The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

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.

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

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

Stars:

Richard Burton, Oskar Werner, Claire Bloom

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Alec Leamas, a British spy is sent to East Germany supposedly to defect, but in fact to sow disinformation. As more plot turns appear, Leamas becomes more convinced that his own people see him as just a cog. His struggle back from dehumanization becomes the final focus of the story.

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Plot Keywords:

british agent | east germany | double agent | cold war | iron curtain | 

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Taglines:

THE MAN WHO KNOWS ALL THE DIRT!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Criterion Collection

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 December 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Spion, der aus der Kälte kam

Filming Locations:

Noordwijk, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Gross USA:

$7,600,000, 31 December 1965

Company Credits

Production Co:

Salem Films Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the source novel, Alec Leamas is 50 years old. His age in the film has been changed to 39 (as reflected by the birthday Alec gives and the newspaper article regarding his disappearance) to reflect Richard Burton's age at the time of filming.

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Goofs

In his defense speech of Mundt, the East German defense attorney (played by George Voskovec) states "Smiley was indeed Leamas's friend. He was also a planner in the section called Satellites Four, which operates behind the Iron Curtain." The term "Iron Curtain" would not have been used by officials of East Germany or other Soviet bloc countries to refer to the east-west divide. Originally created by Winston Churchill, the phrase "behind the Iron Curtain" became a disparaging characterization of the east bloc countries and their socialist systems. It was seen as serving to keep people in and information out, and people mostly throughout the West used the metaphor in that context.

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Quotes

Alec Leamas: It was a foul, foul operation, but it paid off.
Nan Perry: Who for?
Alec Leamas: What the hell do you think spies are? Moral philosophers measuring everything they do against the word of God or Karl Marx? They're not! They're just a bunch of seedy, squalid bastards like me: little men, drunkards, queers, henpecked husbands, civil servants playing cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten little lives. Do you think they sit like monks in a cell, balancing right against wrong? Yesterday I would have killed Mundt ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Minder: The Coach That Came in from the Cold (1991)

User Reviews

Grim, just as it should be

I read the book about three years ago and was prepared to be disappointed with the feature as it's a grim book and I thought they'd soften it a little, the movie is excellent though, they made a couple of changes but all for the best, anyone who thinks spying was/is a glamorous occupation should check the film out, LeCarre actually worked as a spy too which adds weight to his dark and realistic (in my opinion)view of this filthy job. My favourite feature of the film is the contempt with which each of the communist spies treats his inferiors as the chain of command is followed, it's a beautiful touch which I don't remember from the book, and by the time Leamass starts laughing at it I was right there with him. I loved this film and can't recommend it enough, Burton is brilliant, some of his cold stares as things start going bad are magnificent, and of course he plays a great drunk... it's a nice script too.