The Deadly Affair (1966)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

John le Carré (novel)
Paul Dehn (screenplay)

Release Date:

October 1966 (UK)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama

Plot:

A British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide. |

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Based On Novel | Independent Film

Awards:

Nominated for 5 BAFTA Film Awards.

Cast

James Mason	...	Charles Dobbs
Simone Signoret	...	Elsa Fennan
Maximilian Schell	...	Dieter Frey
Harriet Andersson	...	Ann Dobbs
Harry Andrews	...	Insp. Mendel
Kenneth Haigh	...	Bill Appleby
Roy Kinnear	...	Adam Scarr
Max Adrian	...	Adviser (Marlene Dietrich)
Lynn Redgrave	...	Virgin (in "Edward II")
Robert Flemyng	...	Samuel Fennan
Leslie Sands	...	Inspector
Corin Redgrave	...	David

Runtime:

115 min | USA:107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Balloon Tavern, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Company:

Sidney Lumet Film Productions

Trivia:

This is the only film in which siblings Corin Redgrave and Lynn Redgrave both appear.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Out of It (1969)

Psychological spy thriller; a 'must see' for James Mason fans

Glum London backdrops and washed-out color match British secret agent Charles Dobbs' (James Mason) despair at the infidelity of his nymphomaniac wife and the possible murder of a likeable and idealistic Foreign Office civil servant.

Slightly dated yet still exciting cold war spy thriller combines the talents of James Mason, Sidney Lumet and a fine supporting cast though John LeCarre might wonder what happened to the novel the movie is based on.

There isn't a hint of 'Swinging London'; the relationships and a gay subtext, played out on several levels, are handled maturely and without an invitation to snicker.