Cold War Spy Movies. Sir Alec Guinness in "Tinker,Tailor,Soldier, Spy" & "Smiley's People".

Myself | 03-14-2005 | Captain Peter Blood

[Captain Peter Blood]

Okay name your favorite Spy Movie or movies from the Cold War era.

[Borges]

The Manchurian Candidate, 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold' and of course 'Dr. Strangelove'.

[RadioAstronomer]

I liked:

1. "Countdown To Looking Glass"
2. "Panic in the Year Zero"
3. "Strategic Air Command"
4. "Bomber B-52"
5. "On the Wings of Eagles"
6. "The Quiet Earth"
7. "The Beadford Incident"

[Darkwolf377]

Too bad LeCarre is such a dork.

Great spy movie:

Notorius

[Darkwolf377]

Year Zero and Quiet Earth are spy movies?

[silent_jonny]

Fail Safe

[Darkwolf377]

Ah, sorry, I skipped the "Cold War movie" part.

Year Zero and Quiet Earth are Cold War movies? ;)

[Doctor Stochastic]

The Manchurian Candidate
Suddenly
The Ipcress File
Firefox
Ice Station Zebra
Dr No
Goldfinger
For Your Eyes Only
Topaz
The Whistle Blower
Spies Like Us

[FreedomCalls]

Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three" starring the great Jimmy Cagney! Correctly depicted life in occupied Berlin.

[RadioAstronomer]

Yuppers,

Panic in the Year Zero - 1963 Nuclear war aftermath, family of four with Ray Miland and Franky Avalon.

The Quiet Earth - Zac Hobson was the main character, scientist working on "Project Flashlight" - Big oops! (Filmed in New Zealand)

[stylin19a]

Our Man Flint
Ice Station Zebra

oh....you meant real spy movies....

[FreedomCalls]

"The Prisoner" -- "I am not a number, I am a free man!"

[Darkwolf377]

I have seen both movies but don't quite get the cold war connection with Quiet Earth. Is the idea of a Cold War era movie any movie that appeared in the Cold War years? IMHO it's got to address the Cold War itself. Neither of these do, to me; Year Zero is about a fear created in the era, but it could be made now; ditto Quiet Earth.

Not saying you're wrong, just making conversation. I wouldn't consider either a Cold War movie.

Not only does Quiet Earth have one of the coolest final shots in movies, it has a marvelous end title music cue. I'd say it's more metaphysical than Cold Warian. If that's a word.

[Darkwolf377]

The Flint movies are wacked.

I'd pick The President's Analyst

[Darkwolf377]

Egads!

One,Two,Three is on my Alltime Worst Ever List. Stunningly unfunny. Don't watch it if you don't want to get a headache from NOT laughing.

Billy Wilder is one of the least dependable of classic era directors, capable of making classics and total junk.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Yes Le Carre has certainly become a great bore as well as now being very Anti-American. I think I saw some sort of interview he gave and he really dug in on us since 9-11.
I no longer read him and his books of the last 10 to 15 years are terribly boring. His creative spark is gone and since the Cold War is now gone he can't bring back George Smiley anymore as Smiley is now about 99 years old according to the chronology.

[FreedomCalls]

One,Two,Three is on my Alltime Worst Ever List. Stunningly unfunny. Don't watch it if you don't want to get a headache from NOT laughing.

Then I can safely assume you never lived in Berlin at any time from 1948-1989, because if you had you would have found it hilarious.

[Darkwolf377]

I think he's a case of someone who started out an entertainer, then bought all those reviews calling him an Artist. Not that popular novels can't be art; I just think LeCarre and others have fallen into the self-consciousness trap. His novels still get great reviews, but I've abandoned two of them from boredom and won't try again. I'll take Donald Westlake, thanks.

[RadioAstronomer]

Ok I see where you are coming from. :-)

"Panic" was an aftermath nuke war movie

and "Quiet Earth" was indeed very strange. :-)

However, "Countdown to Looking Glass" was fabulous. Check it out on IMDB and who was in it. (Hint, on of the actors was "the" Newt Gingrich himself :-))

(I have that one on DVD)

Another I really liked, however it was not really cold war was the movie "The Disappearance Of Flight 412".

[FreedomCalls]

His creative spark is gone and since the Cold War is now gone he can't bring back George Smiley anymore as Smiley is now about 99 years old according to the chronology.

You can't write historical novels set in a past time? Since when was this law passed? No prequels? Nothing?