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We loved James Bond but diehard ’60s spy fans hold a special admiration for Len Deighton’s ‘thinking man’s secret agent’ Harry Palmer. Viavision pulls off a slick trick by assembling the three top Michael Caine Harry Palmer pictures, each from a different studio, in a single deluxe gift box. Harry fights the Brain Drain, encounters criss-crossing conspiracies at the Berlin Wall, and witnesses a privatized invasion of the U.S.S.R., in The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin and Billion Dollar Brain, three great pictures by three very different directors. The presentations come with a glut of special edition extras.

The Harry Palmer Collection

All-Region Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint] 75, 76, 77

1965-67 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date October 20, 2021 / Available from Amazon / 109.99

Starring: Michael Caine

From the novels by Len Deighton

Produced by Harry Saltzman

Directed by Sidney J. Furie, Guy Hamilton, Ken Russell

It didn’t seem possible that there...

We now have our first look at Gangs of London star Joe Cole as iconic British spy Harry Palmer in ITV's upcoming remake of the 1965 Michael Caine classic, The Ipcress File. Sporting the same thick-rimmed spectacles and splendid tailoring as the original, the upcoming update of The Ipcress File is being adapted for the small screen in this new six-part series, which will follow Palmer, an entrepreneurial army sergeant in post-war Berlin, who gets drawn into a life of espionage when the law catches up with his life of crime. He's given the chance to turn his life around by the secret service, with the Ipcress File his first job.

Filming commences on high octane series spy thriller, The Ipcress File. Written by Bafta winner John Hodge, directed by Emmy winner James Watkins. Starring Joe Cole, as iconic spy Harry Palmer, and Lucy Boynton and Tom Hollander. Details... https://t.

It’s finally back on Blu in Region 1, the ‘sixties spy movie beloved by enthusiasts that yearned for something a bit more substantial & nutritious than James Bond. This first Harry Palmer adventure seems even more perfect than when it was thanks to a great espionage recipe and quality ingredients. Michael Caine is sensational as the anti-007, the feel of London streets is intoxicating, and John Barry’s music score is beyond praise. Are Sidney Furie’s directorial mannerisms too show-offy, too fussy? I only raise the question to defend him.

The Ipcress File

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 109 min. / Street Date October 27, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: Michael Caine, Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd, Gordon Jackson, Aubrey Richards, Frank Gatliff, Thomas Baptiste, Oliver MacGreevy, Freda Bamford, David Glover, Mike Murray, Anthony Baird.

Cinematography: Otto Heller

Film Editor: Peter Hunt

Production Designer: Ken Adam

Original Music: John Barry

Written by W.H. Canaway,...

Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with just 10 weeks to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.

We kicked off proceedings with William Hartnell classic 'The Aztecs', while Jon Pertwee's 'The Daemons' filled the number 9 spot. This week, we're heading into the Patrick Troughton era for a stone cold classic once thought lost forever...

8. The Tomb Of The Cybermen (1967) - Four episodes - written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis

Series 5 of Doctor Who is often referred to as one of the show's all-time great runs, but it would have been so easy for Patrick Troughton's first full series as the Doctor to get off to a rocky start. While 'The Tomb of the Cybermen' saw the return of fan favourites the Cybermen, it also...

Look into my eyes – and help us find the best examples of mind control in film

This week's Clip joint is by writer Nia Jones; follow her on Twitter here.

We've covered the workings of the mind on clip joint, but how about scenes involving manipulation of the human brain?

1. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

This adaptation of Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate is an intense political thriller with wonderful performances by Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury and Frank Sinatra. Director John Frankenheimer taps into multinational conspiracies in a fascinating and enthralling film.

Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube

2. Village of the Damned (1995)

Based on The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, and a remake of the 1960 film adaptation, Village of the Damned sees hostile extraterrestrial forces send the population of the Midwest American village Midwich to sleep. When they wake up, all the women of child-bearing age are pregnant. The children...

Some tombs should remain lost, especially if they contain metallic Doctor Who villains bent on world domination. However, what was lost can be found as this episode from Patrick Troughton.s Doctor was once thought lost forever. When it did turn up it was a reason for celebration which we now celebrate again. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazier Hines), and Vicky (Deborah Watling), arrive on the planet Telos where an Earth archaeological expedition, led by Professor Parry (Aubrey Richards), is attempting to uncover the lost tombs of the Cybermen. With a lot of help from the Doctor the archaeologists enter the tombs. What they find is the frozen remains of the Cybermen and they.re not as dead as...