The Kremlin Letter (1970)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Noel Behn (novel)
Gladys Hill (writer)

Release Date:

1 February 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Don't trust anyone in THE KREMLIN LETTER

Plot:

A network of older spies from the West recruits a young intelligence officer with a photographic memory to accompany them on a mission inside Russia...

Plot Keywords:

Espionage | China | Spy | Photographic Memory | San Francisco California

Cast

Bibi Andersson	...	Erika Kosnov
Richard Boone	...	Ward
Nigel Green	...	The Whore
Dean Jagger	...	Highwayman
Lila Kedrova	...	Madam Sophie
Micheál MacLiammóir	...	Sweet Alice
Patrick O'Neal	...	Charles Rone
Barbara Parkins	...	B.A.
Ronald Radd	...	Captain Potkin
George Sanders	...	Warlock
Raf Vallone	...	Puppet Maker
Max von Sydow	...	Colonel Kosnov
Orson Welles	...	Bresnavitch
Sandor Elès	...	Lt. Grodin (as Sandor Eles)
Niall MacGinnis	...	Erector Set

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Russian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | USA:M

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Lila Kedrova worked three days.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Finnish actress Saara Ranin is credited as Saara Rannin.

Quotes:

Charles Rone: I think I'm a superior combination of intellect and physique, athlete and scholar. When a risk is to be run I formulate the ideal procedure and calculate the chances involved with exquisite precision. If the percentages are sufficiently in my favor I put myself into motion having absolute confidence in the performance of my reflexes.

Soundtrack:

Stay

nice turnout for this film at MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art in NYC is having a "Huston family" festival and they showed this film last night. Big crowd to see this film that was a flop when originally released. I had been wanting to see it for some time out of curiosity: George Sanders appears in drag as a San Francisco gay bar pianist, and Barbara Parkins has a role, three years after "Valley of the Dolls." (I love Parkins not just for the "Valley" connection. I think she's talented and beautiful and I love her voice.) I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. So much better than the stuff Hollywood cranks out today, although sometimes just as difficult to follow. There's lots of verbal exposition in the movie, and at one point I think it's even implied that the Orson Welles character is a homosexual.

The sexual politics of the film are outdated, perhaps. But, then, the political correctness of today is even more numbing.

The movie pops up on the Fox Movie Channel occasionally. Be sure to see it in letterbox.

By the way, Pauline Kael hated the movie. Funny, bitchy review in her book "Deeper Into Movies." But just because Pauline hated it, doesn't mean you will. She complains about the sound, but I didn't notice a problem. She also complains about the look of the film, but I think the verite style was intentional.

One tiny thing I thought I noticed, the old lady who is the mother of the Russian thief Barbara Parkins lives with seems to have too nice a manicure! I could be wrong. The moment flew by.