This film was part of an anti-Bond spy film cycle. The content, tone and style could not have been any more different. Where Bond depicted spying as a glossy, colourful and glamorous business, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold suggested it was in actuality a drab, down-beat and cynical profession. As a result it is a film that lacks the narrative drive and visual excitement of the Bond series. But what it did have was psychological depth and realism that those films certainly lacked. It also explored the moral dilemmas at the heart of spying, difficult questions that the glamorised spy film never entertained. Not only that, but the world depicted here is clearly set against the ideological background of the cold war. East Germany is explicitly the enemy and the political situation in Berlin is paramount. This sort of reality is a far cry from the distance given by the fantasy world of SPECTRE depicted in the Bond movies.
In The Spy Who Came in from the Cold characters consistently behave in a psychologically believable way. This is a drab and austere place that is captured perfectly by the black and white photography. It is a joyless world, full of weary and cynical individuals who know all too well the nasty nature of the secret service that they are a part of. Alec Leamas is about as far removed from James Bond as you can get. He is an unglamourous and unheroic spy, who does dirty work for his employers. Richard Burton is perfect in this complex role. He captures the sadness and resigned despair of this morally troubled man. Leamas role in the story epitomises the morally equivocal nature of the secret intelligence service. No side in this war is shown to be good. Both are as under-hand as the other. There are no ideological certainties in this film. The tone of the film is unremittingly bleak. The music reflects this with a mournful jazz inflected score. While the acting is universally strong, with everyone excellent. Other than Burton, Claire Bloom stands out as especially good as the only truly sympathetic character in the whole film.
Overall this is an excellent picture. Despite the grimness it is never less than compelling. In fact, the bleakness of the presentation is one of its chief strengths. It makes for a great alternative to Bond. A view of the spy game that was a lot closer to the reality.
In The Spy Who Came in from the Cold characters consistently behave in a psychologically believable way. This is a drab and austere place that is captured perfectly by the black and white photography. It is a joyless world, full of weary and cynical individuals who know all too well the nasty nature of the secret service that they are a part of. Alec Leamas is about as far removed from James Bond as you can get. He is an unglamourous and unheroic spy, who does dirty work for his employers. Richard Burton is perfect in this complex role. He captures the sadness and resigned despair of this morally troubled man. Leamas role in the story epitomises the morally equivocal nature of the secret intelligence service. No side in this war is shown to be good. Both are as under-hand as the other. There are no ideological certainties in this film. The tone of the film is unremittingly bleak. The music reflects this with a mournful jazz inflected score. While the acting is universally strong, with everyone excellent. Other than Burton, Claire Bloom stands out as especially good as the only truly sympathetic character in the whole film.
Overall this is an excellent picture. Despite the grimness it is never less than compelling. In fact, the bleakness of the presentation is one of its chief strengths. It makes for a great alternative to Bond. A view of the spy game that was a lot closer to the reality.