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42-395: Hotel Reserve is a 1944 British spy film starring James Mason as an innocent man caught up in pre- Second World War espionage. Other cast members include Lucie Mannheim , Raymond Lovell and Herbert Lom . It was based on Eric Ambler 's 1938 novel Epitaph for a Spy . Unusually, it was both directed and produced by a trio: Lance Comfort , Mutz Greenbaum and Victor Hanbury . It

84-583: A "Suspenseful, moody film." Spy film Spy films show the espionage activities of government agents and their risk of being discovered by their enemies. From the Nazi espionage thrillers of the 1940s to the James Bond films of the 1960s and to the high-tech blockbusters of today, the spy film has always been popular with audiences worldwide. Offering a combination of exciting escapism , technological thrills, and exotic locales, many spy films combine

126-408: A British agent without his knowledge. However, Fiedler is able to independently confirm Leamas' information and comes to the conclusion that Mundt, his supervisor, has indeed been a secret asset of British intelligence for many years. Mundt himself unexpectedly arrives at the compound and has both Leamas and Fiedler arrested for plotting against him. Once Fiedler explains his findings to his superiors,

168-402: 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. Leamas and Nan arrive at

210-491: A concentration camp for two years. After he was released, he joined an underground movement against the German regime. Peter spots his camera in the pocket of a dressing-gown belonging to Odette and Andre Roux, a couple on their honeymoon. Andre first tries to bribe Peter into giving him the negative and, when that fails, threatens him with a pistol. The police arrive at that moment and arrest Peter for espionage. The Rouxs leave

252-506: A desire by audiences to see exciting and suspenseful films. The espionage film developed in two directions at this time. On the one hand, the realistic spy novels of Len Deighton and John le Carré were adapted into relatively serious Cold War thrillers that dealt with some of the realities of the espionage world. Some of these films included The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), The Deadly Affair (1966), Torn Curtain (1966), and

294-478: A pleasant, picture to sit through; too impersonal, too objective, to move us to weep, so that its ending can only leave us tremendously depressed." Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post declared: "Not having shared the evidently widespread admiration for The Spy Who Came In from the Cold in its original form as a novel, I nonetheless find it a wholly absorbing picture." Brendan Gill of The New Yorker called it "in every respect an admirable translation [to]

336-429: A score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews, with an average grade of 7.7 out of 10. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold was released by The Criterion Collection as a Region 1 DVD on 25 November 2008 and on Blu-ray on 10 September 2013. Extras for this version include: digitally restored picture and sound; an interview with John le Carré; scene-specific commentary by director of photography Oswald Morris ;

378-685: A shopkeeper who refuses him credit and is briefly jailed. His predicament attracts the attention of the East German Intelligence Service , which sees him as a potential defector . Leamas is approached by a series of operatives, each one passing him up the chain of the East German intelligence service, and he expresses a willingness to sell British secrets for money. He eventually flies to the Netherlands to meet an agent named Peters, who decides that his information

420-511: A staple of the explosion of spy movies in the mid-to-late 1960s. The phenomenal success of the Bond series leads to a deluge of imitators, such as the eurospy genre and several from America. Notable examples include the two Derek Flint films starring James Coburn , The Quiller Memorandum (1966) with George Segal , and the Matt Helm series with Dean Martin . Television also got into

462-403: A suspicious conversation between Paul Heimberger and the hotel's proprietor, Madame Suzanne Koch. He searches Heimberger's room and finds several passports, all with different names and nationalities. Heimberger catches him in the act, but eventually matters are straightened out. Heimberger explains that he was originally a Social Democratic newspaper publisher who was anti- Nazi and been sent to

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504-516: A trend away from fantasy in favor of realism, as observed in Syriana , the Bourne film series and the James Bond films starring Daniel Craig since Casino Royale (2006). Some of the most popular films include: Movie series ( franchises ) One-shots, sequels and remakes Some of the most popular television series include: Classic era Modern era The Spy Who Came in from

546-508: Is a criminal mastermind only interested in espionage for profit. Additionally, several of Lang's American films, such as Hangmen Also Die , deal with spies during World War II. Alfred Hitchcock did much to popularize the spy film in the 1930s with his influential thrillers The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935), Sabotage (1937) and The Lady Vanishes (1938). These often involved innocent civilians being caught up in international conspiracies or webs of saboteurs on

588-590: Is given the task of sowing damaging disinformation about a powerful East German intelligence officer. As part of a charade, Leamas is apparently dismissed from the British secret intelligence service and becomes an embittered alcoholic. He is soon approached by East German agents in Britain, and he allows himself to be recruited and taken to continental Europe to sell his secrets for money. Just when it seems that he has successfully discredited his target, however, Leamas

