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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
EAN: 0025192831522
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: February 07, 2006
Running Time: 128 minutes
Sales Rank: 8259
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: July 14, 1966
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
TORN CURTAIN was Alfred Hitchcock's 50th film and signals a return to the espionage-romance theme the director showcased in such films as SECRET AGENT and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. Hitchcock created a distinct look for the film subduing lighting and gauzing the lens to give a more natural less studio-produced feel. Notably it was the strength of studio influence that contributed another change in the look of the film relative to most Hitchcock pictures casting leads that departed from traditional Hitchcock types. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews both at the heights of their popularity when the film was released anchor this cold war spy thriller. An American scientist (Newman) attends a convention in Copenhagen with his fianc e-assistant (Andrews). While there she picks up a message meant for him and is drawn into a complex web of espionage behind the Iron Curtain that he had intended to face alone. Her presence throws all his plans into disarray and the two lovers discover too late that it's easier to get in than to get out again. In one of the film's most memorable scenes Hitchcock shows his audience just how difficult murder can be when opposed by the will for survival.System Requirements:Features: Torn Curtain Rising Scenes Scored by Bernard Herrmann Production Photographs Theatrical Trailer Production Notes Running Time: 128 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG UPC: 025192831522 Manufacturer No: 28315
Amazon.com:
Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star in what must unfortunately be called one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser efforts. Still, sub-par Hitchcock is better than a lot of what's out there, and this one is well worth a look. Newman plays cold war physicist Michael Armstrong, while Andrews plays his lovely assistant-and-fiancée, Sarah Sherman. Armstrong has been working on a missile defense system that will 'make nuclear defense obsolete,' and naturally both sides are very interested. All Sarah cares about is the fact that Michael has been acting awfully fishy lately. The suspense of Torn Curtain is by nature not as thrilling as that in the average Hitchcock film--much of it involves sitting still and wondering if the bad guys are getting closer. Still, Hitchcock manages to amuse himself: there is some beautifully clever camera work and an excruciating sequence that illustrates the frequent Hitchcock point that death is not a tidy business. --Ali Davis
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Alfred Hitchcock suspense.
One of my favorite "suspense" movies. I liked the pairing of Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.
Rating:  - "Torn Curtain", very Underrated!
"Torn Curtain" stars Paul Newman as Professor Michael Armstrong, an American scientist who defects to East Germany when Washington does not support his "Gamma-5" project. He planned to keep his defection secret from his girlfriend/assistant Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews). When Sarah discovers a message intended for Michael, she decides to follow him behind the Iron Curtain. Later, when he reveals to Sarah his true intentions for coming to East Germany, it is an exciting chase for them to escape with their lives.
The film seems to have all the necessary ingredients to make a classic Hitchcock political thriller, right? Yes and no. The film has some very suspenseful qualities, but it has its flaws,too. The best moments in the film are the nail-biting and eerily silent museum sequence, the gruesome murder scene of the suspicious inspector Gromek, the bus scenes, and the climax in the theater (reminiscent of "The Man Who Knew too Much").
The film's problems start with that it is just a little bit long. It could have cut maybe five or ten minutes and I would not have complained. Secondly, the film's music. Hitchcock fired his longtime collaborator Bernard Herrmann (who wrote the music for "Vertigo", "North by Northwest", and "Psycho" among others) when he and Universal were unsatisfied with his musical score. So, they hired a new composer, John Addison. Frankly, Addison's music is not nearly as good as Herrmann's would've been. It feels out of place and just wrong for some scenes. ... Read More
Rating:  - YES IT'S HITCHCOCK! BUT A FAR CRY FROM HIS BEST!
It's very hard to put down any movie by a director that has done so much for the industry as Alfred Hitchcock has. 'Torn Curtain' has all the ingredients to make a great film, but it fails, at least to the point that it is not one of his best films! It's a good movie that could have used some help in the editing room. It's got a great cast, but Newman and Andrews seem out of place in this sometimes tedious yarn of espionage. Although the one murder scene seems awkward I applaud "Hitch" for making a realistic murder scene where ordinary people are forced to kill someone and they might not do it in a efficient manner.
The DVD I watched in from the Box set and it has a nice crisp DVD transfer and audio. The features are interesting and well worth a look.
Rating: - Much better than I had expected -- a very underated film
I just watched TORN CURTAIN for the very first time. I had read many reviews which stated the film was one of Alfred Hitchcock's weaker efforts, so I didn't have very high expectations. But I now agree with those who think the film is vastly underated! I enjoyed the film quite a bit, and in fact found that it offered more suspense (as a whole) than quite a few of his other films I have seen. I thought Paul Newman and Julie Andrews were just fine in their roles, contrary to other reviews I have read. And the supporting cast were all very good. The fight with Gromek is a highlight, not just of this particular film but of Hitchcock's entire body of work, in my opinion. The pursuit through the museum and to the farm, the bus ride, the post office visit, the theater house -- all these scenes felt like "classic" Hitchcock to me. Very exciting and suspenseful. Of the 14 films in the Masterpiece Collection box set, I rank TORN CURTAIN solidy among the upper half.
Rating: - " EAST BERLIN !! Why, that's behind the Iron Curtain ! "
i have to say, i like this movie. not his best, awkward casting, a bad hairdo for the lead actress, a few dropped balls in the plot and logistics department--but still the basic spy story/plan is solid and was certainly one that was utilized during the era--, but still it's good of its kind. worth seeing, with some good set pieces.
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