The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
Short description
Set during the Cold War, this British drama follows Alec Leamas, an intelligence officer who has been running operations in Germany. After his network of agents is lost, he is recalled to London and given the chance to strike back at Mundt, the East German intelligence figure responsible. To make the operation work, Leamas must present himself as a disaffected man ready to change sides, allowing him to be drawn into East German circles and into the path of those he is meant to expose.
Martin Ritt directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. It was his third film as director, following The Long, Hot Summer and Hud, and released in 1965 at 112 minutes. Richard Burton plays Leamas, with Claire Bloom as Nancy Perry, Oskar Werner as Fiedler and Rupert Davies as George Smiley among a credited cast of 37.
The film took 8 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.5/10 from 21,000 votes and on TMDB 7.1/10 from 347 votes, while a film critics' rating stands at 7.9/10 from 21 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film's principal photography took place in wintertime Ireland, near Wicklow, in order to capture a somber atmosphere, which led Ritt to decide to shoot in black and white. The remaining scenes were filmed on Trafalgar Square, at Ardmore Studios, and in the German community of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
- In 2005, the novel was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 best novels published between 1923 and 2005.
- For this novel, Le Carré received the "Golden Dagger" in 1963 – an award from the British Association of Detective and Political Fiction, and the "Edgar" Award in 1965, presented by the Mystery Writers of America. It was the first book to receive awards from both of these organizations simultaneously.
- For the role of Limas, Ritt decided to invite Paul Newman, who had recently starred in his epic drama "The Hud". The director asked the renowned playwright John Osborne to write the screenplay, but he refused, noting that he was attracted by the "excellent dark material", but was put off by the presence of the handsome Newman in such a serious role. Newman was replaced by Burt Lancaster, but he was unable to play the role due to commitments to other projects. The final choice was the British actor Richard Burton. The director had to work hard to convince Paramount Pictures to approve Burton for the role and accept his fee of $750,000.
- The film is based on the novel of the same name by David Cornwell, better known to readers as John le Carré. The cover of the first edition featured a review by Graham Greene: “It is the best spy story I have ever read.”
- The director was extremely unhappy with Burton's alcoholism and his wife Elizabeth Taylor's jealous attitude towards him. Knowing that Burton had previously had an affair with his co-star Claire Bloom, Taylor would not allow even a friendship between them on set.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
