The Looking Glass War (1970)

• Year: 1970
• Released: 08 Feb 1970
• Country: United Kingdom
• Adwords: N/A
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066001/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_looking_glass_war
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 480p,
• Language: English, German
• MPA Rating: M/PG
• Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
• Runtime: 108 min
• Writer: John le Carré, Frank Pierson
• Director: Frank Pierson
• Cast: Christopher Jones, Pia Degermark, Ralph Richardson
• Keywords: based on novel or book, espionage, spy, east germany,

	5.8/10
	49% – Critics
	49% – Audience

The Looking Glass War Storyline

During the Cold War, the British Intelligence receives a blurred photograph from East Germany taken from Hamburg and Director LeClerc (Sir Ralph Richardson) believes they are missiles. Their agent, Taylor King (Timothy West), who receives a film which might clarify the detail from a pilot in Finland, is found dead on the road, and the Police believe he was accidentally killed in a hit-and-run. LeClerc meets the Polish defector Fred Leiser (Christopher Jones), who jumped overboard from a ship expecting to have asylum and stay with his British girlfriend, who is pregnant, and decides to recruit him to cross the border and spy on the East German facility to check on the missiles. In return, he would have salary, insurance, and political asylum. Leiser is trained by the Agent and family man John Avery (Sir Anthony Hopkins), and soon he finds his girlfriend has had ended the pregnancy. When Leiser crosses the border, he meets up with Anna (Pia Degermark), a local, and they stay together in the beginning of a dangerous journey where he is just a pawn in a war game.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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The Looking Glass War Movie Reviews

Flawed, but not without interest

THE LOOKING GLASS WAR is another middling adaptation of a John Le Carre novel, saddled with a rather dullish and uninteresting lead actor in the shape of Christopher Jones, one of those one-hit wonders who sank without trace soon afterwards. I don’t mean to be uncharitable, but he’s the kind of guy picked for looks rather than charisma. The flagging pacing isn’t help by at least two unwanted and unnecessary romantic sub-plots, with the bedroom romping with a young Susan George particularly uninspiring. On the plus side, the elder character actors in the cast put in assured performances, and once the action shifts across the iron curtain the suspense level improves dramatically, building to a strong climax.

Pawn in a War Game

During the Cold War, the British Intelligence receives a blurred photograph from East Germany taken from Hamburg and Director LeClerc (Ralph Richardson) believes that they are missiles. Their agent Taylor King (Timothy West), who receives a film that might clarify the detail from a pilot in Finland, is found dead on the road and the police believe that he was accidentally killed in a hit-and-run. LeClerc meets the Polish defector Fred Leiser (Christopher Jones), who jumped overboard from a ship expecting to have asylum and stay with his British girlfriend (Susan George) that is pregnant, and decides to recruit him to cross the border and spy the Eat German facility to check the missiles. In return, he would have salary, insurance and political asylum. Leiser is trained by the agent and family man John Avery (Anthony Hopkins) and soon he finds that his girlfriend has had an abortion. When Leiser crosses the border, he stumbles with the local Anna (Pia Degermark) and they stay together in the beginning of a dangerous journey where he is just a pawn in a war game.

“The Looking Glass War” is a dated thriller with a disappointing story. The characters are poorly developed and it is hard to understand the motivation of Leiser in his assignment after discovering that his girlfriend had forced an abortion. He is neither British nor an idealistic man to risk his life in a suicidal mission. Actually it is difficult to understand who he is since he is capable to kill two men in cold blood, slap the face of his girlfriend and let Anna with him knowing that his mission is compromised. The betrayal of LeClerc is the great plot point in the story but also difficult to understand why he plots all operation apparently to justify his agency and get rid off a defector. In the end, there is no consequence receiving or not the message from Leiser. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Through the Looking Glass.

Although undeniably the weakest of the three John Le Carre novels to be filmed during the 1960’s this is not quite as bad some would have us believe. It proved to be one of only two features to be directed by Frank R. Pierson, the other being the third version of ‘A Star is Born’. The latter film at least made money despite a critical drubbing whereas this one failed on both counts.

There are some redeeming features here, notably the cinematography of Austin Dempster and first class performances from Ralph Richardson, Paul Rogers, Robert Urquart and Anthony Hopkins who is slowly moving up the ranks. Hopkins freely admitted that his ambition was to be an international film star and in time would certainly be granted his wish!

The weak link is Christopher Jones whose rather quirky personality at first appeals but then becomes rather tiresome. He is working through his James Dean complex here and in the role of a Pole is not very well dubbed. He was to be even more miscast in ‘Ryan’s Daughter’ which proved to be another nail in his coffin. Also disappointing is Pia Degermark as the love interest. Having shone in ‘Elvira Madigan’ she is rather bland here and despite her off-screen relationship with Jones there is precious little chemistry.

Even by the author’s standards the material is pretty bleak and Mister Pierson alas is not in the same league as Messrs. Ritt and Lumet.

Where it does succeed admirably is in depicting the soul-destroying and morally ambiguous nature of the Espionage business where human beings are nothing if not expendable.

“War is hell, Mr. Thornhill. Even when it’s a Cold one”!

26/04/2021: Congrats to Mr. Hopkins on his well-deserved Academy Award.