| The Ipcress File | |
|---|---|
 Britishquad film poster | |
| Directed by | Sidney J. Furie |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | The IPCRESS File 1962 novel byLen Deighton |
| Produced by | Harry Saltzman |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Peter R. Hunt |
| Music by | John Barry |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000 or £309,261[3][4] |
The Ipcress File is a 1965 Britishspy film directed bySidney J. Furie, from a screenplay byBill Canaway and James Doran, based onLen Deighton's 1962 novelThe IPCRESS File. It starsMichael Caine asHarry Palmer, an intelligence officer from theWar Office investigating the disappearances of high-level scientists.
This film and its sequels were a deliberately downbeat alternative to the hugely successfulJames Bond films, even though some of the production team were previously involved with the 007 films, including producerHarry Saltzman, production designerKen Adam, and composerJohn Barry.
The Ipcress File was released byRank Film Distributors on 18 March 1965. It received positive reviews and won threeBAFTA Awards, including forBest British Film. In 1999, it was included at number 59 on theBFI list of the100 best British films of the 20th century.
A sequel film,Funeral in Berlin, was released in 1966.
A scientist called Radcliffe is kidnapped from a train and his security escort killed.Harry Palmer, a British Army sergeant with a record of insubordination and a criminal past, now working for aMinistry of Defence organisation, is summoned by his superior,Colonel Ross, and transferred to a section headed by Major Dalby. Ross suspects that Radcliffe's disappearance is connected to the fact that sixteen other top British scientists have inexplicably left their jobs at the peak of their careers. He threatens Dalby that his group will be abolished if Radcliffe cannot be recovered. Palmer is then introduced as a replacement for the dead security escort.
Afterwards, Dalby tells his agents that the main suspects are Eric Grantby and his chief of staff, codenamed "Bluejay" and "Housemartin" respectively, and orders the team to find out where they are at present. Palmer is also introduced to and befriends Jock Carswell. Using aScotland Yard contact, Palmer locates Grantby but, when Palmer tries to stop Grantby getting away, he is attacked by Housemartin.
Housemartin is arrested later but, before he can be questioned, he is killed by men impersonating Palmer and Carswell. Suspecting that Radcliffe is being held in a certain disused factory, Palmer orders a search, but nothing is found except a piece of audiotape labelled "IPCRESS" that produces meaningless noise when played. Dalby then points out that the paper on which Grantby had written a false phone number is the programme for an upcoming military band concert. There Dalby and Palmer encounter Grantby and a deal is struck for Radcliffe's return.
The exchange goes as planned but, as they are leaving, Palmer shoots a man in the shadows who turns out to be aCIA agent. Subsequently, another CIA operative threatens to kill Palmer if he discovers that the death was not a mistake. Some days later, it becomes clear that while Radcliffe is physically unharmed, his mind has been affected and he can no longer function as a scientist. Carswell has discovered a booklet titled "Induction of Psychoneurosis by Conditioned Reflex under Stress" – IPCRESS – which he believes explains what has happened to Radcliffe and the other scientists. Carswell borrows Palmer's car to test his theory on Radcliffe, but is shot dead before reaching him.
Believing that he himself must have been the intended target, Palmer goes home to collect his belongings and there discovers the body of the second CIA agent. When he returns to the office, the IPCRESS file is missing from his desk. Ross had previously asked him tomicrofilm the file and Palmer now believes that he is being set up. When he informs Dalby what has happened and that he suspects Ross, Dalby tells him to leave town for a while.
On the train to Paris, Palmer is kidnapped and wakes up imprisoned in a cell apparently inAlbania. After subjecting Palmer to several days without sleep, food and warmth, Grantby reveals himself as his kidnapper. Having previously read the file, Palmer realises that they are preparing tobrainwash him. He uses pain to distract himself, but after many sessions under stress from disorienting images and loud electronic sounds, he succumbs. Grantby then instils a trigger phrase that will make Palmer follow any commands given to him.
Palmer eventually fights his way out and discovers that he is still really in London. He phones Dalby, not knowing that Dalby is in Grantby's company at the time. Dalby uses the trigger phrase and gets Palmer to call Ross to the warehouse where he had been held. As Dalby and Ross arrive, Palmer holds them both at gunpoint. Dalby accuses Ross of killing Carswell; Ross tells Palmer that he had been suspicious of Dalby and was investigating him.
Dalby now uses the trigger phrase again and tells Palmer to "Shoot the traitor now". As Palmer wavers, his hand strikes against a piece of equipment and the pain reminds him of his conditioning. Dalby goes for his gun and Palmer shoots him.
Ross then remarks that, in choosing Palmer for the assignment, he had hoped that Palmer's tendency to insubordination would be useful. When Palmer reproaches Ross for endangering him, he is told that this is what he is paid for.
