Assignment Paris (1952)

An American reporter (Dana Andrews) stationed in Paris is sent to Budapest by his editor (George Sanders) to investigate a plot to overthrow the Communist regime. Based on TRIAL OF TERROR by Paul Gallico (THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE) and directed by Robert Parrish. Filmed on location in Paris and Budapest by Burnett Guffey (BONNIE AND CLYDE), this is your standard "Red" paranoia film of the 1950s. As a Cold War thriller, it's okay but watered down by an uninteresting romantic subplot involving Andrews and Marta Toren as a fellow reporter. The commie villains, no surprise, are portrayed as one dimensional inhuman automatons. It's not really worth checking out but it's the kind of movie that you might run across in the wee hours of the morning when you have insomnia and it makes a perfectly acceptable way of killing time. The score is by George Duning (PICNIC). With Audrey Totter (wasted), Sandro Giglio, Herbert Berghof and Willis Bouchey.