Who doesn't love a good piece of anti-Communist propaganda? Admittedly, 'The Iron Curtain (1948)' is a rather average example of the art-form {with Sam Fuller's 'Pickup on South Street (1953)' being the best} but at least Wellman's film is given a boost by the winning combination of Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney
the latter of whom being the main reason that I watched this film. Another reason to watch 'The Iron Curtain' is its magnificent soundtrack, plundered from the repertoires of Russian composers Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturyan and Dominik Miskovský (each of whom ran into political turmoil back home for their perceived collaboration on a Hollywood picture). The music is unique to 1940s cinema, suggesting a grandeur that, back then, could only be found in the cinematic scores of Hungarian-born Miklós Rózsa. This sense of grandness is crippled somewhat by the film's documentary-like approach.
'The Iron Curtain' was based on the true story of Igor Gouzenko, a Russian cipher clerk living in Canada with his wife and child. When Gouzenko defected in 1945, he exposed Stalin's efforts to steal the Allies' nuclear secrets, even while WWII was still raging. Like most Cold War films, this one starts off a little slow, utilising plenty of furtive glances and lengthy silences, but the suspense really kicks in when Gouzenko steals classified Soviet documents and tries to find somebody who'll take them. Dana Andrews, one of the most underrated leading man of the 1940s, brings a tired determination to the film's final gripping moments, as he pleads with a Canadian Mountie to protect him. Gene Tierney, looking as lovely as ever, is still denied the emotional depth of her role in 'Laura (1944)' {in which she and Andrews had previously starred}, but otherwise performs well.
'The Iron Curtain' was based on the true story of Igor Gouzenko, a Russian cipher clerk living in Canada with his wife and child. When Gouzenko defected in 1945, he exposed Stalin's efforts to steal the Allies' nuclear secrets, even while WWII was still raging. Like most Cold War films, this one starts off a little slow, utilising plenty of furtive glances and lengthy silences, but the suspense really kicks in when Gouzenko steals classified Soviet documents and tries to find somebody who'll take them. Dana Andrews, one of the most underrated leading man of the 1940s, brings a tired determination to the film's final gripping moments, as he pleads with a Canadian Mountie to protect him. Gene Tierney, looking as lovely as ever, is still denied the emotional depth of her role in 'Laura (1944)' {in which she and Andrews had previously starred}, but otherwise performs well.