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Paul Newman, Julie Andrews, Lila Kedrova, Hansjörg Felmy, Tamara Toumanova ... see more see more... , Wolfgang Kieling , Günter Strack , Ludwig Donath , David Opatoshu , Gisela Fischer , Mort Mills , Carolyn Conwell , Arthur E. Gould-Porter , Frank Alberschal , Peter Bourne , Erik Holland , Hedley Mattingly , Norbert Schiller , Charles H. Radilac

A double agent has to contend with enemies on both sides of the political fence as well as the woman he loves in this thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Prof. Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman) is an... read more read more... gifted American physicist who, at the height of the Cold War, decides to defect to East Germany. To his surprise, his fiancée, fellow scientist Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews) follows him, and she soon discovers Armstrong is no traitor, but acting as a secret undercover agent. As Armstrong attempts to ingratiate himself with political and scientific factions in East Germany, Gromek (Wolfgang Kieling) becomes his guide, though Armstrong is aware he's a government agent assigned to trail him, and as he tries to shake Gromek, Armstrong realizes his new "friend" knows what his real agenda happens to be. Torn Curtain was one of the rare Hitchcock films from his "classic" era which did not feature a score by Bernard Herrman; due to objections from his studio, Hitchcock removed Herrman from the project, though excerpts from the score he had begun were included as a bonus on the film's DVD release in 2002. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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55% liked it

8,475 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

22 critics

PG, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: July 16, 1966

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DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001

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Stats: 514 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (514)

  • fb1664868775
    December 2, 2011
    fb1664868775
    Though it is a minor work for Hitchcock, this one still features many great moments and in my opinion is a huge step up from the two films before it.
  • spielberg00
    June 24, 2011
    spielberg00
    This is actually the first real Hitchcock "flop"--bad acting, bad special effects, poorly conceived--but nevertheless suspenseful.
  • SirPant
    May 3, 2011
    SirPant
    I hate to say it but Torn Curtain is fairly terrible. It's plot is thin, the script is awful and the lead acting and the story are a real let down. It's fairly well known that the production didn't exactly go to plan and many said during the filming that it was doomed from the st... read moreart but to be fair, it does have some good points. The scene in the farm house is brilliant, pure Hitchcock and utterly unforgettable. The colours and many of the scenes are as beautiful as you'd expect from a Hitchcock film and the supporting cast generally do a good job. It is just the ridiculous plot that is the problem, Paul Newman and Julie Andrews's characters are pretty stupid considering they are rocket scientists! Newman's heart isn't in it and Julie Andrews is woefully miscast. A real shame.
  • ajv2688
    December 9, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is my least favourite Hitchcock movie of all time so far. Andrews and Newman don't make a good team, and both aren't right for Hitchcock's movies either. The story is boring and confusing as well, which doesn't help. I don't recommend seeing this movie.
  • ythelastman89
    April 29, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I absolutely love Torn Curtain, itâ??s a perfect Cold War thriller from the master of suspense. It has everything you could ask for: beautiful sets, a perfect script and a plot that captures the era in a way you donâ??t usually see. I think the pairing of Paul Newman and Julie An... read moredrews was an unlikely, but extremely rewarding match. Itâ??s one of Hitchcockâ??s most underrated films and one of my absolute favorites. It still holds up today as being one of the most intelligently written and constructed period pieces, the paranoia of war is ever present.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    November 13, 2009
    DragonEyeMorrison
    I like some Hitchcock films, but this was boring. It's dated, tedious and could only be considered a "suspense" film if you're on medications. Andrews and Newman have zero chemistry together.
  • sanjurosamurai
    February 24, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    an underrated hitchcock classic. newman was solid as always and the story was interesting. because of the length of the film it loses a bit of steam at one point, but then it picks back up and ends well. overall a great film.
  • Saxia
    December 27, 2008
    Saxia
    Although this movie was entertaining enough, Andrews and Newman just didn't really seem to match. There were moments when I almost expected Andrews to start singing! Which she didn't of course, but it was still funny (well, I thought it was funny anyway :p).

    Newman always does i... read moret for me, so it wasn't really hard to sit this one out (aw shit, I went there again..)
    Although I haven't watched a lot of Hitchcock's movies, I don't consider Torn Curtain one of his best.
  • matertenebraum
    December 14, 2008
    matertenebraum
    The first time I watched "Torn Curtain," I grew bored and turned it off before it was over. I've watched it in its entirety more than once since then. It's difficult not to conclude that the master director's age was beginning to take its toll by 1966. It could have been a great ... read morefilm except for some major flaws.

