The Looking Glass War (1970)
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- M/PG
- 1h 48min
- Action, Drama
- 28 Jan 1970 (West Germany)
- Movie
From the John le Carré novel about a British spy who sends a Polish defector to East Germany to verify missile sites.
Director:
Writers:
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Christopher Jones | ... |
Leiser
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| Pia Degermark | ... |
The Girl
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| Ralph Richardson | ... |
Leclerc
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| Paul Rogers | ... |
Haldane
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| Anthony Hopkins | ... |
Avery
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| Susan George | ... |
The Girl In London
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| Ray McAnally | ... |
Under Secretary Of State
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| Robert Urquhart | ... |
Johnson
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| Anna Massey | ... |
Avery's Wife
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| Vivian Pickles | ... |
Mrs. King
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| Maxine Audley | ... |
Mrs. Leclerc
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| Cyril Shaps | ... |
East German Detective
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| Michael Robbins | ... |
Truck Driver
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| Timothy West | ... |
Taylor
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| Frederick Jaeger | ... |
The Pilot
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| Peter Swanwick | ... |
Policeman - Finland
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| Paul Maxwell | ... |
C I A Man
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| Guy Deghy | ... |
Fritsche
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Ernst Walder | ... |
Radio Engineer
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Patrick Wright | ... |
VOPO
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Sylva Langova | ... |
East German Woman
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David Scheur | ... |
Russian Officer
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Allan McClelland | ... |
Doctor
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John Franklyn | ... |
Commissionaire
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Angela Down | ... |
Chelsea Girl
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Robert Wilde | ... |
Policeman - England
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Nicholas Stewart | ... |
German Boy
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Linda Hedger | ... |
Taylor's Child
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Russell Lewis | ... |
Avery's Child
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Jill Goldston | ... |
Pub Patron (uncredited)
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Philip Johns | ... |
Man Ejecting Avery and Leiser from Pub (uncredited)
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| Mike Reid | ... |
Policeman Guarding Leiser (uncredited)
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| Dadina Sagger | ... |
Toddler (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Frank Pierson | ... | (as Frank R. Pierson) |
Written by
| John le Carré | ... | (based on the book by) & |
| John le Carré | ... | (novel "The Looking Glass War") |
| Frank Pierson | ... | (written for the screen by) |
Produced by
| John Box | ... | producer |
| M.J. Frankovich | ... | executive producer |
| William Kirby | ... | associate producer |
Music by
| Angela Morley | ... | (as Wally Stott) |
Cinematography by
| Austin Dempster | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Willy Kemplen | ||
Editorial Department
| Peter Davies | ... | assistant editor |
| Ray Thorne | ... | assistant editor |
Casting By
| Robert Lennard | ... | (casting) |
Art Direction by
| Terence Marsh | ||
Costume Design by
| Dinah Greet | ||
Makeup Department
| Ernest Gasser | ... | makeup artist |
| Polly Young | ... | hairdresser |
Production Management
| Peter Bolton | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| David Tringham | ... | assistant director |
| Miguel Gil | ... | co-first assistant director (uncredited) |
| Michael Green | ... | third assistant director (uncredited) |
| Nigel Wooll | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Henry Federer | ... | set dresser |
| Gus Walker | ... | construction manager |
| Roy Walker | ... | assistant art director |
| Michael Guyett | ... | trainee scenic painter (uncredited) |
| Maggie Pinhorn | ... | assistant art director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Buster Ambler | ... | sound recordist (as A.G. Ambler) |
| John Cox | ... | sound recordist |
| Jim Groom | ... | sound editor (as Jimmy Groom) |
| Tony Dawe | ... | adr mixer (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Ron Hone | ... | special effects assistant (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Gillian Aldam | ... | stunt driver (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Maurice Gillett | ... | chief set electrician |
| Paul Wilson | ... | camera operator |
| Keith Blake | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Laurel Staffell | ... | wardrobe supervisor (as Laurel Staffel) |
Music Department
| Angela Morley | ... | music arranger (as Wally Stott) / conductor (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Phyllis Crocker | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Pamela Rose | ... | stand-in (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Columbia Pictures (presents)
- Frankovich Productions
Distributors
- Columbia Pictures Corporation (1970) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Canada (1970) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures (1970) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Argentina (1970) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Columbia (1970) (France) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films (1970) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Columbia Film (1970) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (West Germany) (VHS)
- RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (1985) (Australia) (video)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (1998) (United States) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Columbia C.E.I.A.D. (1970) (Italy) (theatrical)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
During the Cold War, the British Intelligence receives a blurred photograph from East Germany taken from Hamburg and Director LeClerc (Sir Ralph Richardson) believes they are missiles. Their agent, Taylor King (Timothy West), who receives a film which might clarify the detail from a pilot in Finland, is found dead on the road, and the Police believe he was accidentally killed in a hit-and-run. LeClerc meets the Polish defector Fred Leiser (Christopher Jones), who jumped overboard from a ship expecting to have asylum and stay with his British girlfriend, who is pregnant, and decides to recruit him to cross the border and spy on the East German facility to check on the missiles. In return, he would have salary, insurance, and political asylum. Leiser is trained by the Agent and family man John Avery (Sir Anthony Hopkins), and soon he finds his girlfriend has had ended the pregnancy. When Leiser crosses the border, he meets up with Anna (Pia Degermark), a local, and they stay together in the beginning of a dangerous journey where he is just a pawn in a war game. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | "Why do we listen to them? Why do we fight their wars for them?" See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | A radio play of John le Carré's novel "The Looking Glass War" was produced and broadcast by Radio 4 in 2009, with Simon Russell Beale as George Smiley, Piotr Baumann as Leiser, Patrick Kennedy as Avery, and Ian McDiarmid as LeClerc. This radio play featured the George Smiley character, who had been dropped for this movie. See more » |
| Goofs | The photograph of a railway yard that was the pretext for the mission was supposedly taken in East Germany but the locomotive in the picture is immediately recognizable to any ex-trainspotter as a British Rail type manufactured by English Electric. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Al Murray's Great British Spy Movies (2014). See more » |
| Quotes |
Leiser:
What's your name? John Avery: You can't have my name, it's a breach of security. Leiser: You know, I'm risking my life for you so I want a name, give me a name, I don't care. Any name! John Avery: John. Leiser: John. John. See more » |