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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Spy cold.jpg
Theatrical release poster by Howard Terpning
Directed by Martin Ritt
Produced by Martin Ritt
Screenplay by
Based on The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
by John le Carré
Starring
Music by Sol Kaplan
Cinematography Oswald Morris
Edited by Anthony Harvey
Production
company
Salem Films Limited
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • 16 December 1965 (1965-12-16) (USA)
  • 13 January 1966 (1966-01-13) (UK)
Running time
112 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $7,600,000

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 British Cold War spy film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Oskar Werner.

Based on the 1963 John le Carré novel of the same name, the film depicts a British agent being sent to East Germany as a faux defector to sow disinformation about a powerful East German intelligence officer. With the aid of his unwitting English girlfriend, an idealistic communist, he allows himself to be recruited by the East Germans, but soon his charade unravels and he admits to still being a British agent—a revelation that achieves the ultimate objective of the mission. The screenplay was written by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold did well at the box office, received positive reviews, and received several awards, including four BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. For his performance, Richard Burton also received the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor, the Golden Laurel Award, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film was named one of the top ten films of 1966 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

The West Berlin office of “The Circus”, under administrator Alec Leamas (Richard Burton), has not been doing well. He is recalled to London shortly after the death of one of his operatives. Leamas is seemingly drummed out of the agency. In reality, a carefully staged transformation of Leamas has been arranged by Control (Cyril Cusack), the agency's chief. Appearing depressed and disgruntled, alcoholic and low on funds, he is quickly spotted by the East German Intelligence Service as a potential defector.


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