    First, the main characters. Newman and Andrews look distinctly ill-at-ease and their acting is wooden. There is very nearly no chemistry between them, and viewers are not really drawn into their somewhat implausible situation. Both actors are compelling in other films, but for some reason not in this one.

    Second, Hitchcock would have done better to keep his villains' identity less specific. In "The Lady Vanishes", "The Thirty-nine Steps," and "North by Northwest," the identity of the foreign agents is left deliberately vague and thus little plausibility need be attached to their actions. Here they are East German communists, of which we know rather a lot.

    Third, there are inconsistencies in the plot. At one point Newman and Andrews are forced to go out into an open space to avoid being overheard. But in another scene a pro-western spy communicates confidential information to Newman in a hospital room, seemingly oblivious to the possibility of wiretaps.

    Finally, there's John Addison's score, which seems to have been written quite independently of the film's action. A suspenseful scene is inappropriately matched with cheerful, melodic music. Everyone knows, of course, that Hitch's longtime musical collaborator, Bernard Herrmann, wrote a mostly complete score for the film, but the two had a falling out on the set and Herrmann was dismissed. Another example of poor judgement on Hitchcock's part. Herrmann's score would have immeasurably improved a mediocre film. (Look at "Obsession" nearly a decade later.) With all the recent film restorations, I would love to see someone redo "Torn Curtain" and put in as much of Herrmann's score as the composer was able to finish. (But perhaps there would be copyright problems.) Had Herrmann's score been used, the murder sequence in the farmhouse might have become as famous as the shower scene in "Psycho."

    As I was watching the protagonists flee through the East German landscape in their efforts to reach the west, I found myself thinking that, if they had only waited another twenty-three years, the wall would have come down anyway and they could simply have walked out! That's how much their plight gripped me.
  • mwilliams078
    October 13, 2008
    mwilliams078
    Torn Curtain starring Paul Newman & Julie Andrews is a classic Alfed Hitchcock film. Lies and deception plague this young couple.

    They are spies behind the iron curtain in 1960's Germany. I would not usually think of these two actors togeher or Andrews in a Hitchcock film but... read more it turned out to be a very good pairing.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
March 20, 2012
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Alfred Hitchcock's 1966 spy thriller has one of the lowest reputations of his late works. Coming after a masterpiece like Marnie, it almost had to be a disappointment. But Hitchcock was incapable of m... Full Review

Variety Staff
October 18, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Hitchcock freshens up his bag of tricks in a good potpourri which becomes a bit stale through a noticeable lack of zip and pacing. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
January 1, 2000
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

In these times, with James Bonds cutting capers and pallid spies coming in out of the cold, Mr. Hitchcock will have to give us something a good bit brighter to keep us amused. Full Review

March 20, 2012
Film4

While there are some undeniably tense moments, this is Hitchcock on autopilot, and quite unrewarding. Full Review

March 20, 2012
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Dull and way too long, Torn Curtain is only memorable for one very shocking and brutal scene. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 16, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

A strangely muted, dull effort, though still worthy of attention. Full Review

Leo Goldsmith
August 7, 2006
Leo Goldsmith, Not Coming to a Theater Near You

Hitchcock's fiftieth film retains Marnie's super-fake process shots and soundstage sets, but renders them in near-abstract minimalism, creating a world of utter sterility. Full Review

Dan Callahan
February 14, 2006
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine

Torn Curtain is not a total disaster. Full Review

February 9, 2006
Time Out

An above-average quota of glaringly shaky process work; but at least one classic sequence of protracted violence in a farmhouse kitchen. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
October 28, 2005
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Can be viewed as a vastly underrated work. Full Review

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Torn Curtain Trivia

  • The score for the 1991 remake of Cape Fear by Elmer Bernstein is not only an arrangement of 'Bernard Herrmann' 's original "Cape Fear" score, but also includes parts of Herrmann's unused score for what movie?  Answer »
  • Who was the female lead alongside Paul Newman in Hitchcock's "Torn Curtain"?  Answer »
  • Paul Newman starred in this Hitchcock film:  Answer »
  • Julie Andrews starred in which of the following Hitchcock films?  Answer »
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