452 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

[tryavna]

The novel -- and, by extension, the film -- aims to present a realistic but no less tense version of what spying is all about: the deadly cat-and-mouse games that depends upon wits and behavior rather than physical strength and agility, the blurring of good guys and bad guys by forcing both parties to engage in highly unethical behavior, the mundaneness and even banality of seemingly routine assignments that can unexpectedly blow up in your face, etc.

It makes it sound like an everyday job too!

Yes, absolutely! That impression is also essential to Le Carre's stuff -- though it's a bit more obvious/emphasized in the Smiley novels than in TSWCIFTC. (You also get it Len Deighton's stuff -- and in the first half of the film adaptation of Ipcress File.)

[Antoine Doinel]

Isn't this already out on R1? Has anyone seen that disc who can give some information on whether it was crying out for a new transfer or something? Because that's a pretty slim collection of extras for a rescued title

I would have to agree. The paltry extras and no commentary, there seems to be very little reason for Criterion to bother with this film (regardless of the quality of the doc), especially when the barebones Paramount disc is still available for $7 online or in dump bins everywhere.

Surely, there are other titles Paramount's catalog that are still unavailable at all on DVD that are worth CC's attention.

[Svevan]

Especially because the extras focus on John Le Carre, not the film itself.

[Narshty]

Especially because the extras focus on John Le Carre, not the film itself.

Do you expect the interviews with Martin Ritt, Oswald Morris and Richard Burton to do nothing but talk about John le Carre?

[kaujot]

The non-anamorphic is a placeholder.

[CSM126]

The whole non-anamorphic default needs to be required reading before anyone can sign up. And to be sure they read it, they have to pass a quiz.

[Svevan]

Especially because the extras focus on John Le Carre, not the film itself.

Do you expect the interviews with Martin Ritt, Oswald Morris and Richard Burton to do nothing but talk about John le Carre?

I expect the Richard Burton doc to be about much more than The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (hardly the first film people think of when Burton is mentioned). Perhaps I should rephrase: it doesn't seem like a big chunk of the special features are about THIS FILM but rather they're about the people who made it. Aside from the interviews with Ritt and Morris, the two big special features on this disc aren't concerned with Spy...Cold specifically but the sum work of two major participants. (...perhaps because this flick is a snoozer?)

[Narshty]

Generally speaking, Criterion's producers have a pretty good editorial sense of how to contextualise a film. This is one of those films where knowledge of the background setting (the height of the Cold War and the role espionage had to play) is arguably as important, if not more so, than on-set anecdotes. Besides, knowing more about the key personalities on a film provides more insight into the tone, style and outlook of the finished work. Criterion seem to be providing quantities of all three, with "More!" on the way, so what's the problem? Currently, there's roughly two hours or more of video material to back up the film on there. The fact the John le Carre documentary appears on another country's release makes little difference - if it hadn't been on the Spy disc there would have been an outcry.

But if your real gripe is that Criterion are releasing a film you don't like (imagine!), it's unlikely you'll warm to any quantity of extras anyway.

[Svevan]

Criterion seem to be providing quantities of all three [types of extras], with "More!" on the way, so what's the problem?

There's no problem Narsh. The extras just feel weighted away from film analysis and towards biography (and you're right, those are totally valid extras). I can live with it (obviously) but I supposed I was hoping that Criterion was attempting some sort of critical re-analysis of the movie, which I would be much more interested in purchasing. As it is, if you don't like the film (and are only mildly interested in Le Carre), I see little reason to purchase. Other Criterion packages have been so engrossing that even if the movie was not my favorite, I could count on the supplements providing a solid defense and critique of the film's aesthetics. That's what makes those three disc efforts worth purchasing.

I probably wouldn't be saying any of this if the flick weren't readily available on Region 1 already. Who knows? Maybe Criterion saw the transfer needed improvement, or had a newly restored print to work from. I can't fault them for releasing the film or these extras - I guess I was just hoping that they could prove me wrong about the movie.

edit: On that note, maybe I need to get into the spy-movie mentality and see how Ritt and Le Carre undo all the stereotypes associated with that genre, which is something the Le Carre extra may help with. I'm totally willing to suppose that this is all sour grapes from me.

[Matango]

I think Sidney Lumet's The Deadly Affair is a better Le Carre adaptation than Spy...and it has some cool Forum favourites like Simone Signoret and Harriet Andersson, and James Mason as Smiley (although a different name is used for the film). A bit of a sleeper, but a superb film with great 1960s London atmosphere. Seeing Harry Andrews beating the living crap out of Roy Kinnear is a beautiful thing.

