September 10, 2012

17 The Ipcress File (1965)

***½
Country: UK
Director: Sidney J. Furie


The success of the first James Bond films in the early 1960s spurred the creation of what amounted to a new genre—the Cold War spy movie. Within a couple of years the characters of Ian Fleming were joined on the screen by those of Fleming's fellow British writers of spy thrillers John le Carré and Len Deighton. The first film based on a novel by le Carré, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, and the first film based on a novel by Deighton, The Ipcress File, were both released in 1965. Like the earliest Bond films, before the spoofiness and gimmickry began to predominate, The Ipcress File treats its subject seriously but with hints of insouciance. Like the films based on le Carré's novels, it deals with the inner workings of a British spy agency and with questions of loyalty and treason within that agency, but in a more straightforward and less convoluted way than le Carré typically did.

The Ipcress File opens with espionage agent Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) being transferred to a new unit in the Ministry of Defence and assigned to a new case. For some time, an unusual number of research scientists working for the MOD have been resigning, saying that they are no longer mentally up to the work. A break in the case occurs when a prominent scientist is kidnapped right after boarding a train and held for ransom to the highest bidder. The MOD successfully ransoms the scientist, but shortly after his return he suffers a breakdown in the middle of a lecture and must also resign. Now that the government knows the reason behind the sudden "brain drain" of researchers, Harry's unit is assigned the task of finding out exactly what has been happening to these men to cause such a traumatic reaction. The only clues are an abandoned warehouse where the spy agency believes the kidnapped scientist was held and a fragment of magnetic recording tape with the word IPCRESS on it.

For Harry there is another, even more important mystery besides the question of what is being done to the scientists and by whom. In the belief that someone in the agency is giving the kidnappers inside information, Harry determines to find out who is the mole. No longer able to trust anyone in the agency—neither his colleagues nor his superiors—he must pursue the investigation on his own. The film culminates in a mind-bending sequence in which Harry is kidnapped himself and subjected to the same process of psychological torture and Manchurian Candidate-style brainwashing the scientists have undergone.



With its classic suspense plot—in many ways the film resembles a Cold War update of the kind of spy thriller Alfred Hitchcock made in the 1930s and 1940s—The Ipcress File is a tremendously entertaining and exciting picture. While the business-like direction by Sidney J. Furie, the spooky music of John Barry, and the subdued production design of Ken Adam (he did the eye-catching production design of the early Bond films as well as Dr. Strangelove and Barry Lyndon) are instrumental in creating these effects, it's the cinematography of Otto Heller that really stands out. His frequent placement of the camera either very high or very low in relation to the people in the shot, combined with the use of raked camera angles, echoes Harry's conviction that something at the agency is askew and that nothing—and nobody—can be accepted at face value. Heller makes the CinemaScope screen shape seem almost naturalistic, especially in interior shots, often using frames within frames to break the screen into smaller units and add depth to what can otherwise seem a vast, flat horizontal expanse.



What really distinguishes The Ipcress File from the many films of this type that came after the first wave of James Bond movies, though, is the character of Harry Palmer and the man who plays him, Michael Caine. Harry is described at one point as having a reputation within his agency for being "insubordinate, insolent, a trickster—perhaps with criminal tendencies." That seems an apt description of this man who originally was forced into the military intelligence service to avoid a sentence in a military prison and is being coerced into remaining in intelligence by the threat of having to serve that sentence if he ever has thoughts of retiring.

Even before his suspicions about the existence in the agency of a traitor are aroused, Harry is a loner who despises bureaucratic minutiae and prefers to work solo, and that is exactly how he makes the significant breaks in the case that his colleagues are unable to do. In a field where teamwork is the norm, it's an unorthodox method that not only helps him make headway on a case that has everyone else mystified, but makes him the target of villains who would prefer that it remain unsolved. Harry is also a smart aleck, a womanizer, and a bit of a Cockney intellectual, with his love of books, classical music, and gourmet cookery. The film is nearly as much about him as it is about the case he's working on, and The Ipcress File concentrates on him far more so than the two Harry Palmer films which followed.

