While it is much more fun to have a series of slick action moves and fantasy plots, this film's focus on structure and managers is much more realistic one assumes and also allows for a solid, if unspectacular, story but also some amusing digs at the civil service. On top of this the film pokes fun at the UK civil service with a great deal of relish but not sticking out as doing so. The film makes good sport of this aspect of Palmer's job and shows the fussy management structure of his department as being almost as much of a threat to national security as Bluejay himself is!
The cast is pretty good but it is Michael Caine's film all the way. He is suitably acerbic in his wit and has the browbeaten look many of us get when we feel we are being stopped from 'doing our jobs' by having to spend too much time filling in forms! However, while also still making this point, Caine still makes Palmer effective enough for the audience to get behind him and still see him as a spy and the fact that Caine always brings his own screen presence to the role helps as well.
Overall this is not a great film but it is a good one. When viewed alongside other spy thrillers this one will appear very slow but I still found the story to be enjoyable if low key.
The portrayal of the civil service as one of paperwork and managers adds a nice layer to a story that is already pretty good in its own right. Not to everyone's taste and it helps if you can appreciate Palmer's situation but it is a good espionage tale that rewards patience with a good story that is happily lacking in Hollywood excesses and empty spectacle.
Details Edit. Release date August 2, United States. United Kingdom. English Albanian. Ipcress - streng geheim. The Rank Organisation Steven S. Lowndes Productions Limited.
Box office Edit. Technical specs Edit. Runtime 1 hour 49 minutes. Related news. Contribute to this page Suggest an edit or add missing content. Top Gap. See more gaps Learn more about contributing. Edit page. See the entire gallery.
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Still, there is certainly a lack of support and he is aware that, should anything go wrong, rather than coming up with some way to whisk him out of trouble, Dalby will deny all knowledge of what he is talking about… Although this novel was an instant success when it was first published, I found it something of a difficult read.
It was slow and, I felt, a little dry. Still, it is an important read, which presented a much more realistic view of the Secret Service than the recently published Bond novels and led to other, similar spy books in the genre. View 2 comments. Shelves: suspense , mystery , novels , fiction , crime , ultimate-reading-list , contemporary. This has been praised as a literary thriller that helped shape the espionage thriller genre, and I've seen Deighton compared to Dickens, contrasted favorably to Ian Fleming.
Frankly, this struck me as rather juvenile. Unlike Fleming, Deighton doesn't have a background in intelligence, and the book never struck me as plausible. This is Len Deighton's first novel--before this he had been working as an illustrator according This has been praised as a literary thriller that helped shape the espionage thriller genre, and I've seen Deighton compared to Dickens, contrasted favorably to Ian Fleming. This is Len Deighton's first novel--before this he had been working as an illustrator according to his introduction--and it shows.
An illustrator as opposed to an artist has to pretty much cover the page. His descriptions are overwritten--engorged with random elements rather than carefully chosen telling details. The narration is even crowded with intrusive footnotes. Set in the early sixties at the height of the cold war, the story is told in a conversational and often sarcastic voice by the unnamed narrator, a British intelligence officer. First person usually allows for a feeling of intimacy and a crisp point of view.
Yet this narration was so rambling and confusing I'd go over passages twice to try to get what was going on and failing. And given what I've read in the other reviews, I'm not the only reader confused.
A slog to read and not enough payoff to make the difficulties worth it. View all 4 comments. Jun 26, Paul Ataua rated it liked it. Lightly comic and heavily anti-authoritarian, it is certainly an entertaining read even if I never really knew what was going on at any point in the novel. Apr 22, W rated it did not like it Shelves: abandoned , thriller. Deighton,Fleming,Le Carre,all these British spy writers bore me big time.
But,at least,Fleming and Le Carre came from an intelligence background,Deighton didn't. It is supposedly an espionage classic. For me,it certainly isn't. There is some sort of dark conspiracy and it has to do with nuclear weapons,but the whole thing is too convoluted and confusing. I couldn't get interested at all.
