The Spy Who Came in from the Cold:
True Ritt
By November 09, 2008
Martin Ritt’s 1965 movie of John le Carré’s first great novel (and first best seller), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, declares “a plague on Read more »
- United States
- 1965
- 112 minutes
- Black and White
- 1.85:1
- English
SYNOPSIS: John le Carré’s acclaimed best-selling novel about a cold-war spy on one final, dangerous mission is every bit as precise and ruthless on-screen in this adaptation directed by Martin Ritt. Richard Burton delivers one of his career-defining performances as Alec Leamas, whose hesitant but deeply felt relationship with a beautiful librarian (Claire Bloom) puts what he hopes will be his last assignment, in East Germany, in jeopardy. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a hard-edged and finally tragic thriller, suffused with the political and social consciousness that defined Ritt’s career.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| Alec Leamas | Richard Burton |
| Nan Perry | Claire Bloom |
| Fiedler | Oskar Werner |
| Peters | Sam Wanamaker |
| East German Defense Attorney | George Voskovec |
| George Smiley | Rupert Davies |
| Control | Cyril Cusack |
| Hans-Dieter Mundt | Peter Van Eyck |
| Ashe | Michael Hordern |
| Dick Carlton | Robert Hardy |
| Patmore | Bernard Lee |
| Tribunal President | Beatrix Lehmann |
| Old judge | Esmond Knight |
Credits
| Director | Martin Ritt |
| Based on the novel by | John Le Carré |
| Screenplay | Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper |
| Cinematography | Oswald Morris |
| Assistant to the producer | Richard McWhorter |
| Production design | Tambi Larsen |
| Music | Sol Kaplan |
| Editing | Anthony Harvey |
| Production supervisor | James Ware |
| Art director | Edward Marshall |
| Assistant director | Colin Brewer |
Disc Features
SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET:
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- New video interview with author John le Carré
- Selected-scene commentary featuring director of photography Oswald Morris
- The Secret Center: John le Carré (2000), a BBC documentary on the author’s extraordinary life and work
- A 1967 interview with Richard Burton from the BBC series Acting in the 60’s, conducted by film critic Kenneth Tynan
- An audio conversation from 1985 between director Martin Ritt and film historian Patrick McGilligan Gallery of set designs
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Michael Sragow
From the CurrentView the Current »
Film Essays
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold:
Press Notes
Press Notes: Move Over, Bond
November 30, 2008
Leamas, Alec Leamas. Okay, so he might not be as much of a household name as a certain martini-swilling secret agent. But while a new James Bond film is currently Read more »