630-534: Is great to see one as realistic, and believable too, as The Spy Who Came In from the Cold ." Variety called the film "an excellent contemporary espionage drama of the Cold War which achieves solid impact via emphasis on human values, total absence of mechanical spy gimmickry, and perfectly controlled underplaying." Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "It is not an easy, certainly not

672-523: Is important enough to send him on to East Germany . At a German country house, Leamas is introduced to Fiedler, who becomes his main interrogator. Leamas then begins to carry out his secret mission, which is to share information that suggests a high-ranking East German intelligence officer named Mundt is a paid informant of the British. The evidence is circumstantial, and though it seems to implicate Mundt, Leamas repeatedly rejects that conclusion, claiming that an important East German official could not have been

714-458: Is revealed to be an active British intelligence agent disseminating false information. Much to his surprise, this revelation achieves the real and heretofore hidden objectives of the mission. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold was a box-office success, receiving positive reviews and several awards, including four BAFTA Awards for Best British Film, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. For his performance, Richard Burton received

756-467: Is urged by agents on both sides to return to the West. Instead, he begins to climb down towards Nan's body on the eastern side of the wall, where he is also shot and killed. The film closely follows the plot of the original source text. One exception is that the name of the principal female character in the novel, Liz Gold, is changed to Nan Perry in the film, reputedly because the producers were worried about

798-518: The Harry Palmer series, based on the novels of Len Deighton . In another direction, the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming were adapted into an increasingly fantastical series of tongue-in-cheek adventure films by producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli , with Sean Connery as the star. They featured secretive and flamboyant supervillains, an archetype that would later become

840-474: The Berlin Wall and are given instructions to climb over to West Germany on an emergency ladder while a searchlight is intentionally turned away. Leamas is at the top of the wall pulling Nan up behind him when the searchlight suddenly shines directly on them, alarms sound, and Nan is shot dead by Mundt's operatives, silencing the only civilian witness to the operation. Leamas freezes in shock and horror, and

882-445: The action and science fiction genres, presenting clearly delineated heroes for audiences to root for and villains they want to see defeated. They may also involve elements of political thrillers . However, there are many that are comedic (mostly action comedy films if they fall under that genre). James Bond is the most famous of film spies, but there were also more serious, probing works like le Carré's The Spy Who Came in from

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924-747: The Cold that also emerged from the Cold War . As the Cold War ended, the newest villain became terrorism and more often involved the Middle East . The spy film genre began in the silent era , with the paranoia of invasion literature and the onset of the Great War . These fears produced the British 1914 The German Spy Peril , centered on a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament , and 1913's O.H.M.S. , standing for "Our Helpless Millions Saved" as well as On His Majesty's Service (and introducing for

966-455: The Cold (film) The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is a 1965 British spy film based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carré . The film stars Richard Burton , Claire Bloom , and Oskar Werner . It was directed by Martin Ritt , and the screenplay was written by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper . The film depicts British MI6 agent Alec Leamas' mission as a faux defector who

1008-653: The David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actor, the Golden Laurel Award, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film was named one of the top ten films of 1966 by the National Board of Review in the United States. The West Berlin office of MI6 , under station chief Alec Leamas, has suffered from reduced effectiveness. He is recalled to London shortly after

1050-482: The Second World War, is lifted by James Mason's performance as a 'wronged man'," and concluded, "The plot has enough suspense and intrigue built in, but this movie only fitfully comes to life as Mason sets out discover who the real villain is"; Dennis Schwartz found it "a visually attractive film, though hampered because it's so slow moving"; whereas Leonard Maltin thought more highly of the piece, finding it

1092-482: The act with series like The Man from U.N.C.L.E and I Spy in the U.S., and Danger Man and The Avengers in Britain. Spies have remained popular on TV to the present day with series such as Callan , Alias and Spooks . Spy films also enjoyed something of a revival in the late 1990s, although these were often action films with espionage elements or comedies like Austin Powers . Some critics identify

1134-655: The course of the production. The atmosphere on set was also tense from both the presence of Burton's wife, Elizabeth Taylor , as well as the romantic history between co-stars Burton and Bloom. The script was written by Paul Dehn , who had worked in the Special Operations Executive as an assassin during World War II . Burton demanded that le Carré rewrite his dialogue on the set, though the effect of his changes were limited. Ardmore Studios in Ireland and England's Shepperton Studios were used for

1176-597: The death of one of his operatives and is seemingly drummed out of the agency. In reality, a carefully staged transformation of Leamas has been arranged by Control, the agency's chief. Appearing to be depressed, embittered and alcoholic, Leamas takes work as an assistant at a local library. There he begins a relationship with co-worker Nan Perry, a young and idealistic member of the British Communist Party . Leamas spends most of his small salary on alcohol, leaving him constantly low on funds. He drunkenly assaults

1218-427: The entire plot to still-idealistic Nan as they drive their borrowed car toward the border. She berates him for being involved in what amounts to the murder of Fiedler, who was only doing his job. Leamas, agitated by her naiveté, erupts in an angry, self-loathing confession: 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