This book was also adapted as a movie,with Michael Caine. It is on youtube. Got to see if it is better than the book. The producer is Harry Saltzman,who co-produced the early Bond films. So,it has something going for it. View 1 comment. Sep 30, Nooilforpacifists rated it really liked it Shelves: thriller. It's hard to believe this was Deighton's first book.
Had I written something as clever, sarcastic, and thrilling as this, I would have stopped there, and admired myself in the mirror for a decade. Good thing Len didn't--this book gets scrambled at the end. By contrast, by the time he hit his stride in the three Bernard Sampson trilogies, there wasn't a hair out of place. Deighton didn't go to Eton; he's not an Oxbridge grad. But he read like a madman, had some Toff friends, and must have the ret It's hard to believe this was Deighton's first book.
But he read like a madman, had some Toff friends, and must have the retention of a sponge. Which makes it well worth admiring in front of a mirror. Sep 28, Peter rated it really liked it Shelves: fiction.
Well that was a slow read. One of the most famous spy novels and with good reason, a dense confusing read that requires a lot of focus. To rush this is to do it a dis-service, so take time and enjoy. Some books require a different approach, shall we say, a new self discipline. There are many people here and who I know on a day to day social basis who read a book from cover to cover but fail to acknowledge the contents.
It almost seems that they need to serve a purpose, "I have read this, therefore Well that was a slow read. It almost seems that they need to serve a purpose, "I have read this, therefore I am in. Hmmmmmmm - I was looking forward to this book. I've long been a fan of the Michael Caine movie based on this novel, and having read the Bond books a couple of years ago and working through the Smiley novels this year, I was intrigued to see where the unnamed spy of Deighton's books fitted in to the triumvirate.
And unfortunately I was disappointed. I found this the least enjoyable of the three - in both style and content. In content it doesn't have the glamourously comic book style jetsetting of Hmmmmmmm - I was looking forward to this book. In content it doesn't have the glamourously comic book style jetsetting of Bond, nor the uncannily believable grey everyday matter-of-fact detail punctuated by intense violence of Le Carre's Smiley books.
Instead we have a sexist, glorified police officer with an un-expanded upon class-based chip on his shoulder who just wanders about not doing a lot.
The writing style doesn't have Flemming's over the top flamboyance or Le Carre's Austen-like calm, but instead uses a 40s-style noir method of writing that, for me, grated intensely - I couldn't read it without an american accent in my head and then I kept getting reminded that he was from Burnley - even though nothing in the book backed that up apart from his saying he was from Burnley and he didn't like posh blokes.
I have no idea. It must have sounded as utterly incongruous in the early 60s, just as it does now. And then Deighton spends the last two chapters with the two protagonists sitting down explaining what's happened, because he'd done such a bad job at telling the story through the previous pages. Not particularly recommended. This is definitely one case in which the movie is a vast improvement on the book. Sep 23, Ed rated it liked it Shelves: spy , thriller. I really, really wanted to enjoy this more and maybe the fault was partly my own for thinking it was going to be one of those novels I could read in 20 minute snatches on my daily commute, but despite its relatively short length, I just found it maddeningly difficult to follow.
The tone is basically Noir filtered through the spy thriller with a little dash of The Man Who Was Thursday surrealism with the result that it had one of those hyper-dense narratives, full of non sequiturs, one-liners and I really, really wanted to enjoy this more and maybe the fault was partly my own for thinking it was going to be one of those novels I could read in 20 minute snatches on my daily commute, but despite its relatively short length, I just found it maddeningly difficult to follow.
The tone is basically Noir filtered through the spy thriller with a little dash of The Man Who Was Thursday surrealism with the result that it had one of those hyper-dense narratives, full of non sequiturs, one-liners and sudden plot shifts, that means if your mind wanders for a line or two, suddenly you find yourself desperately skipping back pages trying to figure out what is going on.