Before making The Ipcress File, Michael Caine had been working in pictures and in British television for nearly ten years, playing uncredited roles, bit parts, and finally in 1964 a major supporting role in Zulu. Harry Palmer was his first starring role, a part he got after Christopher Plummer and Richard Harris both passed on it. So well does he fit the character, though, that it's hard to imagine anyone else as Harry Palmer. Alfie (1966) is often considered Caine's breakout performance, but I would argue that Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File, coming a year earlier and earning him his first BAFTA nomination for best actor, is the true breakout performance.

It's also one of three performances that mark the high points of Michael Caine's early career and that define what is thought of as the early Michael Caine screen persona, the other two being Alfie and his Jack Carter in Get Carter (1971). Of the three, Harry Palmer just may be the most impressive. Alfie and Jack Carter are dominated by one quality, Alfie by his caddish exploitation of women and Jack Carter by his revenge obsession. Only slightly less intense a character than Alfie or Carter, Harry Palmer gives Caine the opportunity to play someone with multiple sides to his personality, and Caine does this without ever losing the center of the character or giving the appearance of straining to show off his versatility.

It's an accomplished, relaxed, highly confident job of acting that elevates an already very good film into an even better one. The fall of the USSR and the emergence of the War on Terrorism may have put an end to the Cold War spy movie, but the films of this type made in the 1960s can still entertain and thrill, and The Ipcress File is right up there with the best of them.

17 comments:

  1. R.D., I adore THE IPCRESS FILE and thoroughly enjoyed your review. It is, in my opinion, a British New Wave spy film. By that, I mean that Palmer--the anti-Bond--is a working-class bloke. Heck, he's not even a spy at all, but a cynical, ex-con thief that's recruited to become one. The movie's muted color palette and urban look have their roots in the New Wave films. Again, it's the opposite of the colorful 007 films with their exotic locales and Ken Adam's elaborate settings (evidence of Adam's versatility). Producer Harry Salzman co-produced the Bond films, but eventually sold his interest to partner Cubby Broccoli (whose family actually invented broccoli). I like FUNERAL IN BERLIN, the immediate sequel to IPCRESS, even better. The last of the original trilogy, BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN, is an oddity--but then, it was directed by Ken Russell during one of his funky phases. Many years later, Caine popped up as Palmer again in some made-for-cable movies, but those didn't seem part of the same series.

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    1. Rick, an interesting point you make about how different this is from the Bond films, certainly from the later ones after the series became so formularized. Harry Palmer is a very different character from the fantasy figure James Bond cut, a working spy, not a figure of male self-fantasy. You get the idea that much of Palmer's work is routine surveillance and drudgery. So many people involved with this film were also involved with the Bond films--Adam, Saltzman, John Barry. I've read that Saltzman and director Sidney J. Furie had major disagreements and wonder if Saltzman wanted something in the more commercial vein of Bond. Whatever the background, I think the deglamorized atmosphere of the film serves it well, making it easy to take more seriously than the Bond movies. I haven't seen "Funeral in Berlin" in a long time so don't recall it too well, but I did recently see Ken Russell's extravagant "Billion Dollar Brain" and found it much more in the mold of Bond with a touch of "Dr. Strangelove" thrown in.

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  2. I saw "The Ipcress File" once when I was a kid, and expecting a James Bond-like film, it failed to keep my interest. I saw it again as an adult and really fell for Michael Caine's performance. He's really excellent. I haven't seen the film in some time now, but reading your post and well-taken observations about the character and nature of the film, makes me want to see it again. Thanks for another very interesting read!

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    1. Ken, isn't Caine marvelous in this film? Even though it's his first big part, his dedication to his craft and thorough professionalism come through strongly. He's had such a long career, and the roles he's played as he aged and became more of a character actor didn't often have the steely center of his early characters. His Harry Palmer in this film is a performance to savor, a man whose down-to-earth Cockney exterior conceals real intelligence and a subtle refinement--rather like the impression I have of Caine himself.

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  3. A splendid write-up of one of the best spy films of the 1960s. I had forgotten that so many 007 veterans were involved in this. No reason why one can't enjoy both types of spy movies, and I would guess that the Bond personnel enjoyed an assignment like this.

    It's probably Sidney J. Furie's best film. Very well directed, but he never had as good material to work with. Glad to see he is still working, according to the IMDB.

    I remember a high school teacher telling us that Michael Caine made wearing glasses sexy. I bet she was thinking of "The Ipcress File."

