in Harlem. This black florist, however, works as a spy and is approached to try to infiltrate the hotel and take pictures of some important documents one of the Cuban officials has. These documents confirm that the Russians have sent missiles to Cuba - something which had been suspected.

The first scene is when a French agent, on behalf of the Americans, approaches this florist to do the job. Because the shop is open and people are all around, Roscoe Lee Brown takes the French agent into that glass enclosed refrigerated area that most all florist shops have (yes, ladies, I actually have been in a number of florist shops). So we see their conversation, all of the hand gestures and facial expressions, but don't hear a thing. We don't need to. We know basically what is being said. Is this a stylization - a bravura moment? Yes, I think so, but we are also forced to focus on the visual and let that reveal to us how the characters interact.

The second scene is when Roscoe Lee Brown goes to the Harlem hotel to bribe the Cuban official. They have information that he has accepted bribes in the past. The French agent watches from across the street and we become his eyes. We can see easily into the lobby of the hotel because it is completely glass enclosed. The Cuban official comes down into the lobby and we can see immediately that he is a morally weak man by the way he moves - hesitant and indecisive. The actor played his part very well with his body language. First he refuses, but we see Roscoe Lee Brown confidantly tap his breast pocket where the money is and the official agrees. Temptation - weakness - minor resistance - one more habitual failure of the will.

The fallen human condition. Excellent acting.

Anyway, I highly recommend the movie if you like spy thrillers. There are a few somewhat steamy romantic scenes, although not as bad as North by Northwest and nothing like what you would see in a movie today. It is second tier Hitchcock, but that still is quite good.