1260-428: The famous scientist. In the mid-1950s, Alfred Hitchcock returned to the spy genre with The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film) , a remake of his 1934 film of the same name . He followed this up in 1959 with North by Northwest (1959), widely considered one of the most influential works within the spy genre. The peak of popularity of spy films is often considered to be the 1960s when Cold War fears meshed with

1302-408: The first time a strong female character who helps the hero). In 1928, Fritz Lang made the film Spies which contained many tropes that became popular in later spy dramas, including secret headquarters, an agent known by a number, and the beautiful foreign agent who comes to love the hero. Lang's Dr. Mabuse films from the period also contain elements of spy thrillers, though the central character

Hotel Reserve - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-779: The home front, as in Saboteur (1942). Some, however, dealt with professional spies, as in Hitchcock's Secret Agent (1936), based on W. Somerset Maugham 's Ashenden stories, or the Mr. Moto series, based on the books of John P. Marquand . In the 1940s and early 1950s, several films were made about the exploits of Allied agents in occupied Europe, which could be considered a subgenre. 13 Rue Madeleine and O.S.S. were fictional stories about American agents in German-occupied France. There were several films based on

1386-555: The hotel, but find Heimberger trying to disable the hotel's car. Andre shoots him dead and the couple speed off to Toulon , unaware that they are being tracked by the police. Beghin had known the identity of the spies all along and merely used Peter to further his true goal; to find out who the Rouxs are reporting to. The spy ring is captured. Andre gets away, but is caught on a roof by Peter. Andre slips and falls to his death. The Radio Times noted, "this subdued thriller, set just before

1428-442: The local pharmacy, he is taken away and questioned by Michel Beghin of French naval intelligence. When his negatives had been developed, some of them turned out to be of French military installations. It is discovered that while the camera is the same make as Peter's, the serial number is different. Peter is released on condition that he find out which other hotel guests have cameras like his. Peter does some snooping and eavesdrops on

1470-485: The middle of the night, Mundt releases Leamas and Nan from their cells and provides an escape plan for them both. Mundt explains that Leamas' real mission has succeeded; Mundt actually is a British agent, and Fiedler had been the target of the operation all along, as he had grown too suspicious of his supervisor. This comes as a shock to Leamas, and the complex web he has been drawn into and the risk he has been placed in by his own superiors become painfully clear. He explains

1512-412: The potential confusion in the media with Burton's wife, Elizabeth Taylor . Le Carré favored Trevor Howard for the role of Leamas, but he was rejected for not being enough of a box office draw; Burt Lancaster was also considered, but was rejected for not being able to put on a convincing British accent. Richard Burton, the eventual choice of the producers, butted heads with director Martin Ritt during

1554-416: The screen of the fantastically popular thriller by Jean [ sic ] le Carré." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "Concentration is demanded; and earned by the tension and accuracy of the dialogue and the high level of performance ... [the cast] all give performances of a kind which instantly engage attention, even if the characters scarcely develop beyond the point at which we first meet them." The film holds

1596-452: The shooting of interior scenes, though Dublin was predominantly used for external German scenes. Smithfield, Dublin was used as the location for the Berlin checkpoint. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold took in $ 7,600,000 at the box office. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "After all the spy and mystery movies of a romantic and implausible nature that we have seen, it

1638-554: The stories of real-life British S.O.E. agents, including Odette and Carve Her Name With Pride . A more recent fictional example is Charlotte Gray , based on the novel by Sebastian Faulks . Also during the period, there were many detective films ( The Thin Man Goes Home and Charlie Chan in the Secret Service for example) in which the mystery involved who stole the secret blue-prints, or who kidnapped

1680-500: The tables are turned and Mundt is arrested. A secret tribunal is convened to try Mundt for espionage, with Leamas compelled to testify. Fiedler presents a strong case for Mundt being a paid double agent. However, Mundt's attorney uncovers several discrepancies in Leamas' transformation into an informant, suggesting that Leamas is a faux defector. Leamas' credibility collapses when Nan, who has been brought to East Germany for what she thought

1722-454: Was a cultural exchange visit, is forced to testify at the tribunal and unwittingly reveals that she has been receiving payments from a British intelligence officer as Leamas had arranged. Faced with this testimony, Leamas reluctantly admits that he is indeed a British agent. Mundt is vindicated, and Fiedler is arrested as a complicit dupe. Leamas initially believes he has failed in his mission and fears severe retribution from Mundt. However, in

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1764-552: Was shot at Denham Studios with sets designed by the art director William C. Andrews . The film was produced and distributed by the British branch of RKO Pictures . In 1938, refugee Peter Vadassy decides to take a holiday at the Hotel Reserve on the French Mediterranean coast to celebrate both his completion of medical school and his impending French citizenship. When he goes to pick up some photographs at

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