Don't get me wrong: I've read and enjoyed Noir fiction in the past and I understand that sometimes with the genre it's more about soaking up the atmosphere of the text rather than trying to puzzle out every nuance of the plot that way lies madness , but nevertheless I did feel The Ipcress File ramped up the convoluted narrative to ridiculous levels.
I was just thankful that the plot of the rest of the novel was explained in the final chapter and it still had me flipping back, going: "Who's doing the WHAT now?!? Still though I can understand why this is seen as such a canonical work and I will give it the benefit of the doubt because I reckon it is one of those novels that you have to read in as close as one sitting as possible to get the most out of it.
I will probably give it another go at some point. Aug 07, Sid Nuncius rated it really liked it. The Ipcress File has aged remarkably well. Much more down-t The Ipcress File has aged remarkably well. The plot just about holds water, although I did get a little lost at times. I enjoyed it and can recommend it warmly. This is Len Deighton debut written in 62 The anonymous narrator describes a certain operation to a gov official and to us readers it looks like a long letter with footnotes and appendices.
The unnamed narrators who in popular culture became Michael Caine and his name was Harry in the movie, but in the novel he was called Harry in one page and that was the only clue that Harry could be his name. He is the antithesis of James Bond, more down to earth and real There's an occasionally recurring theme of scientists disappearing, but it's a pretty thin thread to hang pages on so far.
Anyway, no score yet as I'm still cautiously optimistic. Plus, this "Franklin Mystery" edition is just such a strangely beautiful book that if nothing else it's a genuine joy to hold and read. So yes, consistently confusing - but no question that it did hold my attention, as I literally had no idea what would happen next.
A sudden cutaway from London to Lebanon, then London to some tropical island, then the tropics to Hungary-but-maybe-not-really-Hungary before popping up again in London Otherwise, some snappy dialogue and clever spy tradecraft, I particularly liked our narrator's several forms of "spy insurance" , along with some good digs at both the British and American military, intelligence and overall class systems.
And finally, this particular edition contains a nice little after-the-credits scene, in the form of an unironically snooty production note that states: This Franklin Library edition of The Ipcress File is set in Electra, a distinctly American typeface designed in by W.
Dwiggins, the eminent American typographer. The display face, Beton Bold, has been the most popular of all geometric square serif typefaces since Heinrich Jost created it in the s. The front panel art by Terry Widener, specially commissioned for this edition, depicts the narrator's enmeshment in a world of political and psychological intrigue. Not at all sure why, but considering the overall loosey-goosey tone of the preceding story, I just found this last statement really funny - although that might just be me.
FINAL NOTE: Absolutely no idea why, because I've never even seen the movie, but in amongst an extremely limited number of soundtrack albums that survived a half century of storage in my parents' house, was this gem: Now I guess I'll have to go out and find a record player somewhere so that I can actually listen to it and see if it's as jazzy as the book itself View all 7 comments.
Jul 06, Cphe rated it it was ok Shelves: mystery-thriller , thriller , cold-war , , spy. I was in a way expecting it to be a rollicking good read but it wasn't quite that for me. I did like that the narrator was unnamed and I thoroughly enjoyed his sense of black humor, and deadpan dialogue.
However there were a few too many gaps in the delivery of the plot. Not everything was explained adequately, to my satisfaction. There seemed to be a lot of time spent on the mundane. I couldn't help but feel that there wasn't enough characterization with some of the secondary characters to give the novel a more rounded feel.
Nevertheless I'm glad that I eventually got around to reading. Why did it take me so long? The Ipcress File was Len Deighton 's first novel and I believe he was trying to provide a more realistic depiction of spying than Ian Fleming 's Bond books, which he complained were too implausible. He succeeded, and how. It's bleak and cynical, and - most notably - is rooted in the day to day bureaucracy of running a department which makes it much richer and more interesting than my inaccurate classification.
