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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

  • 1965
  • Approved
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
21K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,270
1,941
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
British agent Alec Leamas refuses to come in from the Cold War during the 1960s. But his next mission may be his final one.
Play trailer1:31
2 Videos
62 Photos
SpyDramaThriller

Instead of coming in from field work during the Cold War and taking a desk job, British intelligence agent Alec Leamas chooses to take on another assignment.Instead of coming in from field work during the Cold War and taking a desk job, British intelligence agent Alec Leamas chooses to take on another assignment.Instead of coming in from field work during the Cold War and taking a desk job, British intelligence agent Alec Leamas chooses to take on another assignment.

  • Director
    • Martin Ritt
  • Writers
    • John le Carré
    • Paul Dehn
    • Guy Trosper
  • Stars
    • Richard Burton
    • Oskar Werner
    • Claire Bloom
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    21K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,270
    1,941
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writers
      • John le Carré
      • Paul Dehn
      • Guy Trosper
    • Stars
      • Richard Burton
      • Oskar Werner
      • Claire Bloom
    • 178User reviews
    • 85Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 10 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:31
    Trailer
    The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
    Trailer 1:53
    The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
    The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
    Trailer 1:53
    The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

    Photos62

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    + 56
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    Top Cast36

    Richard Burton
    Richard Burton
    • Alec Leamas
    Oskar Werner
    Oskar Werner
    • Fiedler
    Claire Bloom
    Claire Bloom
    • Nancy 'Nan' Perry
    Sam Wanamaker
    Sam Wanamaker
    • Peters
    George Voskovec
    George Voskovec
    • Comrade Karden - Defense Attorney
    Rupert Davies
    Rupert Davies
    • George Smiley
    Cyril Cusack
    Cyril Cusack
    • Control
    Peter van Eyck
    Peter van Eyck
    • Hans-Dieter Mundt
    • (as Peter Van Eyck)
    Michael Hordern
    Michael Hordern
    • Ashe
    Robert Hardy
    Robert Hardy
    • Dick Carlton
    Bernard Lee
    Bernard Lee
    • Mr. Patmore - Grocer
    Beatrix Lehmann
    Beatrix Lehmann
    • Tribunal President
    Esmond Knight
    Esmond Knight
    • Old Judge
    Tom Stern
    • CIA Agent
    Niall MacGinnis
    Niall MacGinnis
    • Checkpoint Charlie Guard
    Scot Finch
    • German Guide
    Anne Blake
    Anne Blake
    • Miss Crail
    George Mikell
    • Checkpoint Charlie Guard
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writers
      • John le Carré
      • Paul Dehn
      • Guy Trosper
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews178

    7.520.9K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

    Daniel Craig in Skyfall (2012)
    Spy
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      After Richard Burton became a superstar, he insisted on casting his friends from his days at the Old Vic and West End (London's equivalent to New York City's Broadway). Friends of Burton's cast in this movie included Michael Hordern and Robert Hardy. Burton's former leading lady (on-stage and in two movies) Claire Bloom, however, was cast by Martin Ritt. This caused friction for several reasons: Burton had wanted his wife, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, in the role, and he and Bloom had been an item in the 1950s. John le Carré remembers that "off-screen Bloom preserved a dignified distance in her caravan".
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the film they say that Leamas has been waiting for days for the arrival of Riemeck. This behavior doesn't make sense, as it gives away the arrival of a defector to the opposing side.
    • Quotes
      • Alec Leamas: It was a foul, foul operation, but it paid off.
      • Nan Perry: Who for?
      • Alec Leamas: What the hell do you think spies are? Moral philosophers measuring everything they do against the word of God or Karl Marx? They're not! They're just a bunch of seedy, squalid bastards like me: little men, drunkards, queers, henpecked husbands, civil servants playing cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten little lives. Do you think they sit like monks in a cell, balancing right against wrong? Yesterday I would have killed Mundt because I thought him evil and an enemy. But not today. Today he is evil and my friend. London needs him. They need him so that the great, moronic masses you admire so much can sleep soundly in their flea-bitten beds again. They need him for the safety of ordinary, crummy people like you and me...
      • Nan Perry: You killed Fiedler!
      • Alec Leamas: How big does a cause have to be before you kill your friends? What about your Party? There's a few million bodies on that path!
    • Connections
      Featured in Great Performances: Richard Burton: In from the Cold (1988)

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    FAQ3

    • Is Richard Burton wearing eyeliner? Did guyliner exist in 1965?
    • Who reported Leamas as missing (i.e., who caused the missing report to appear in the newspaper)?
    • Chicago Opening Happened When?

    Details

    • Release date
      • December 16, 1965 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Criterion Collection
    • Languages
      • English
      • Dutch
    • Also known as
      • Alto espionaje
    • Filming locations
      • Smithfield Market, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland(Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin - opening scene: Leamas waits for the agent to come through the border from East Germany)
    • Production company
      • Salem Films Limited
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Gross worldwide
      • $529
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 52m(112 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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