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    1. Kevin, I'd seen this a few years ago and remembered it mostly for its cinematography and that psychedelic sequence in the brainwashing chamber. On rewatching it, I was surprised at how good it was and what a revelation Michael Caine was in it. I like the early Bond films too, but this one is in a completely different vein. The other Sidney J. Furie movie I've seen that made a good impression on me was "The Leather Boys," made about a year before "The Ipcress File."

      Supposedly Michael Caine liked the idea of making the glasses part of the character because he wanted Harry Palmer to be associated with them. That way if the film led to a series, then by shedding them he would be easier to accept as a new character and wouldn't be tied to Harry Palmer the way Sean Connery was with James Bond.

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  4. R.D., I first saw THE IPCRESS FILE on WPIX-TV when I was just entering my teens. It was not only the first adult spy film I ever saw (that is, less wild and campy than the James Bond films, much as I enjoyed them), but it was also the first Michael Caine film I'd ever seen. I've been a Caine fan ever since, and for me, both the film and Caine himself only get better over time! I'd also agree that Caine made wearing glasses sexy! :-) I enjoyed all of the original theatrical Harry Palmer films (including Ken Russell's wild adaptation of BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN), but THE IPCRESS FILE is still my favorite. Excellent review!

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    1. Dorian, Michael Caine has become so familiar over the years that it was a blast for me to see him here seeming so fresh, yet already with that sense of genuineness and lack of vanity that have always seemed so integral to his work. He has played so many different types of characters, yet there always seems to be a direct connection between him, the character he's playing, and the viewer.

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  5. R.D., Your comment on Michael Caine’s performance as Harry Palmer caused me to pause and consider - and I decided that I couldn’t recall him ever giving “the appearance of straining to show off his versatility.” Years ago, Caine appeared in a TV documentary series on acting in film. I am not a performer, but I found his discussion – and teaching - of various aspects of film acting and filmmaking absolutely spellbinding. What a consummate pro and artist he is.

    I haven’t seen “The Ipcress File” for many years and am too vague on its details to comment on it intelligently. But, being a great fan of Michael Caine’s work and extremely fond of “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” (these two tight, downbeat British spy genre films of the same era seem to me inexorably linked) – not to mention being heavily influenced by your reviews, I will make a concerted effort to revisit “The Ipcress File” soon.

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    1. Eve, I don't think I've ever seen Michael Caine straining to do anything on screen! He's such a good actor that you know it can't be effortless, yet he makes it appear so. I saw him a few years ago on the Parkinson talk show, and he seemed so natural and open, with no movie star ego or reticence. I've heard of his film and book on acting, and I'm sure they're fascinating. Looking over his filmography, I can see that he must be an acting workaholic and that he's done a lot of mediocre films as well as good ones.

      Interesting that you should mention "Spy...Cold" because thinking about "Ipcress" and replying to the comments here has made me want to see it again, and I'll be watching it soon. Maybe I'll even be inspired to write on it too.

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  6. I've yet to see this, but loved Funeral in Berlin. Caine makes a terrific spy. The third film of the Palmer trilogy, Billion Dollar Brain, was a slog to get through. Anyway, your review intrigues me to search this one out. Nicely done.

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    1. Readerman, thank you. "The Ipcress File" is quite different from "Billion Dollar Brain," which seemed to me pretty much Ken Russell's show. Most people seem to think "Ipcress" is the best of the three Harry Palmer movies. It might take a bit of effort to locate it since it was released on Region 1 DVD in 1999 and I don't believe has been re-issued. I know Netflix doesn't currently have it.

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  7. Must admit I haven't seen this, but you have certainly whetted my appetite, R.D., and it is coming up on TV in the UK in the next few days so I will aim to catch it!

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    1. Judy, hope you are able to catch it when it airs. I think of it as British in a way the Bond movies weren't. Most of it takes place in London, and it avoids the internationalism and exoticism of the Bond movies. I think you might find its version of 1965 London interesting--closer to drab postwar London than Swinging London of the mid-60s.

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  8. I haven't seen this film either, though I know it respresents Michael Caine at his earliest best, and has maintained a stellar reputation. As always you makes a terrific case here R.D.

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    1. Thank you Sam. It's a very entertaining movie that eschews the flash of the Bond films for a more realistic approach. Caine is superb playing a character somewhere between a heel like Alfie and the more lovable characters he seems to have specialized in of late--a good balance of the opposite qualities he's so good at projecting, but here all in the same character.

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