The Spy Who Came In from the Cold

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martin Ritt directs. Oswald Morris behind the camera. Sol Kaplan scores. Anthony Harvey cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, Dutch.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 161 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Dutch.
• 3Directed by Martin Ritt, shot by Oswald Morris. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Sol Kaplan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Anthony Harvey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Richard Burton and Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "Brace yourself for greatness.".
• 8IMDB entry: tt0059749 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Classified under 16 themes, including "library", "spy", "cold war", "grocer".

The technical file

Cinematography

Oswald Morris

Original score

Sol Kaplan

Editing

Anthony Harvey

Production design

Tambi Larsen

Makeup / hair

George Frost

Runtime

112 min · 1h 52m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

IMDB

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965) ↗

Also by

Martin Ritt

• 
  Sounder

  1972 · ★ 7.5
• 
  Hud

  1963 · ★ 7.3
• 
  Norma Rae

  1979 · ★ 7.2
• 
  Edge of the City

  1957 · ★ 7.1
• 
  Hombre

  1967 · ★ 7.1
• 
  The Front

  1976 · ★ 7.0

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

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  THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD Trailer [1965] 4K

  Trailer
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  The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ≣ 1965 ≣ Trailer

  Trailer
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  The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - Trailer

  Trailer · Official
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  ▶
  John le Carré - Where Alec Leamas Came From - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

  Featurette · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2015-10-04
  ★ 8/10

  Frosty reception assured. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is directed by Martin Ritt and adapted to screenplay by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper from the novel of the same name written by John le Carré. It stars Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack. Music is by Sol Kaplan and cinematography by Oswald Morris. Disillusioned spy Alex Leamas (Burton) returns from Berlin and is required to "come in from the cold" and work in a stable everyday job environment. But this is just a small piece of a much bigger jigsaw… From start to finish this is a deliberate downer of a movie, the complete flipside to the spy adventures served up in other high energy filmic quarters. Filmed in coarse monochrome to set the mood, picture is often depressing, overtly talky and complex in its characterisations and narrative bent. However, those things are not hindrances, for this is undeniably adult stuff, oozing with intelligence and intricacies for the mature film fan, a clinically spun web of pawns, manipulations and distrustful men. The Cold War backdrop is marked as deathly cold, where the grey weather is only matched by the colourless complexion of Burton's depressed spy. As the twists rack up and the tension noose is tightened, Ritt and his cast of excellent performers are only interested in keeping it real, right up to, and including, the devastating finale. Not one to turn to when in need of a pick-me-up, or in fact a film you want to watch perennially, but certainly it's a piece of work that serves to remind us that intense well written and performed cinema is always available to view when the mood fits. 8/10

  Read full review ↓
• Wuchak2024-03-03
  ★ 6/10

  Talky, brooding B&W spy drama during the Cold War with Richard Burton In the early ’60s, an alcoholic British intelligence agent (Richard Burton) is sent behind the Iron Curtain to East Germany disguised as a defector, but intending to spread disinformation. Based on the 1963 novel by John le Carré, "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" (1965) is a realistic spy drama and NOT an action thriller in the mold of James Bond. It’s similar to another flick based on a le Carré book, “The Russian House” (1990), which ironically starred Sean Connery. Both movies are dialogue-driven and their depiction of intelligence work is decidedly mundane, static and cynical, which isn’t to say they’re not worth checking out for those interested. The tone is similar to “36 Hours” with James Garner from the year prior. Burton locked horns a bit with the director and the tense atmosphere on set was heightened by the presence of Elizabeth Taylor, Burton’s wife, likely due to costar Claire Bloom’s romantic history with Richard. Claire plays the librarian, Nan Perry. The movie runs 1 hour, 52 minutes, and was shot in Ireland’s Ardmore Studios and England's Shepperton Studios with exterior scenes done in Dublin; for instance, Smithfield, Dublin, was used as the location for the Berlin checkpoint at the opening. GRADE: B-

  Read full review ↓
• CinemaSerf2024-09-05
  ★ 7/10

  There's an authenticity about the performance from Richard Burton in this cold war thriller that, alongside some well paced direction from Martin Ritt really helps it hit home. His character ("Leamas") is assigned one final task, to deal with the duplicitous Peter van Eyck ("Mundt") who appears to be systematically removing the West's reliable sources of information. What follows is a far more psychological cat-and-mouse game as he gets apprehended, and has to play a very dangerous game balancing the needs of his mission with his own survival instincts - all of this without much clue as to whom he can really trust and against a backdrop of thinly veiled prejudices. John le Carré's books were always packed with detail - and that detail carries well into this film, it offers a richness to the proceedings that ensures we are drawn into the plot like a mouse after the cheese. Claire Bloom adds a diversion to the intensity - but in a sophisticated fashion - maybe she's just innocent, or could she actually be involved? Oskar Werner, Robert Hardy, Michael Hordern and a rather menacing Beatrix Lehmann all play important cogs in the wheel too. It's a watch that requires a degree of concentration - like the story itself, blink and you might miss something... important!

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• SA

  Salem Films Limited

Key crew

• Makeup ArtistGeorge Frost
• EditorAnthony Harvey
• HairstylistJoan Smallwood
• ProducerMartin Ritt
• Production DesignTambi Larsen
• Production DesignHal Pereira
• Set DecorationJosie MacAvin
• Art DirectionEdward Marshall
• Production ManagerWim Lindner
• NovelJohn le Carré
• Makeup ArtistEric Allwright
• Sound RecordistJohn Cox
• Sound RecordistJohn W. Mitchell
• Wardrobe MasterBarbara Gillett
• Costume DesignerSophie Devine
• Assistant DirectorColin M. Brewer
• Set DresserJosie MacAvin
• ADR EditorGordon Daniel
• Camera OperatorBrian West
• Production SupervisorJames H. Ware
• Construction ManagerStan Gale
• Scenic ArtistPeter Melrose
• ElectricianMaurice Gillett
• Clapper LoaderJohn Palmer

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• library
• spy
• cold war
• grocer
• iron curtain
• cynicism
• whiskey
• atheist
• tribunal
• black and white
• love affair
• double cross
• alcoholic
• filing
• credit
• exhilarated

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1965-12-16

Also known as

International titles

• El espía que surgió del fríoES
• A kem aki a hidegbol jottHU
• Spionen som kom in från kylanSE
• Шпијун који је дошао са хладноћеRS
• La spia che venne dal freddoIT
• Шпијун који се склонио у заветринуRS
• Spionen som kom inn fra kuldenNO