michael-dixon2

I have unreserved enthusiasm for this film having watched it on many occasions and yet to find a fault. Indeed it only gets better. It is so atmospheric, with Director Martin Ritt, his designers and photographers, all superb. You really feel you are either in a typical 1960's corner shop in London, a prison in East Germany or a communist safe-house in Scandanavia.

It has always been my view that once it is established the leading actor in any film is on top form, which certainly applies to Burton and the script is accepted as good, then it is the support actors who determine whether a film is going to reach excellence. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold has an absolutely first-class range of actors at the very top of their profession. The casting is magnificent and each of them has a meaningful part to play in this film, enabling them to bring their own special qualities to every role.

The list of talent is endless and includes Claire Bloom playing the naive young communist, Nan, who befriends Leamas, Michael Hordern, Robert Hardy, Sam Wanamaker, Peter Van Eyck who was very good as Hans Dieter Munt, the very sinister head of the East German Secret Police, the brilliant Cyril Cussack and Bernard Lee. My own particular favourite in the film, however, is the excellent Oskar Werner who portrays Fiedler, Deputy to Munt, who despite this and his fanatical belief in communism, is suspected and despised by his own organisation because he is Jewish.

But of course it is Burton who is the central part to the film and he plays the downbeat spy, Alec Leamas, to perfection, in what must be one of the best performances of his film career. Burton is Leamas and Leamas is Burton. He is brilliant and I cannot imagine the author of the book, John Le Carre, being anything than very impressed with Burton's interpretation of his character.

The film is well worthy of being watched either by those who have not seen it before, or by others who have to appreciate it once again. It is of course from a by-gone era when communism was an ideology followed by millions and opposed by many millions more besides. It was perceived by many as a fight to the death, hence the tension which Martin Ritt and his team magnificently captures.

It may well be a film depicting another era but I have no doubt there will be many operators just like Alec Leamas in our modern-day secret service, just as cynical about making a living in the seedy world in which they inhabit. The story comfortably defies the passing of time, while the quality of acting will be appreciated indefinitely such is the very high standard.

Michael Dixon, Sunderland, England.

I enjoyed this film, greatly appreciated that it was shot in black and white, thought the acting throughout the cast was excellent and would give full marks to the close-up photography. It was atmospheric and as a past student of politics, the film based itself on a subject, which like many others, I was familiar. That certainly helped and I would suggest some background knowledge, at the very least, is essential for this film to be understood, let alone appreciated. But in truth, away from the hype, it was not an exceptional piece of work; it was just extremely good.

A surprise was the low key way in which it was all played. This was, of course deliberate, but I felt at the end of the film I knew not one thing more about the character of Ed. Murrow than I did at the beginning. In addition, while I appreciate that news journalists must have been a cynical breed in that atmosphere, the reaction in the newsroom to the announcement that Senator McCarthy was himself to be the subject of investigation by a Senate Committee, was very muted; disappointingly so.

The Director may have been wishing to avoid the pitfalls of All The Presidents Men, with two Washington Post journalists patently played by two film stars (Redford and Hoffman). Goodnight,and Good Luck succeeded in avoiding that but managed to leave me somewhat frustrated. The film length, too, was very short and I think that a little more information as to what lay ahead in the lives of Murrow and McCarthy would have been useful. My partner in the cinema, when the film ended said, "is that it?" This is one of the few films where I never felt I got inside the mind of one single character, though in fairness the basis of the story, McCarthy, was played for real on the newsreels from the 1950's, so that would have been tricky. What I did enjoy very much was the studio scenes when the programme was on the air. These were most realistic, both politically gripping and very intense. Full marks to all concerned.

Whatever criticisms I may make, it was in the search of perfection, for a film that is centred around free speech, political tolerance of a contrary point of view and, of course, media reporting, deserves much credit for even trying. For that alone and of course much more besides, George Clooney and his team deserve our thanks and appreciation.