The Ipcress File (1965)

Director:

Sidney J. Furie

Writers:

W.H. Canaway (screenplay) &
James Doran (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 August 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

In London, a counter espionage agent deals with his own bureaucracy while investigating the kidnapping and brainwashing of British scientists.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Brainwashing | Spy | CIA Agent | Hallucination

Awards:

Won 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Harry Palmer
Nigel Green	...	Dalby
Guy Doleman	...	Ross
Sue Lloyd	...	Jean
Gordon Jackson	...	Carswell
Aubrey Richards	...	Radcliffe
Frank Gatliff	...	Bluejay
Thomas Baptiste	...	Barney
Oliver MacGreevy	...	Housemartin (as Oliver Macgreevy)
Freda Bamford	...	Alice
Pauline Winter	...	Charlady
Anthony Blackshaw	...	Edwards
Barry Raymond	...	Gray
David Glover	...	Chilcott-Oakes
Stanley Meadows	...	Inspector Keightley

Also Known As:

Len Deighton's The Ipcress File (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Albanian

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G (TV rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Germany:12 | Iceland:16 | UK:PG (2005) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Birdcage Walk, St. James's Park, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

On the first day of shooting, Sidney J. Furie gathered the cast and said "This is what I think of the script". He then set the script on fire.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Palmer hurts his wrists in the first brain washing session, the next time he is taken his wrists are not injured. Even though it has only been two days according to the marks on the wall, and later they are hurt again.

Quotes:

Bluejay: [to a guard] See that there's padding on those straps next time.
Palmer: You want to make it easy for me?
Bluejay: No. For *me*.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Harry Saltzman: Showman (2000) (V)

Do a good bit of a lunch at your club do they?

The best thing about this film is the fascinating period atmosphere. When this film was made, 1965, Britain, and British filmmaking, was exactly on the cusp between the old, class ridden, Imperial culture of films like 'Zulu', and the gritty, modern, realist school that began with films like 'Get Carter'.

In '65 Britain had a Labour government after a long period of Conservative rule, and sweeping changes were about to happen which would utterly change the face of British life. 'Ipcress' bridges the gap between these two eras.

On the one hand we have the upper-middle class army officers lunching at their clubs and strolling along in bowler hats with tightly furled umbrellas, and at the other extreme we have the way-out psychedelia of the interrogation chamber scene, and the grimy world of offices, warehouses, and men jumping out of vans that defined the TV and films of the 70s such as 'The Sweeney'.

In the middle somewhere is Harry Palmer, who rather than being working class, is classless. He has no discernable accent, dresses plainly, likes cooking and classical music and lives in nondescript surroundings. It is only his military rank, that of sergeant, that enables us to make any kind of judgement on his social status.

I think this is part of the enduring appeal of the film. Although the Dalbys of this world are long gone, Palmer would not be out of place in 2003, in fact the Palmers of this world are now the norm in many positions of British authority.

Overall a fascinating period piece but one which has worn well.