The Ipcress File (1965)

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

W.H. Canaway (screenplay) &
James Doran (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

2 August 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

In London, a counter espionage agent deals with his own bureaucracy while investigating the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Brainwashing | Spy | CIA Agent | Hallucination

Awards:

Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Harry Palmer
Nigel Green	...	Dalby
Guy Doleman	...	Ross
Sue Lloyd	...	Jean
Gordon Jackson	...	Carswell
Aubrey Richards	...	Radcliffe
Frank Gatliff	...	Bluejay
Thomas Baptiste	...	Barney
Oliver MacGreevy	...	Housemartin (as Oliver Macgreevy)
Freda Bamford	...	Alice
Pauline Winter	...	Charlady
Anthony Blackshaw	...	Edwards
Barry Raymond	...	Gray
David Glover	...	Chilcott-Oakes
Stanley Meadows	...	Inspector Keightley
Peter Ashmore	...	Sir Robert
Michael Murray	...	Raid Inspector
Anthony Baird	...	Raid Sergeant (as Antony Baird)
Tony Caunter	...	O.N.I. Man
Charles Rea	...	Taylor
Ric Hutton	...	Records Officer
Douglas Blackwell	...	Murray
Richard Burrell	...	Operator
Glynn Edwards	...	Police Station Sergeant
Zsolt Vadaszffy	...	Prison Doctor
Josef Behrmann	...	Prison Guard (as Joseph Behrmann)
Max Faulkner	...	Prison Guard
Paul S. Chapman	...	Prison Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Howell Evans	...	First Agent (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney J. Furie

Writing credits
Len Deighton		(novel) uncredited
W.H. Canaway		(screenplay) (as Bill Canaway) &
James Doran		(screenplay)

Produced by
Charles D. Kasher	....	executive producer
Ronald Kinnoch	....	associate producer
Harry Saltzman	....	producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Otto Heller		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Peter R. Hunt		(as Peter Hunt)

Casting by
Weston Drury Jr.		(as Weston Drury Jnr.)

Production Design by
Ken Adam

Art Direction by
Peter Murton

Makeup Department
Philip Leakey	....	makeup artist (as Phil Leakey)
Barbara Ritchie	....	hairdresser

Production Management
Denis Johnson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred Slark	....	assistant director

Art Department
Michael White	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Maurice Askew	....	sound mixer
Peter Davies	....	sound mixer
Ben Rayner	....	sound editor
Nicholas Stevenson	....	assembly editor
Norman Wanstall	....	sound editor
Desmond Briscoe	....	electronic sound effects (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Elvin	....	camera operator
John Morgan	....	focus
George Courtney Ward	....	stills

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Muriel Dickson	....	wardrobe mistress

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
Sidney Margo	....	music contractor (uncredited)
John Scott	....	musician: saxophone (uncredited)

Other crew
Ross MacKenzie	....	location manager (as Ross Mackenzie)
Pat Moon	....	continuity
Maurice Landsberger	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Rank Organisation, The
• Lowndes Productions Limited (uncredited)
• Steven S.A. (uncredited)

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1965) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Parvisfilmi (1966) (Finland) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1970) (USA) (TV)
• MCA Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Rank Video Library (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Pickwick Video (1990) (UK) (VHS)
• PVB Editions (2002) (France) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sound & Media (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• Filmax Home Video (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Barium Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Carlton International Media
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD) (3-disc Ultimate Harry Palmer Box)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD) (1-disc edition)
• Omaxi (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1990) (2009) (2010) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• C.T.S. Studios  music recorded at (as C.T.S. Studio London)
• Studios CTS  adr recorded at (uncredited)
• The Gate Recording Theatre  sound dubbing

Also Known As:

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Albanian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G (TV rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Germany:12 | Iceland:16 | UK:PG (2005) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Birdcage Walk, St. James's Park, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

In the Len Deighton novels the name of the lead character is never revealed. So Michael Caine and producer Harry Saltzman tried to think of a boring name for the hero. Caine suggested "Harry" which Saltzman found rather amusing. Caine then remembered a boring classmate named Tommy Palmer. So "Palmer" became the surname.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Palmer hurts his wrists in the first brain washing session, the next time he is taken his wrists are not injured. Even though it has only been two days according to the marks on the wall, and later they are hurt again.

Quotes:

Major Dalby:The Americans have put a tail on Palmer.
Colonel Ross:How very tiresome of them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Phil Cool: Episode #1.1" (1992)

Soundtrack:

The British Grenadiers

A Class Movie

Michael Caines first outing as secret agent Harry Palmer is set in 60's London. This is not the Psychedelic London of Austin Powers or the Beatles, neither is it the sophisticated aristocratic London of James Bond. This London is drab and populated by civil servants & bedsits. This London is still coming to terms with the end of World War II and the advent of a modern world.

Working Class Palmer is an unwilling Home Office agent with criminal tendencies who is more interested in a pay rise so that he can indulge his true passion, gourmet cooking, than serving his country. His superiors, Ross (played by Guy Doleman) & Dalby (Played by Nigel Green) represent a microcosm of the British Upper & Lower Middle Classes. Palmer is clearly more cultured in his appreciation of food, music(Mozart & Bach) & women, "I like Birds Best" Palmer admits to Courtney played by Sue Lloyd (of Crossroads fame in UK).

Palmers superiors appear uninterested in the fate of their subordinates and this is one reason why the character of Palmer works so well, we are him, he lives our lives and we want him to win through. This perspective is aided by the stunning photography that uses every conceivable camera angle (even views from a light bulb!) to see the world from the characters perspective.

Look out for the supermarket scene between Ross and Palmer, my vote for the most violent use of a supermarket Trolley in a movie.

As Palmer slowly unravels the mysterious disappearance of top government scientists it becomes clear that there is someone close to the top of the British Secret service acting as a double agent. Who is it, Ross or Dalby? Who is Courtney, Palmers love interest, working for?

In the background is a rather sinister looking CIA, who always appear to be one step ahead of the Brits. (A reference to the decline of Britian as a world power and its reliance on America?) Wether intentional or not, this film has captured a London of the 60's that was going through substantial social change, gone are the class paradigms that suggest that the working class could never be cultured, gone is is the unquestioning loyalty to the upper class. This world was forever changed after the war. This is a film I can watch time and time again, if only to watch the title sequence as Palmer gets up for work as if he is going to just another office job.

This is a stylish movie and one of the greatest British films ever made. If you havn't seen it watch it now!