1 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 6 years ago.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
A Call to Spy
"Ordinary women. Extraordinary heroes."
2020 2h 4m EN
👍
6.8
SOLID
★6.8TMDB · 219
HistoryCrimeDrama
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.
“Ordinary women. Extraordinary heroes.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
Sarah Megan Thomas
Virginia Hall
Stana Katic
Vera Atkins
Radhika Apte
Noor Inayat Khan
Linus Roache
Maurice Buckmaster
Rossif Sutherland
Dr. Chevain
Samuel Roukin
Christopher
Laila Robins
Pirani
Marc Rissmann
Klaus Barbie
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Lydia Dean Pilcher
- Writers
- Sarah Megan Thomas
- Languages
- English, French, German
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher, shot by Robby Baumgartner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Lillie Rebecca McDonough. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Sarah Megan Thomas and Stana Katic and Radhika Apte carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Ordinary women. Extraordinary heroes.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt7698468 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Lydia Dean Pilcher directs. Robby Baumgartner behind the camera. Lillie Rebecca McDonough scores. Paul Tothill cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French, German.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Released 6 years ago.
- 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
- 3Directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher, shot by Robby Baumgartner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Lillie Rebecca McDonough. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Sarah Megan Thomas and Stana Katic and Radhika Apte carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "Ordinary women. Extraordinary heroes.".
- 8IMDB entry: tt7698468 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Robby Baumgartner
- Original score
- Lillie Rebecca McDonough
- Editing
- Paul Tothill
- Production design
- Kim Jennings
- Costume design
- Vanessa Porter
- Makeup / hair
- Raquel Vivve
- VFX supervisor
- Steve J. Sanchez
- Sound
- Robert Hein
- Stunt coordinator
- Vince Cupone
- Runtime
- 124 min · 2h 4m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG-13
Also by
Lydia Dean Pilcher
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- SWITCH.★ 7/10
One of the limitations of a large scope war film is that you lose the human story that attracts audiences to the event. When something like a war - huge in scope by nature - is depicted on-screen (and likewise in education), you need a human focus to even begin to comprehend the magnitude of the real-world horror. Thomas does that here with the exceptional real-life stories of these women. It falls into the traps that too many biopics suffer, but with a great ensemble cast including Katic, Linus Roache ('Mandy') and Apte's first foray into American cinema, there is space for this film to exist and prosper. At the very least, these real-life heroic women deserve your attention. - Joel Kalkopf Read Joel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-a-call-to-spy-the-unknown-stories-of-real-life-heroes
Production companies
Who made it
- SM
SMT Pictures
Key crew
- Set DresserZsuzsa Mihalek
- Second Assistant DirectorAnthony Keating
- Co-ProducerJane Chwick
- Co-ProducerJudith Manocherian
- Associate ProducerAdam Schoon
- Co-ProducerMichael Chwick
- Co-ProducerLisa Sippel
- Unit Production ManagerLouise Lovegrove
- Co-ProducerBarbara Byrne
- Co-ProducerSharmila Makhija
- Associate ProducerRebecca Thomas
- Digital Imaging TechnicianAlfred Giancarli
- Key Makeup ArtistRaquel Vivve
- Executive ProducerJoey Shaista Horn
- Assistant Set DecorationLenore Romas
- CostumerAshley Mingo
- Assistant Production CoordinatorNicole Agostino
- Co-ProducerJulia Fisher Farbman
- Co-ProducerJohn S. Wadsworth Jr.
- Co-ProducerMargarida De Brito
- Makeup Department HeadLeo Won
- Executive ProducerDavid Hoffman
- Co-ProducerFrank Thomas
- Co-ProducerLaura Heery Prozes
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- based on true story
Release history · US
When it landed
- Premiere2020-01-17· Santa Barbara International Film Festival
- Theatrical (limited)2020-10-02PG-13
- Digital2020-10-02PG-13
Also known as
International titles
- Liberté: A Call to SpyGB
- Las espías de ChurchillES
- Llamadas a EspiarMX
- As Espiãs de ChurchillBR
- Spion aus BerufungDE
