| Photos (See all 56 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 2) |
| Paul Newman | ... | Professor Michael Armstrong | |
| Julie Andrews | ... | Sarah Sherman | |
| Lila Kedrova | ... | Countess Kuchinska | |
| Hansjörg Felmy | ... | Heinrich Gerhard (as Hansjoerg Felmy) | |
| Tamara Toumanova | ... | Ballerina | |
| Wolfgang Kieling | ... | Hermann Gromek | |
| Ludwig Donath | ... | Professor Gustav Lindt | |
| Günter Strack | ... | Professor Karl Manfred | |
| David Opatoshu | ... | Mr. Jacobi | |
| Gisela Fischer | ... | Dr. Koska | |
| Mort Mills | ... | Farmer | |
| Carolyn Conwell | ... | Farmer's Wife | |
| Arthur Gould-Porter | ... | Freddy - the Bookseller | |
| Gloria Gorvin | ... | Fräulein Mann | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Robert Boon | ... | Professor Winkelmann (uncredited) | |
| Peter Bourne | ... | Professor Olaf Hengström (uncredited) | |
| Linda Carol | ... | Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Rico Cattani | ... | Heinrich - Escape Bus Driver (uncredited) | |
| Andrea Darvi | ... | Gretl Koska (uncredited) | |
| Maurice Doner | ... | Hugo - Baggage Manager (uncredited) | |
| Harold Dyrenforth | ... | Otto Haupt (uncredited) | |
| Horst Ebersberg | ... | East German Interpreter (uncredited) | |
| Ben Frommer | ... | Sceptical-Looking Airline Passenger (uncredited) | |
| Sasha Harden | ... | Border Guard (uncredited) | |
| Joe Harris | ... | Ballet Member (uncredited) | |
| Mischa Hausserman | ... | Idealistic Young Man (uncredited) | |
| Alfred Hitchcock | ... | Man in Hotel Lobby with Baby (uncredited) | |
| Erik Holland | ... | Hotel Travel Clerk (uncredited) | |
| Nancy Kilgas | ... | Ballet Member (uncredited) | |
| Peter Lorre Jr. | ... | Taxi Driver (uncredited) | |
| Jan Malmsjö | ... | Swedish Photographer (uncredited) | |
| Hedley Mattingly | ... | Airline Official (uncredited) | |
| Norbert Meisel | ... | Factory Manager (uncredited) | |
| Frank Oberschall | ... | Airport Security Man (uncredited) | |
| Gerd Rein | ... | East German Arresting Officer in Bus Sequence (uncredited) | |
| Gene Roth | ... | Guard in Post Office (uncredited) | |
| Norbert Schiller | ... | Professor Gutman (uncredited) | |
| Lyle Sudrow | ... | Swedish Captain (uncredited) | |
| Wilhelm von Homburg | ... | Blonde Twin in Bus (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Alfred Hitchcock | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Brian Moore | (written by) | |
| Willis Hall | contributor to screenplay (uncredited) | |
| Keith Waterhouse | contributor to screenplay (uncredited) | |
Produced by | |||
| Alfred Hitchcock | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| John Addison | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| John F. Warren | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Bud Hoffman | (film editor) | ||
Production Design by | |||
| Hein Heckroth | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Frank Arrigo | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| George Milo | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Jack Barron | .... | makeup supervisor | |
| Lorraine Roberson | .... | hair stylist | |
| Hal Saunders | .... | hair stylist: Miss Andrews | |
| Peter R.J. Deyell | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Jack Corrick | .... | unit production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Donald Baer | .... | assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Joseph Musso | .... | production illustrator (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| William Russell | .... | sound | |
| Waldon O. Watson | .... | sound | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Albert Whitlock | .... | pictorial designs | |
Stunts | |||
| David Sharpe | .... | stunt coordinator (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Leonard J. South | .... | camera operator (as Leonard South) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Edith Head | .... | costume designer: Miss Andrews | |
| Grady Hunt | .... | costume supervisor | |
Music Department | |||
| John Addison | .... | conductor (uncredited) | |
| Edward B. Powell | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Peggy Robertson | .... | assistant: Mr. Hitchcock | |
| Lois Thurman | .... | script supervisor | |
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| The Legend of Rita | Octopussy | Topaz | 5 Steps to Danger | One, Two, Three |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Mystery section | IMDb USA section |
The first time I watched "Torn Curtain," I grew bored and turned it off before it was over. I've watched it in its entirety more than once since then. It's difficult not to conclude that the master director's age was beginning to take its toll by 1966. It could have been a great film except for some major flaws.
First, the main characters. Newman and Andrews look distinctly ill-at-ease and their acting is wooden. There is very nearly no chemistry between them, and viewers are not really drawn into their somewhat implausible situation. Both actors are compelling in other films, but for some reason not in this one.
Second, Hitchcock would have done better to keep his villains' identity less specific. In "The Lady Vanishes", "The Thirty-nine Steps," and "North by Northwest," the identity of the foreign agents is left deliberately vague and thus little plausibility need be attached to their actions. Here they are East German communists, of which we know rather a lot.
Third, there are inconsistencies in the plot. At one point Newman and Andrews are forced to go out into an open space to avoid being overheard. But in another scene a pro-western spy communicates confidential information to Newman in a hospital room, seemingly oblivious to the possibility of wiretaps.
Finally, there's John Addison's score, which seems to have been written quite independently of the film's action. A suspenseful scene is inappropriately matched with cheerful, melodic music. Everyone knows, of course, that Hitch's longtime musical collaborator, Bernard Herrmann, wrote a mostly complete score for the film, but the two had a falling out on the set and Herrmann was dismissed. Another example of poor judgement on Hitchcock's part. Herrmann's score would have immeasurably improved a mediocre film. (Look at "Obsession" nearly a decade later.) With all the recent film restorations, I would love to see someone redo "Torn Curtain" and put in as much of Herrmann's score as the composer was able to finish. (But perhaps there would be copyright problems.) Had Herrmann's score been used, the murder sequence in the farmhouse might have become as famous as the shower scene in "Psycho."
As I was watching the protagonists flee through the East German landscape in their efforts to reach the west, I found myself thinking that, if they had only waited another twenty-three years, the wall would have come down anyway and they could simply have walked out! That's how much their plight gripped me.