[domino harvey]

This could almost have been bundled with the Shepitko set

[What A Disgrace]

Full specs now available:

* - SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET FEATURES:
* - 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

[Matt]

* - Selected-scene commentary featuring director of photography Oswald Morris

I originally had no interest in this disc, but it has now become at least a must-rent. It's not often you get to hear one of the masters of cinematography talk about their work.

[mfunk9786]

This may be a ridiculously ignorant question, but how much time throughout the course of a film does a selected scene commentary usually last?

[kaujot]

This may be a ridiculously ignorant question, but how much time throughout the course of a film does a selected scene commentary usually last?

I don't know about an average, but Phillip Kemp's (Playtime) lasted for a majority of the runtime.

[Matt]

This may be a ridiculously ignorant question, but how much time throughout the course of a film does a selected scene commentary usually last?

In this case, longer than a minute, but shorter than 112 minutes.

[criterionsnob]

Beaver

[Narshty]

That's a very meaty second disc (3 1/2 hours of material!), and interesting to see the film in a 1.66:1 transfer.

[cdnchris]

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

[jbeall]

Well, I loved it; TSWCIFTC may have ruined action-hero spy movies for me. Burton's style is understated--his "He's a bastard" assessment of Mundt was just powerful in its simplicity; there were lots of moments like this. Great script, too. While it was as twisty as a spy thriller should be, it all comes together and makes sense throughout even as it requires attention.

[Narshty]

This is an amazing package. I think the film is wonderful; even if one concedes a couple of John le Carre's points in the supplements, it's still stunningly intelligent and beautifully crafted on all levels.

But the extras are fantastic, and some of the best interview reminiscences Criterion has compiled for a release since Spartacus. John le Carre's interview begins with a legal disclaimer from Paramount, which then begins with le Carre drily admitting "Everyone makes a fool of themselves early in the career, and I certainly did when I sold the book to Paramount..." then accuses them of ripping him off because he was so naive of the publishing and film world. He's got major reservations about the film and lists them all, goes into Richard Burton's hissy fits, talks about how Cyril Cusack's real-life hatred for the English makes his turn as 'Control' his favourite performance in the movie and much more.

That's not all though. Oswald Morris's 40 minute discussion of the film's photography could be legitimately termed a masterclass. It's full of information about the film, Martin Ritt's working methods (compared with Kubrick and Lean) and the relationships and responsibilities of cinematographers on set in a broader sense. It's fascinating stuff.

Finally, Richard Burton's interview; I know it got at least one vote as Criterion's best supplement of the year, and it's hard to think of anything more memorable they've put onto a disc in 2008. Even Kenneth Tynan seems faintly intimidated, or at least quieter than usual. Just see it.

All in all, this is one of Criterion's major releases, and a film fully deserving of their attention.

[zedz]

In my recent concerted effort to cut my kevyip down to size (horribly compromised by the two solidly-packed boxes from Deep Discount that arrived yesterday), I finally watched this release.

The feature, which I'd never seen before, is terrific. A dark cold-war relic that's beautifully shot and craftily acted.

But the real reason I'm resurrecting this long-buried thread is to hail the simply phenomenal set of extras Criterion corralled for this release. Each one is lengthy, but there's scarcely an ounce of fat on them.

The le Carre documentary is excellent, but it's not hard to create an interesting record of that life. The long interview with le Carre is even better, completely focussed on the film at hand, with the author making any number of penetrating and candid observations about its strengths and flaws. It almost makes you wish Criterion could also draft him in to discuss movies with which he was not involved in any way!

Actually, all of the extras are surprisingly candid. That's not such a surprise with the wide-ranging Ritt audio interview, but it is with the 60s TV interview with Burton, in which he gives startlingly frank responses about his reasons for being an actor (he likes being famous) and evaluations of his strengths and weaknesses as one.

And the select scene commentary with Oswald Morris is simply a delight from start to finish. He's as full of valuable insights as you'd expect, but a lot more discreet than anybody else interviewed, and so thoroughly self-deprecating (he's practically mortified whenever he drifts off topic, even slightly) as to be utterly disarming.

Whether or not you're a fan of the film, I reckon this is one of the best sets of extras Criterion ever put together - there must be well over three hours of material, with hardly any overlap - so for those upthread who were wondering why Criterion bothered with this title, here's your answer.

[Yojimbo]

I've always loved this film,and Burton's performance, and there are about 3 or 4 great 1960s Cold War spy films, of the 'anti-Bond' type, which though of their time, will endure: 'The Ipcress File' and 'Deadly Affair'
I recently caught up with my first viewing of 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' since its original BBC broadcast, and I was so enthralled that I immediately ordered the sequel, 'Smiley's People'
(TTSS has a John Le Carre interview/documentary, which I only skimmed through but looks interesting enough for an eventual viewing)

[lemmylermontov]

Dear Yojimbo I think the interview with LeCarré in the Criterion and TTSS it's the same BBC program