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Sebastian

  • 19681968
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
637
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Dirk Bogarde and Susannah York in Sebastian (1968)
  • Drama
  • Romance
  • Thriller
During the Cold War, the chief of a British intelligence code-breaking section falls in love with a new employee and shields an old co-worker, accused of Communist affiliations, from the wra... Read allDuring the Cold War, the chief of a British intelligence code-breaking section falls in love with a new employee and shields an old co-worker, accused of Communist affiliations, from the wrath of the security branch.During the Cold War, the chief of a British intelligence code-breaking section falls in love with a new employee and shields an old co-worker, accused of Communist affiliations, from the wrath of the security branch.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
637
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • David Greene
  • Writers
    • Leo Marks(original screen story)
    • Gerald Vaughan-Hughes(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Dirk Bogarde
    • Susannah York
    • Lilli Palmer
Top credits
  • Director
    • David Greene
  • Writers
    • Leo Marks(original screen story)
    • Gerald Vaughan-Hughes(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Dirk Bogarde
    • Susannah York
    • Lilli Palmer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 27User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos22

    Dirk Bogarde in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde and Susannah York in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde and Susannah York in Sebastian (1968)
    Susannah York in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde and Nigel Davenport in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde and Lilli Palmer in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde and Lilli Palmer in Sebastian (1968)
    Dirk Bogarde in Sebastian (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dirk Bogarde
    Dirk Bogarde
    • Sebastianas Sebastian
    Susannah York
    Susannah York
    • Rebecca Howardas Rebecca Howard
    Lilli Palmer
    Lilli Palmer
    • Elsa Shahnas Elsa Shahn
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Head of Intelligenceas Head of Intelligence
    Janet Munro
    Janet Munro
    • Carol Fancyas Carol Fancy
    Ronald Fraser
    Ronald Fraser
    • Tobyas Toby
    Margaret Johnston
    Margaret Johnston
    • Miss Elliottas Miss Elliott
    Nigel Davenport
    Nigel Davenport
    • Gen. Phillipsas Gen. Phillips
    John Ronane
    • Jamesonas Jameson
    Hayward Morse
    Hayward Morse
    • Gavinas Gavin
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Ackermanas Ackerman
    Ann Beach
    • Pamelaas Pamela
    Susan Whitman
    • Tillyas Tilly
    Ann Sidney
    • Naomias Naomi
    Veronica Clifford
    • Ginnyas Ginny
    Louise Purnell
    • Thelmaas Thelma
    Portland Mason
    • 'UG' Girlas 'UG' Girl
    James Belchamber
    James Belchamber
    • Man with Dogas Man with Dog
    • Director
      • David Greene
    • Writers
      • Leo Marks(original screen story)
      • Gerald Vaughan-Hughes(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    British mathematician Sebastian (Sir Dirk Bogarde), working on code decryption, unexpectedly falls in love with decrypter Rebecca Howard (Susannah York). This leads them to a complicated intrigue within the codebreakers. —Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
    • eurospy
    • britain
    • british intelligence
    • code breaking
    • security chief
    • 39 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Codes were made to be broken. / Women were made to be loved. / Sebastian was made to do both!
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Romance
      • Thriller
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally planned as a reunion between the writer (Leo Marks) and the director (Michael Powell) of "Peeping Tom (1960)," this was inspired by Marks' own wartime career as an ace code-breaker. However, the notoriety of "Peeping Tom" made it hard to get the project off the ground. Powell became connected with American producer Herbert Brodkin during the making of the television series "Espionage (1963)," and hoped that Brodkin's interest would get this movie made. When it finally was, he and Marks were replaced. Powell had to be content with a producing credit, while Marks was credited solely with the story.
    • Quotes

      Miss Elliott: [answering the phone] Abbey nine seven double three...

      Rebecca Howard: Is there someone there called, Sebastian... oh... Sebastian someone?

      Miss Elliott: Mister Sebastian...

      Rebecca Howard: I met him in Oxford in the spring and he offered me a job

      Miss Elliott: Hold on

      Sebastian: [to Sebastian] A girl who says you offered her a job... in the spring

      Sebastian: In the spring?

      Miss Elliott: At Oxford

      Sebastian: Ah! Licence number 66-0-F-Y-H

      [he picks up the handset]

      Sebastian: Let me smother you in jewels and furs; let me whisk you to Monte in my Mercedes...

      Rebecca Howard: What?

      Sebastian: ...Let me teach you the meaning of desire

      Rebecca Howard: Sounds a bit old-fashioned to me

      Sebastian: Yeah, well it is rather an old-fashioned business

      Rebecca Howard: What do you do?

      Sebastian: [to Miss Elliott] what do we do?

      Miss Elliott: [picks up handset] This is Mister Sebastian's personal assistant. We are a more-or-less sane and respectable department of the Civil Service, appearances notwithstanding. Would you like me to arrange an interview?

      Rebecca Howard: Civil Service? Good God! No thank you very much

      Miss Elliott: [to Sebastian] Well, you've lost her. Is she any good?

      Sebastian: Don't know. Can't tell.

      Miss Elliott: You've been doing rather a lot of this stuff recently

      Sebastian: A lot of what stuff?

      Miss Elliott: Gaily irresponsible stuff. This fart-arsing about. It's time you took a proper holiday

    • Connections
      Featured in Hollywood U.K.: Strangers in the City (1993)
    • Soundtracks
      Here Comes The Night
      Written by Jerry Goldsmith, Hal Shaper

      Sung by Anita Harris

    User reviews27

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Total '60s
    "Sebastian" is a film from 1968 that is the ultimate swinging London '60s flick, starring Dirk Bogarde, Susannah York, Lili Palmer, and John Gielgud. Bogarde plays a tough, cold on the outside British mathematician who heads a code decryption department during the Cold War. He has many women in his employ, and one of them (Susannah York) falls for him and pursues him, and he reciprocates.

    Fun music and atmosphere of the '60s permeates. York is lovely as a smart, pretty woman who knows what she wants, isn't afraid to try for it, and cracks the hardest code in the bunch - Dirk Bogarde. Bogarde is excellent as a man of deep feeling who likes to keep his work life separate from his private life and doesn't quite succeed.

    Not much of a plot, but the acting is good - you can't really go wrong with Lili Palmer and John Gielgud in the supporting roles. Palmer plays a codebreaker of long-standing who is nevertheless under suspicion for some of her views, and Gielgud is one of the big bosses over Bogarde.

    Enjoyable.
    helpful•8
    0
    • blanche-2
    • Nov 15, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 29, 1969 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der mysteriöse Mr. Sebastian
    • Filming locations
      • Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Maccius
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,250,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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