Short Films

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Hitchcock in Colour

TORN CURTAIN

• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• USA / 1966 / DCP / Colour / 128’ / English; Turkish s.t.

• Screenplay: Brian Moore, Keith Waterhouse, Willis Hall
• Director of Photography: John F. Warren
• Editing: Bud Hoffman
• Music: John Addison
• Cast: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, Lila Kedrova, Hansjörg Felmy, Tamara Toumanova, Ludwig Donath, Wolfgang Kieling, Günter Strack
• Producer: Alfred Hitchcock
• Production Co.: Universal Pictures
• World Sales: Park Circus

A shining example of the 60s’ prevalent genre, the political thriller, Torn Curtain was written inspired by the actual story of two British diplomats who had defected to the USSR in 1951. Paul Newman plays an American physicist who travels to Scandinavia for a conference. At the beginning of her career, Julie Andrews plays the physicist’s fiancée and assistant who is shocked to learn that he is changed sides to go beyond the ‘Iron Curtain’. The scene where Hitchcock said that he included to ‘show the audience how difficult it can be to kill a man, because a number of spy thrillers at the time made killing look effortless’ is unforgettable. Moreover, the film is also a landmark as the unravelling of the collaboration between Bernard Herrman and Hitchcock when the latter rejected the written score and ordered a new one.

This film was a Meetings on the Bridge participant.