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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965): Film vs Book
Film · 1965 · Directed by Martin Ritt · Starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom
About the film
A weary agent is sent on one last mission across the border, and finds the truth is murkier than he was told.
How close is it to the book?
Very close to the bookThe film follows the novel with unusual care and keeps its grey, tired tone and bleak sense of the espionage game.
Read or watch first?
Read the book as one of the great spy novels.
What the book gives you
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
A tense, brilliant story of deception that grips you with its cleverness and atmosphere.
Who will like it: Readers who like quiet, intelligent, realistic spy fiction.