Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman) and his fiancée Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews) find themselves on a luxurious vacation in Northwest Europe, staying in some of the most luxurious hotels and eating at the most expensive restaurants money can buy. The caveat is that Michael is a world-renowned physicist and an expert on nuclear warfare, having been working on a secret programme known as Gamma 5, which the United States government has recently rejected. Years of hard work, with Sarah by his side (acting as his personal assistant), means that he now has to find a new home for his revolutionary theory. Under the guise of attending a scientific conference, he hopes to make his escape to East Germany, telling Sarah that he is actually going to Sweden to assist their defence force. Sarah is left doubting the veracity of his statement and is shocked to discover that he has defected to the other side of the Iron Curtain, pledging his allegiance to the Communist forces that readily welcome this brilliant mind into their scientific programme, as they believe his theories are invaluable to them. Caught between the freedom of her ordinary life, and her undying devotion to a man whose behaviour is increasingly out of pocket, Sarah finds herself in conflict – but as she soon realizes, there is far more to this story, and her fiancé turns out to not be the villainous traitor she had thought him to be at first, but rather something far more than anyone could’ve expected from a mild-mannered university professor.

There are many reasons why Alfred Hitchcock earned his reputation as being one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. His work was always interesting, he told compelling stories and executing them with a visually-stunning style that sees the perfect amalgamation between style and substance. There’s no reason why we should wax poetic about how he truly was the Master of Suspense, and how numerous genres are eternally indebted to the work he did throughout his career. Yet, more than anything else, Hitchcock was able to captivate us with stories that would have otherwise been far less successful had they been handed to someone who wasn’t so entirely in command of their craft as he was. Torn Curtain is one of his more divisive works, a Cold War-era thriller that capitalized on the general socio-cultural zeitgeist at the time, perhaps being considered far too potent and relevant for the period in which it was made. Perhaps not nearly as derided as some of his other works produced during this period after his magnificent peak, Torn Curtain is still a highly flawed film – but still a masterful exploration of broad issues told through the lens of the most compelling psychological ruminations, which sees Hitchcock combining both the classic suspense that he had perfected throughout his career with a vigorous understanding of current affairs at the time. By no means a perfect film, and not in any way even the best Cold War film the director made, Torn Curtain has some terrific ideas and a set of wonderful components that makes it the precise kind of thrilling caper that is more fun than it is profound.

There are many aspects to Torn Curtain that work very well, which are rooted in the director’s very unique style, whereby he could make gloriously complex, labyrinthine thrillers out of the most simple subject matter, and vice versa. This film is a divine exploration of Communism from the other perspective, presenting us with speculative insights into life behind the Iron Curtain, but without the jingoistic, vaguely propagandistic sentiments that normally pervade these films. Hitchcock is far too restrained a director to allow his film to surrender to expectations and delivers instead an elegant political thriller that makes its intentions very clear, even when it is at its most intentionally convoluted. When watching a Hitchcock film, the viewer is given one of two pieces of conflicting knowledge: the obstacles or solutions, and throughout the film, we use what we know to piece together the events depicted on screen, making his films actively engaging experiences. In Torn Curtain, we know the truth, and we navigate the various obstacles with the protagonists, working through the many problems that encounter as we escape alongside them. Hitchcock once again demonstrates an effortless ability to bring out the charm in even the banalest situations (such as when this film becomes preoccupied with the exposition in order to set up the rest of the storyline) and working alongside the remarkably fascinating script by Brian Moore (an inspired choice, as the novelist had been known for his work that focused on the inner turmoil of individuals suffering under a particular social system), the director creates one of the most memorable psychological thrillers of the late 1960s, an outrageously riveting Cold War drama that is as exciting as it is profoundly interesting.

What is most fascinating about Torn Curtain is that it features two of the most interesting performances given by its two leads, despite the fact that Hitchcock intended to reunite Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint from his previous foray into Cold War subject matter North by Northwest. Undeniably cast due to their star pedigree being at its peak, Paul Newman and Julie Andrews turn in two terrific performances that confirm exactly why they were so highly sought-after during this period. Certainly not the pinnacle of either’s career, their performances here are solid, being as charming and endearing as they had been countless times before, with the addition of some fascinating character commentary, particularly in the first act, where we are lead to believe that Newman’s professor is actually a villain, one of the many instances of Hitchcock using his masterful ability to derive every bit of suspense from even the most predictable situations. Casting Newman as an outright, anti-American antagonist wasn’t feasible at this point in his career (even his titular anti-hero in Hud had some charming qualities about him that prevented him from being completely despicable). Naturally, the actor brings elegance to a role that doesn’t require all that much from him, other than making use of his innate ability to bring out the earnest nature of a conflicted character who wants to do what’s right, albeit in a way that doesn’t put him in peril either. Julie Andrews has always been the epitome of class and warmth, and while she is unfortunately not given as much to do as Newman, she brings such sincerity to the role, elevating Sarah from the long-suffering love interest, and making her just as heroic as Michael. It’s a dual effort on behalf of the two actors to lead this film and contrasted with some truly memorable performances from the supporting cast – most particularly Lila Kedrova in a scene-stealing turn as a sycophantic countess who truly wants to help, but at a price – Torn Curtain becomes a wonderfully compelling ensemble film, with a pair of terrific leads and an eccentric group of European character actors who add depth to an extremely straightforward, but nonetheless entertaining, cinematic thriller.

Torn Curtain is not an overly complicated film, but rather one filled to the brim with the kind of entertaining twists and turns we expect from an enthralling spy thriller, a sub-genre that benefits massively from the presence of this film. The film may not reach the same heights as someone of Hitchcock’s other films, but it’s still a solid, entertaining affair that presents audiences with a story that was incredibly potent at the time of release, considering the general cultural mentality during this period, and remains a timely work of speculative fiction in today’s world, where some of these themes are oddly resonant. Hitchcock composes a riveting drama that features terrific performances from its talented leads, a wonderful supporting cast that all do their part to contribute to this continent-spanning ensemble, and a sense of adventure that simply doesn’t exist in modern cinema, where the excitement that comes from such a tightly-plotted, globetrotting adventure is almost entirely a remnant of the past. Not his best film, but an achievement that stands amongst his most interesting entries into the spy thriller genre, Hitchcock put together something truly rousing, which leaves the viewer with a sense of nothing less than utter exhilaration.