It is, in short, the anti-Bond. Len Deighton nailed t Why did it take me so long? Len Deighton nailed the life of the spy, especially the loneliness and suspicion.
His descriptions of London are spot on, and really evocative. Factor in his imaginative use of words, his emphasis on bureaucracy, his preoccupation with class and hierachy, and it's no wonder that he is held in such high esteem.
It's a confusing plot however the pleasure is in the writing. As I knew the rough story I was able to focus on the writing and the detail which is where the pleasure of this novel really lies. Here's one minor example to illustrate the interesting and perceptive style Murray had not liked the peacetime army and it was understandable, there was no place in it for a man with a paperback edition of Kierkegaard in his pocket.
The Sergeants tried to talk like officers and the officers like gentlemen, he said. The mess was full of men who would sit in a cinema all the weekend and come back with stories about house parties on the river. I read pretty much all of Deighton's spy fiction in the s to s shortly after most of it was published. I couldn't resist a few re-reads to see how the books stood the test of time.
Deighton's nameless protagonist works for a similarly unnamed British secret intelligence service known only by its never explained initials WOOC P. I found that I also couldn't resist inventing a source for that and thought of it as War Office Operations Centre Provisional. Unlike the true life spy backgrounds of some of his fellow espionage writers e.
He tends to go in for over-complexity in bureaucracy and acronym bafflegab to compensate. The whole case is in fact overly complex and I spent most of the book wondering what was going on.
The explanation and the reason for the title does not become evident until the final few chapters clear it up. This is somewhat paralleled in the plot by the agent's perpetual lack of success in completing a crossword puzzle which his boss's secretary subsequently simply dashes off. I found the crossword puzzle I had been working on. Alice had completed it. I had got ten down correct. It was EAT. I don't know why I'd ever thought it otherwise.
The agent's working class origins are played up in most of the publicity of the Deighton books. This was accentuated by Michael Caine's cockney accent in the movies. This doesn't stand out very much on the page in the agent's tastes. Instead of beer, the agent's go-to drink appears to be Tio Pepe sherry, and sometimes Dubonnet with bitters.
I did still enjoy the banter and gibes between the agent and his boss and other head office staff: 'Think you can handle a tricky little special assignment?
I might be able to grope around it. This is followed up later with: 'You are a bit stupid, and you haven't had the advantage of a classical education. You never overcame your advantages. The quality of the film clips in this DVD movie review are much better than those in the dated trailer above. May 14, Simon rated it really liked it. A very pleasing spy thriller although it is a little low energy. I do think this is one of the rare cases where the movie edges the book although the movie is quite a bit different to the book.
What the movie did well was quicken the pace, clarify the threat and build to a strong climax. The book is very much worth your time. Jul 26, Matthew rated it it was ok. We get a sense of the value of popular fiction when we see how well it dates within a couple of generations.
The classic will stay with us, no matter how far social attitudes and concerns have moved on. The popular novel of little or moderate worth will date less well, and will actually become rather dull for future readers, a strange fate for a book that was written precisely to grab their attention. The popular works of female literature tend to be historical, romantic, family sagas etc. Male l We get a sense of the value of popular fiction when we see how well it dates within a couple of generations.
Male literature is more likely to be concerned with war or thrillers. Often these are marked by a rather stodgy attention to detail, with attempts at factual information often getting in the way of telling a good story. The coolness lies in the downbeat nature of its hero and the story.
He does his job professionally, though with a dash of insolence and insubordination, and is as much worried about his backpay or neglected expense claims as he is about foiling Communist plots.
This is part of the charm of the novel, but also one of its greatest failings. We are never encouraged to engage with its tale of brainwashing and dark plots against the state, as we are more usually bogged down in ordinary conversations and observations about Nescafe or cigarettes.
It is not helped by the fact that a lot of characters pass our way, but their characterisation is rather perfunctory. The women are there for our hero to flirt or dally with.
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