February 1 movie: The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. Talk about mental whiplash! This will sound stupid, but I had never heard about this movie before (nor the book), and the info guide said something about a British spy playing games with an East German spy, and when I saw that the top billings were Richard Burton and Claire Bloom I somehow got it into my head that this was going to be a sexy, fun movie about a male spy and female spy being devious and sexy. (I think I was unconsciously thinking of that Kids in the Hall sketch about the East German lady spy and the high school physics teacher, whose hot love mingles with the cold war until both reach a state of equilibrium.)
Needless to say, the movie isn't like that at all. It's dark, gritty, ambiguous, and cynical. It's also brilliant. I'm really glad I saw it. I just wish I had had some idea what I was in for.
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