The common understanding of Alfred Hitchcock's career is that 1964's "Marnie" was the end of an era: his final movie to feature an icy blonde, and his final movie scored by Bernard Herrmann. Using this logic, one would conclude that "Torn Curtain" was the beginning of the end of Hitch's career. But that doesn't do the movie justice. The Sultan of Suspense didn't create any mind-blowing scenes for this movie like he did in "Psycho" or "The Birds", but there's a scene towards the end that has no shortage of suspense.
Paul Newman plays an American scientist whose fiancée (Julie Andrews) discovers that he's headed for East Germany...but there's more than meets the eye. Newman is in top form naturally, but I'd say that the movie belongs to Andrews. She gets to play a role very unlike those with which she's associated. Far from the happy-go-lucky performances as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, her character here is a tense, scientific-minded person who understands geopolitics (although unlike a lot of Hitchcock's female characters, hers is not a "guilty woman").
In the end I would say that even though Hitch had passed his prime, he hadn't lost his touch. I recommend the movie. He went on to complete three more movies after this one, and was planning another one when he died.
So, the next time that you hear Julie Andrews sing about a teaspoon of sugar or a name to call myself, just remember that she also starred in a Cold War thriller.
Watch for a young Wilhelm von Homburg (Vigo in "Ghostbusters 2") towards the end.
Paul Newman plays an American scientist whose fiancée (Julie Andrews) discovers that he's headed for East Germany...but there's more than meets the eye. Newman is in top form naturally, but I'd say that the movie belongs to Andrews. She gets to play a role very unlike those with which she's associated. Far from the happy-go-lucky performances as Mary Poppins and Maria von Trapp, her character here is a tense, scientific-minded person who understands geopolitics (although unlike a lot of Hitchcock's female characters, hers is not a "guilty woman").
In the end I would say that even though Hitch had passed his prime, he hadn't lost his touch. I recommend the movie. He went on to complete three more movies after this one, and was planning another one when he died.
So, the next time that you hear Julie Andrews sing about a teaspoon of sugar or a name to call myself, just remember that she also starred in a Cold War thriller.
Watch for a young Wilhelm von Homburg (Vigo in "Ghostbusters 2") towards the end.