The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

John le Carré (novel)
Paul Dehn (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 December 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

BRACE YOURSELF FOR GREATNESS

Plot:

British agent Alec Leamas refuses to come in from the cold war during the 1960s, choosing to face another mission, which may prove to be his final one.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Cold War | Communist | Grocer | Berlin Wall

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Richard Burton	...	Alec Leamas
Claire Bloom	...	Nan Perry
Oskar Werner	...	Fiedler
Sam Wanamaker	...	Peters
George Voskovec	...	East German Defense Attorney
Rupert Davies	...	George Smiley
Cyril Cusack	...	Control
Peter van Eyck	...	Hans-Dieter Mundt (as Peter Van Eyck)
Michael Hordern	...	Ashe
Robert Hardy	...	Dick Carlton
Bernard Lee	...	Patmore
Beatrix Lehmann	...	Tribunal President
Esmond Knight	...	Old Judge
Tom Stern	...	CIA Agent
Niall MacGinnis	...	German Checkpoint Guard

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Australia:M | Norway:16 | Netherlands:12 | West Germany:12 (f) (cut version) | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Canada:PG | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Schiphol, Haarlemmermeer, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Salem Films Limited

Trivia:

When Richard Burton became a superstar, he insisted on casting his friends from his days at the Old Vic and West End (London's equivalent of Broadway). That is why Claire Bloom, who is clearly too old to be a teenager, was cast as Nan Perry. Other friends of Burton's cast in the film included the great stage actor Sir Michael Hordern and Robert Hardy.

Quotes:

Alec Leamas: Mundt was a Nazi, wasn't he?
Fiedler: He was a member of the Hitler Youth... as a boy.
Alec Leamas: Now he's a grown-up Communist. He was what I would call... available.
Fiedler: Like you!... Shall we begin? Let me start by asking you an amusing question.
Alec Leamas: Let me start by asking you one! Make you laugh your head off! Where's my money? When can I go whatever... whatever home is? And Carleton's gone home! Peters has gone home! What about me?
Fiedler: The agreement was...
Alec Leamas: Agreement!... You've broken the bloody agreement and barring miracles my bloody neck too! The agreememnt was that I should be interrogated for two weeks in Holland, paid, and allowed to slip quietly back to England without anyone knowing. I'd have been away and nobody would have known if you haven't broken the story.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tais-toi quand tu parles! (1981)

A Fiercely Intelligent and Engrossing Film

"The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" is perhaps the best of the Cold War spy movies. Good writing coupled with brilliant performances make it that rare film based on a novel that is the equal of its predecessor. The uncompromising complexity of its story requires some effort on the part of the viewer but staying engaged in this great picture is well worth the effort.