Torn Curtain (1966)

Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star in what must unfortunately be called one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser efforts. Still, sub-par Hitchcock is better than a lot of what's out there, and this one is well worth a look. Newman plays cold war physicist Michael Armstrong, while Andrews plays his lovely assistant-and-fiancée, Sarah Sherman. Armstrong has been working on a missile defense system that will "make nuclear defense obsolete," and naturally both sides are very interested. All Sarah cares about is the fact that Michael has been acting awfully fishy lately. The suspense of Torn Curtain is by nature not as thrilling as that in the average Hitchcock film--much of it involves sitting still and wondering if the bad guys are getting closer. Still, Hitchcock manages to amuse himself: there is some beautifully clever camera work and an excruciating sequence that illustrates the frequent Hitchcock point that death is not a tidy business. --Ali Davis Amazon.com

One of Hitch's best

I loved this from Day 1. Great story line, good acting, and a top notch spy thriller as only Alfred Hitchcock could do. The actors used apart from Newman and Andrews do a first rate job in re-creating that dark, dangerous, and claustrophobic feeling of what it must have been like living behind the iron curtain during the cold war period. Especially the actors who play the members of the secret police and academic staff (especially the professor). Wonderful stuff. I have watched this movie over and over so many times and have never ever tired of it. December 15, 2008

Alfred Hitchcock suspense.

One of my favorite "suspense" movies. I liked the pairing of Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. November 26, 2008

"Torn Curtain", very Underrated!

"Torn Curtain" stars Paul Newman as Professor Michael Armstrong, an American scientist who defects to East Germany when Washington does not support his "Gamma-5" project. He planned to keep his defection secret from his girlfriend/assistant Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews). When Sarah discovers a message intended for Michael, she decides to follow him behind the Iron Curtain. Later, when he reveals to Sarah his true intentions for coming to East Germany, it is an exciting chase for them to escape with their lives.

The film seems to have all the necessary ingredients to make a classic Hitchcock political thriller, right? Yes and no. The film has some very suspenseful qualities, but it has its flaws,too. The best moments in the film are the nail-biting and eerily silent museum sequence, the gruesome murder scene of the suspicious inspector Gromek, the bus scenes, and the climax in the theater (reminiscent of "The Man Who Knew too Much").

The film's problems start with that it is just a little bit long. It could have cut maybe five or ten minutes and I would not have complained. Secondly, the film's music. Hitchcock fired his longtime collaborator Bernard Herrmann (who wrote the music for "Vertigo", "North by Northwest", and "Psycho" among others) when he and Universal were unsatisfied with his musical score. So, they hired a new composer, John Addison. Frankly, Addison's music is not nearly as good as Herrmann's would've been. It feels out of place and just wrong for some scenes. Last but not least is Julie Andrews. While I think Paul Newman was a fine choice in the role of Armstrong, Julie Andrews just doesn't fit the part of a Hitchcock leading lady as well as Grace Kelly or Kim Novak. I think she is too stiff and librarianish. Apparently, neither of them were Hitchcock's first choice, for they were both chosen for him by Universal because of their popularity at the time.

The DVD is very nice. I had no problems with picture or sound. The disc has good bonus features including a thirty minute making-of documentary called "Torn Curtain Rising", an interesting look at what certain scenes would be like with Herrmann's music, the theatrical trailer for the film, and production notes and photographs.

Overall, this film is very good Hitchcock, not excellent Hitchcock. 4 stars.
October 18, 2008

YES IT'S HITCHCOCK! BUT A FAR CRY FROM HIS BEST!

It's very hard to put down any movie by a director that has done so much for the industry as Alfred Hitchcock has. 'Torn Curtain' has all the ingredients to make a great film, but it fails, at least to the point that it is not one of his best films! It's a good movie that could have used some help in the editing room. It's got a great cast, but Newman and Andrews seem out of place in this sometimes tedious yarn of espionage. Although the one murder scene seems awkward I applaud "Hitch" for making a realistic murder scene where ordinary people are forced to kill someone and they might not do it in a efficient manner.

The DVD I watched in from the Box set and it has a nice crisp DVD transfer and audio. The features are interesting and well worth a look. September 13, 2008

Much better than I had expected -- a very underated film

I just watched TORN CURTAIN for the very first time. I had read many reviews which stated the film was one of Alfred Hitchcock's weaker efforts, so I didn't have very high expectations. But I now agree with those who think the film is vastly underated! I enjoyed the film quite a bit, and in fact found that it offered more suspense (as a whole) than quite a few of his other films I have seen. I thought Paul Newman and Julie Andrews were just fine in their roles, contrary to other reviews I have read. And the supporting cast were all very good. The fight with Gromek is a highlight, not just of this particular film but of Hitchcock's entire body of work, in my opinion. The pursuit through the museum and to the farm, the bus ride, the post office visit, the theater house -- all these scenes felt like "classic" Hitchcock to me. Very exciting and suspenseful. Of the 14 films in the Masterpiece Collection box set, I rank TORN CURTAIN solidy among the upper half. July 14, 2008

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