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The Deadly Affair

Released Jan 26, 1967 1h 47m Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama List
Tomatometer 2 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
English secret agent Charles Dobbs (James Mason) is shocked to discover that a government official whom he knew has committed suicide. Suspicious circumstances soon point to the death being a murder, and Dobbs investigates further, contacting the victim's wife, Elsa Fennan (Simone Signoret), a survivor of a concentration camp. Despite pressures from senior officials to leave the case, Dobbs continues, hiring veteran cop Inspector Mendel to dig deeper.
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The Deadly Affair

Critics Reviews

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Yasser Medina Cinefilia As a spy thriller its intrigue dissolves into mist and the puzzle barely escapes the predictable. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Sep 29, 2021 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Top-notch spy thriller for the thinking man. Rated: A- May 19, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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ruth b Viewed through the lens of modern movies this would disappoint. But as a 60s British spy movie it is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. A London I remember. Like many reviewers, the only jarring point is the relationship with Ann who is an unbelievable and rather pathetic character. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/08/24 Full Review Karen R Very good pace, lead actors very good... wanted to know about the policeman at the end and couldn't actually fathom the reason main actor had so much tenderness for the faithless wife. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/19/24 Full Review sara T Almost brilliant. Downbeat Le Carré spy film but watch it for the brilliant turns by the Redgrave siblings, Harry Andrews (napping and tending his menagerie), Roy Kinnear (with his two wives) and David Warner (as an RSC actor). Timothy West's first film too. Their levity contrasts with ‘Smiley's' dour grimy London, made even stranger by the noticeable tones of Astrid Gilberto throughout. Lots of parallels with Tinker Tailor, which it precedes by four years. My only criticism is wife Anne - not because she's a shameless hussy but because she's so vacuous. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review isla s This is a character driven drama. The plot slowly unwinds and it's not particularly action packed (it having a pretty humdrum setting) but there again it's perhaps more credible. Elsa Fennan, the main female character and somewhat of a suspect, I thought slightly reminded me of Elsa Klebb from the James Bond films (no offence intended!). The mystery aspect of this film I quite enjoyed but it's not a film likely to stay in my mind for long. Its ok but not great and I wouldn't especially recommend it as such I suppose, no. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review paul d Sidney Lumet did a great job with a great John Le Carré story, and James Mason is an absolutely first-rate George Smiley (under another name here). And there is a cool 60's soundtrack from Quincy Jones. This is an excellent film, Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 3.5/5 What is with the weird jazz scores for these low-key British spy movies? Not a thriller, but an intelligent escapade through the grubby brown brick streets of unglamorous London. No real chases, no exotic locales. But there's a good-looking villain, and a sharp James Mason, who plays the Smiley role from Le Carre's book "Call for the Dead." The best cinematic sequence is in the Royal Shakespeare Company's performance which coincides and underscores some startling revelations for both the prey and the predators. Mason's bizarre marriage with his nymphomaniac Anne is given more attention here than in the book, I think. It all pulls together as a very realistic seeming spy story, without the absurd mayhem that they call for nowadays. Or even in the Bond films of that time. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Deadly Affair

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Movie Info

Synopsis English secret agent Charles Dobbs (James Mason) is shocked to discover that a government official whom he knew has committed suicide. Suspicious circumstances soon point to the death being a murder, and Dobbs investigates further, contacting the victim's wife, Elsa Fennan (Simone Signoret), a survivor of a concentration camp. Despite pressures from senior officials to leave the case, Dobbs continues, hiring veteran cop Inspector Mendel to dig deeper.
Director
Sidney Lumet
Screenwriter
John le Carré, Paul Dehn
Production Co
Sidney Lumet Film Productions
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 26, 1967, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 30, 2013
Runtime
1h 47m
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