IMDb > Torn Curtain (1966)
Torn Curtain
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Torn Curtain (1966) More at IMDbPro »

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Torn Curtain (1966) -- An American scientist publicly defects to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the solution for a formula resin and then figuring out a plan to escape back to the West.
Torn Curtain (1966) -- An American scientist publicly defects to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the solution for a formula resin and then figuring out a plan to escape back to the West.

Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   7,826 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:
Brian Moore (written by)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Torn Curtain on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 July 1966 (USA) more
Genre:
Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
Suspense! Azione! Sorpresa! [Suspense! Action! Surprise!] more
Plot:
An American scientist publicly defects to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the solution for a formula resin and then figuring out a plan to escape back to the West. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
The Best of Cold War Cinema
 (From newser. 9 November 2009, 12:30 PM, PST)
Geek Deal: Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece DVD Collection for $54
 (From Slash Film. 28 October 2009, 9:32 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
In many ways, Hitchcock often wore the same pants. more (101 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Paul Newman ... Professor Michael Armstrong

Julie Andrews ... Sarah Sherman
Lila Kedrova ... Countess Kuchinska
Hansjörg Felmy ... Heinrich Gerhard (as Hansjoerg Felmy)
Tamara Toumanova ... Ballerina
Ludwig Donath ... Professor Gustav Lindt
Wolfgang Kieling ... Hermann Gromek
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 ... Prof. Winkelmann (uncredited)
Peter Bourne ... Prof. 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 Policeman, Arresting Officer At Bus Sequence (uncredited)
Gene Roth ... Guard in post office (uncredited)
Norbert Schiller ... Prof. Gutman (uncredited)
Lyle Sudrow ... Swedish Captain (uncredited)
Wilhelm von Homburg ... Blonde Twin in Bus (uncredited)
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Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock 
 
Writing credits
Brian Moore (written by)

Willis Hall  uncredited
Keith Waterhouse  uncredited

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
John Addison (music by)
 
Cinematography by
John F. Warren (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Bud Hoffman 
 
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
Edward B. Powell .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Peggy Robertson .... assistant: Mr. Hitchcock
Lois Thurman .... script supervisor
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
128 min | Germany:126 min | France:126 min | Netherlands:118 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | German | Swedish | Norwegian
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
France:U | Spain:18 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:12 (re-rated) (video) | Brazil:14 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)
Filming Locations:
Berlin, Germany more
Company:
Universal Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Alfred Hitchcock originally wanted to cast Cary Grant in the lead role, but Grant told him he was too old. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In the farmhouse scene when Professor Armstrong is fighting with Gromek, Gromek is choking Professor Armstrong but Armstrong shows no signs of it, i.e. bruising, in later scenes. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Professor Karl Manfred: Are they ever going to get the heating fixed?
Norwegian crewman: They are working at it, Professor. Perhaps some of you scientists would like to give us a helping hand!
more
Movie Connections:
References Psycho (1960) more
Soundtrack:
Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32 more

FAQ

Why did the Pi woman on the bus get so upset to be helping Americans escape?
Was any of "Torn Curtain" actually filmed behind the Iron Curtain?
Is it true that Hitchcock wanted to use a different ending?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
58 out of 80 people found the following comment useful.
In many ways, Hitchcock often wore the same pants., 28 January 2004
8/10
Author: plaidpotato from United States

Hitchcock made a few clunkers in his day, but this isn't one of them, despite its reputation. I don't know if I could get away with saying it's one of Hitchcock's ten best features, but I found it to be easily one of his top ten most entertaining. I enjoyed watching Torn Curtain a lot more than some of his established classics, like Notorious and the Birds, even if it's not quite as psychologically complex as those films.

The main thing about Torn Curtain is the photography. It's full of pretty pictures--one of the most beautifully filmed of all Hitchcock's films, with lots bold swaths of primary colors and attractive and constantly changing locations--some scenes look like they were shot on location, while others are wonderfully artificial studio creations, and they're blended together perfectly. Another cool thing about Torn Curtain is that it's constantly on the move. It never stagnates. The pacing is deliberate, but engaging. It's well-plotted and suspenseful.

It's full of fantastic little directorial touches, like the scene where Paul Newman ducks into a bathroom to read his secret spy message. Hitchcock never shows us the room. He keeps the camera tight on Paul Newman, so we can't tell who or what might be in that room with us, just out of frame. It's totally simple, but it creates a highly effective feeling of uneasiness and paranoia. This movie also features one of the strangest and best-filmed death scenes I've ever seen. Hitchcock was still on top of his game here.

Most of the bad reviews for Torn Curtain seem to focus on the acting. I don't know why.

A lot of people bash Julie Andrews just for being Julie Andrews, and that hardly seems fair. Typecasting sucks. And while I wouldn't say she turned in one of the most memorable and overpowering performances of all time, her role didn't call for that. Torn Curtain wasn't a complex character study, it was a plot-based thriller. And Julie Andrews was perfectly adequate for that, even pretty good when she was given a chance to be.

Paul Newman was perfect. He wasn't his usual charming self here. He was grim and tight-lipped and stiff--as would be appropriate for a scientist feeling out of his league, playing a spy in a hostile country, having to pretend to be a traitor--a role which he found objectionable--all with his girlfriend annoyingly tagging along and complicating everything.

I understand that Paul Newman found working for Hitchcock objectionable. It makes me wonder if Hitch deliberately made life unpleasant for Paul just to get this kind of tooth-gritting performance from him. Whatever, Hitch and Paul were both great.

And so was this film.

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Boring... habler6
The murder scene is brilliant liron_zu
Shouting 'Fire' at the concert trickard
I Agree With Alma - The Ending Where He Burned the Formula Was Better murray_johnc
the polish baroness malena992
One of the best Hitchcock films i've seen skelter_68
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