Synopsis
During the Cold War, an American scientist appears to defect to East Germany as part of a cloak and dagger mission to find the formula for a resin solution, but the plan goes awry when his fiancee, unaware of his motivation, follows him across the border.
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Cast
- Paul NewmanMichael Armstrong
- Julie AndrewsSarah Sherman
- Lila KedrovaCountess Kuchinska
- Hansjörg FelmyHeinrich Gerhard
- Tamara ToumanovaBallerina
- Ludwig DonathGustav Lindt
- Wolfgang KielingHermann Gromek
- Günter StrackKarl Manfred
- David OpatoshuMr. Jacobi
- Gisela FischerDr. Koska
Recommendations
- 83
The A.V. Club
Despite some weaknesses, the film remains a bold and challenging work, one that flies in the face of the conventional spy thrillers of its day. - 70
Chicago Reader
Hitchcock was incapable of making an uninteresting film, even when burdened with unsympathetic stars like Julie Andrews and Paul Newman, and Torn Curtain has its moments. - 50
The New York Times
In these times, with James Bonds cutting capers and pallid spies coming in out of the cold, Mr. Hitchcock will have to give us something a good bit brighter to keep us amused. - 50
Slant Magazine
Torn Curtain, which was a commercial success because of the drawing power of its stars, is an artistic flop. - 50
Time Out
Hitchcock, seemingly too dour or too uninterested to turn in the title's promise of a Cold War ripping yarn, settles instead for a dissection of the limits of domestic trust. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
Putting Julie Andrews in a Hitchcock film at all, meanwhile, proves that a spoonful of sugar doesn't help the medicine go down...in the most de-light-ful way. Dull and way too long. - 50
Variety
Alfred Hitchcock's direction emphasizes suspense and ironic comedy flair but some good plot ideas are marred by routine dialog, and a too relaxed pace contributes to a dull overlength. - 40
The New Yorker
Sloppy, clumsy Hitchcock thriller. Brian Moore is credited with the original screenplay, but probably his friends don't mention it.