Len Deighton was hired to write a screenplay for theJames Bond filmFrom Russia with Love, but later was let go because of a lack of progress. However, Deighton's brief involvement withEon Productions led him to sell the film rights to his Harry Palmer novels to the Bond series co-producerHarry Saltzman, who had previously been known for producing "kitchen-sink realist" dramas.[5][6] Among other crew members who worked onThe Ipcress File and had also worked on the Bond films up to that point were the production designerKen Adam, the film editorPeter Hunt and the film score composerJohn Barry.[7] Saltzman told Deighton "I'm the only producer who, you can be certain, won't make an imitation Bond film from your book".[8]
Harry Saltzman gaveJimmy Sangster a copy of the novel to read. Sangster enjoyed the book and was eager to adapt the novel, suggesting Michael Caine to play the main role and Sidney J. Furie as director. However, Saltzman would not commit to the timeframe that Sangster insisted upon.[9]
Sangster embellished Deighton's protagonist by removing the ambiguity of the novel. There, it is only in Chapter 5[clarification needed] that Palmer remarks, "My name isn't Harry, but in this business it's hard to remember whether it ever had been". But from the opening scenes of the film, Sangster's screenplay identifies Caine's character clearly as someone who cares little for authority, who indulges in quick repartee and has an interest in good food. Newspaper cuttings shown in Palmer's kitchen are actually cookery articles written forThe Observer by Deighton, who was an accomplished cook himself.[10][11] For a scene where Palmer prepares a meal, Deighton attempted to teach Caine how to crack an egg with one hand, which Caine could not manage. As a result, the hands inclose-up are really Deighton's.[12]
The final screenplay included contributions by Sangster,Bill Canaway, James Doran,Lionel Davidson,Johanna Harwood,Lukas Heller,Ken Hughes, and Deighton himself.[13] However, only Canaway and Doran were credited.
Saltzman wantedThe Ipcress File to be an ironic and downbeat alternative to the portrayal of espionage inIan Fleming's novels about Bond and thefilm series which followed from them.[15][7] He also wanted it to be more in the style of his previous realist films.[5]The Ipcress File therefore became the first of the nominally rival Harry Palmer series and some aspects are reminiscent offilm noir. In contrast to Bond'spublic school background and playboy lifestyle, Palmer is aworking class Londoner who lives in aNotting Hillbedsit and has to put up withred tape and interdepartmental rivalries. The action is set entirely in "a gritty, gloomy, decidedlynon-swinging" London with humdrum locations,[16] aside from theRoyal Albert Hall.[14]
The film was made atPinewood Studios with sets designed by theart directorsPeter Murton andKen Adam. The film was shoton location around London in the widescreen screen ratio usingTechniscope. In this format, the normal 35mm film frame is split in half horizontally, with each frame now taking up only half of the perforations on the edges of the film stock (two, rather than usual four). The format was introduced by Technicolor Italia in 1963 and allowed for a greaterdepth of field as it was shot with lenses of shorter focal length than those used in theanamorphic widescreen processes. This allowed cinematographerOtto Heller to construct images indeep focus, shooting behind objects and allowing both the objects in the foreground and the action taking place in the background to be in focus.[12] Many years later, in an interview for the DVD release, Caine revealed that Heller, aGerman Jew who'd only made it out ofNazi Germany as late as 1939, pretended throughout his career in Britain to read thelight meter. Heller's instrument was found after he died to have been "dead forever"; he had seen other cameramen using it and felt obliged to make believe he was using one too. But, Caine said, he was such a brilliant director of photography that he would light scenes "wonderfully" through only eye sight.[17]
John Barry, who had worked on all of the Bond films up to this time, composed the music score for the soundtrack. As opposed to the electric guitar which carried the melody in the "James Bond Theme", Barry made prominent use of acimbalom.[18]
The complex electronic sound effect of the brain-washing process was conceived by sound engineerNorman Wanstall and created by theBBC Radiophonic Workshop.[19]
When the film premiered at theLeicester Square Theatre in London on 18 March 1965, the film critic forThe Times had mixed feelings about it. While enjoying the first part of the film, and generally praising Michael Caine, the critic found the second half bewildering to the extent that the characters "cease to be pleasantly mystifying and become just irritatingly obscure."[2] A review inVariety was largely positive, describing the film as "anti-Bond" for its unglamorous depiction of espionage, and praising Caine's understated performance but criticising the sometimes "arty-crafty" camera work.[20]
Subsequently, the film has come to be recognised as a classic.The Ipcress File is included on theBritish Film Institute'sBFI 100, a list of 100 of the best British films of the 20th century, at No. 59.[21] The review websiteRotten Tomatoes sampled 31 critics resulting in an aggregate rating of 97% "Fresh".[22]
Filmink wrote "the movie was famous for being "anti-Bond", which it was to a degree: it was still about a sexy agent who beds women, has sophistication (he's a cook), outsmarts the bad guys and is cocky to his superiors – but he wears glasses, is unapologetically working class, and has to fill out forms and deal with bureaucracy."[23]
| Institution | Year | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAFTA Award | 1966 | Best British Film | Sidney J. Furie | Won |
| Best British Screenplay | Bill Canaway, James Doran | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Michael Caine | Nominated | ||
| Best British Cinematography (Colour) | Otto Heller | Won | ||
| Best British Art Direction (Colour) | Ken Adam[24] | Won | ||
| Cannes Film Festival | 1965 | Palme d'Or | Sidney J. Furie | Nominated |
| Directors Guild of America Award | 1966 | Outstanding Directing – Feature Film | Sidney J. Furie | Nominated |
| Edgar Allan Poe Award | 1966 | Best Foreign Film Screenplay | Bill Canaway, James Doran | Won |
There were two immediate theatrical film sequels starring Caine as Harry Palmer:Funeral in Berlin (1966) andBillion Dollar Brain (1967).
Decades later Michael Caine returned to the character in twomade-for-television films produced byHarry Alan Towers:Bullet to Beijing (1995) andMidnight in Saint Petersburg (1996).
A television adaptationof the same name, directed byJames Watkins and starringJoe Cole as Palmer, premiered onITV on 6 March 2022.
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