IMDb RATING
6.7/10
4.4K
YOUR RATING
A British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide.A British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide.A British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide.
- Nominated for 5 BAFTA Awards
- 5 nominations total
Andrew Andreas
- Pub Waiter
- (uncredited)
Ann Barrass
- Woman at Zurich Airport
- (uncredited)
Sheraton Blount
- Eunice Scarr
- (uncredited)
Tom Bowman
- Police Sergeant
- (uncredited)
Michael Brennan
- Wolfe the Barman
- (uncredited)
Victor Brooks
- Cab Driver
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe character of George Smiley, John le Carré's hero, was renamed Charles Dobbs for this movie. This was because Paramount Studios had bought the rights to the Smiley name when they produced The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965).
- GoofsWhen Charles Dobbs (James Mason) makes his second visit to Elsa Fennen there's a clear shot of the the street name, The Crescent, on a front wall by the house. Later he gets a colleague to send a postcard to Elsa and tells him that the address is Merrydale Lane. The next scene shows her coming out of the house and another clear shot of the street name, The Crescent.
- Quotes
Ann Dobbs: [shouting] How can you be so aggressive about your job and so gentle about me?
[Sobs]
Charles Dobbs: I've always thought that... being aggressive was the way to... keep my job and being gentle was the way to keep you.
[Reflective pause]
Charles Dobbs: Well, I've lost my job, haven't I?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Al Murray's Great British Spy Movies (2014)
- SoundtracksTheme Song
Written by Quincy Jones (uncredited) and Howard Greenfield (uncredited)
Sung by Astrud Gilberto
Featured review
... based on a book by John Le Carre, directed by Sidney Lumet. Charles Dobbs (James Mason) is an aging agent with the British Home Office. He knows his wife (Harriet Andersson) is having an affair, but he has more pressing matters at hand: a politician has committed suicide shortly after being questioned by Dobbs about his college-era communist leanings. The higher-ups don't think it was suicide, so Dobbs, with the assistance of a retired Scotland Yard inspector (Harry Andrews), is ordered to look into it.
Also featuring Simone Signoret as the dead man's widow, Maximilian Schell as an old friend of Dobbs', Kenneth Haigh, Roy Kinnear, Max Adrian, Lynn Redgrave, Corin Redgrave, and David Warner. This was another of Le Carre's George Smiley books, but due to rights issues the names were changed. Director Lumet presents a drab, gray London that perhaps fits the dour tone of the story but doesn't invite much audience enthusiasm. I was very impressed with Andrews as the tough cop, and Signoret as the Holocaust-surviving widow. The Quincy Jones soundtrack jars badly against the onscreen action.
Also featuring Simone Signoret as the dead man's widow, Maximilian Schell as an old friend of Dobbs', Kenneth Haigh, Roy Kinnear, Max Adrian, Lynn Redgrave, Corin Redgrave, and David Warner. This was another of Le Carre's George Smiley books, but due to rights issues the names were changed. Director Lumet presents a drab, gray London that perhaps fits the dour tone of the story but doesn't invite much audience enthusiasm. I was very impressed with Andrews as the tough cop, and Signoret as the Holocaust-surviving widow. The Quincy Jones soundtrack jars badly against the onscreen action.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Smrtonosna afera
- Filming locations
- Serpentine Restaurant, Hyde Park, Westminster, Greater London, England, UK(Dobbs meets with Frey)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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