The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965)
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Based on the novel by John Le Carre, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold stars Richard Burton as a dispirited, end-of-tether British secret agent. He comes in from "the cold" (meaning he is pulled out of field operations) to act as a undercover man behind the Iron Curtain. To make his staged defection seem genuine, Burton goes on an alcoholic toot and is imprisoned and publicly humiliated. Once he has been accepted into East German espionage circles, Burton discovers that what he thought was his mission was a mere subterfuge--and that he's been set up as a pawn for an entirely different operation. Though Ireland and England "stand in" for East Berlin, Spy Who Came In From the Cold has the air of authenticity throughout, thanks in great part to the bleak black and white photography by Oswald Morris. The film was condemned as incomprehensible by those filmgoers accustomed to the simplistic melodramatics of James Bond; seen today, the double-crosses and double-double crosses seem all too clear and credible. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 112 mins
Complete Cast:
- Richard Burton - Alec Leamas
- Oskar Werner - Fiedler
- George Voskovec - East German Defense Attorney
- Cyril Cusack - Control
- Michael Hordern - Ashe
- Bernard Lee - Patmore
- Esmond Knight - Old Judge
- Niall MacGinnis - Guard
- Scot Finch - German Guide
- Richard Marner - Vopo Captain
- Steve Plytas - East German Judge
- Katherine Keeton - Stripper
- David Bauer - Young Judge
- Walter Gotell - Holten
- Richard Caldicot - Mr. Pitt
- Claire Bloom - Nan Perry
- Sam Wanamaker - Peters
- Rupert Davies - George Smiley
- Peter Van Eyck - Hans-Dieter Mundt
- Robert Hardy - Carlton
- Beatrix Lehmann - President of Tribunal
- Tom Stern - CIA Agent
- George Mikell - German Checkpoint Guard
- Anne Blake - Miss Crail
- Warren Mitchell - Mr. Zanfrello
- Nancy Nevinson - Mrs. Zanfrello
- Michael Ritterman - Security Officer
- Marianne Deeming - Frau Floerdke
- Michael Ripper - Lofthouse
- Edward Harvey - Man in the Shop
- Director(s):
- Martin Ritt
- Writer(s):
- Guy Troper, Paul Dehn
- Producer(s):
- Martin Ritt
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- Subtitles:
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- 1966 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best British Film
- 1966 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Cinematography for B&W [British]
- 1965 - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
