BROCCOLI: Hey Harry, what film are you gonna make? SALTZMAN: I’m making a gritty spy movie, it’s based on a Len Deighton novel and it’s gonna be down-to-earth and dark. What about you? BROCCOLI: Flying car musical!

Fun fact: my dad watched this in the cinema in the 60s and was amazed to see that one of the bad guys (with a machine gun aimed at Harry) in the underground car park was an associate of his (whom my dad had no idea was an actor)- in fact all he knew of the guy was he sold dodgy watches and always had half a dozen up his arm.

Interestingly, Harry Palmer is not the name of the protagonist in Len Deighton's book, where he is not named. "Harry Palmer" came about due to a slight social gaffe by Michael Caine when discussing possible character's name: when asked by Harry Saltzman to provide a boring first name for the protagonist, Caine replied with "Harry", not realising his mistake until he noticed Saltzman glaring at him. "Palmer" came from a schoolmate of Caine's.

The movie that made every husband want to cook.

I have such an affection for this film. After years of playboy, brute, and larger than life James Bond, we get Harry Palmer; quiet, reserved, charming. He likes to cook. He enjoys reading. He’s well dressed, well mannered and his signature spectacles give him an air of sophistication and great style. Michael Caine owns this character and I wish he’d have a go at him again in sort of a latter year Palmer film. Great review, Cal!

I love this film. Mostly because it's the complete anti thesis of the Bond films, it's a great contrast. Fair points about the plot though.

The soundtrack is the star of this film .. RIP John Barry

As someone who was living in London at the time-ish (I think I was there a year or two later), I can say that they didn't really seek dingy locations; London looked like that. A century of killer smogs darkened stone buildings to nearly black, and even brick buildings looked dull. I lived in London again in the early 1980s, nearly 30 years after the Clean Air act was passed, and I still got coal smuts on my face on windy days where it had blown off the buildings.

How about The Spy Who Came In From The Cold? A real dark movie.

The camera work in The Ipress File is just fantastic! -I totally agree that the compositions (plus insanely weird and surprising framings/foregrounds) is the most fascinating part of it.

Completely agree with you regarding the story. I really adore John Barry’s score for this film. It shows what a great composer he is and how he was able to differentiate from his Bond scores. Keep up the great work!

5.00: I think it's Count, not Colonel, Lippe. You're thinking of Colonel Jacques Bouvar.

I always consider the scene in which apron-wearing Roger Moore makes an omelette for Tanya Roberts ("can you cook?" / "I've been known to dabble") in A View to a Kill as a cheeky response to Michael Caine cooking the same for Sue Lloyd in The Ipcress File 20 years earlier. Harry Palmer was famously presented as an anti-Bond figure with a romantic skill set beyond looks and seduction. Sadly, I haven't found this mentioned anywhere else so we may never know for sure.

Good movie. Check out The Fourth Protocol as well. It has both Pierce Brosnon and Michael Caine. Good movie as well and has positive reviews.

Cool review Calvin- This looks like a good film,done in sort of a Hitchcock style? What’s strange about this one is that I’ve never seen it! This is astounding because I’m 55 and saw just about all those 60s spy tv shows and films-Man from Uncle,Flint,Matt Helm, etc ,but not this so I will check this out. Can’t wait to see your review of the Derek Flint films-you will love them! This is what’s so much fun about your channel- Because you are so young there’s a lot of great stuff that us older fans have seen for many years but seeing your reactions to them,let’s us see them with fresh eyes like they are new again!

Great review Calvin! I always enjoy watching Michael Caine, one of my favourite actors.

Thanks so much for doing this! I’ve always begged you to make a review of the Harry Palmer series

Please review the rest of the bond films live and let die

Never seen this before. I’ll have to check this one out, the cinematography looks really interesting.

These are quite some interesting spy films , thanks for these reviews to expand my knowledge on different spy movies and make me know more about them.

Colonel Lippe? Count Lippe!

What are your thoughts on The Odessa File?

I think Palmer is relatable and that's what gets us through the plot with investment. We care about him. He's basically 'us' moving through this cynical world of manipulation and lies. I wish Gordon Jackson had appeared in more movies, because he always makes a real impression, no matter what role he's playing.

Love the brainwashing scenes especially Palmer's use of a bent nail to make pain to block out the tape Great cast all round and Michael Caine fits the role as perfectly as his Mac and glasses by the way he said once he has an eyelid condition which gives him that look at times and surprising Harry Saltzman actually made a couple kitchen sink style films so he had his low key side too

Hey, when are you going to review the Manchurian Candidate(1962)

Long overdue and thankyou....interesting to hear your angle...cross bond with a long Hitchcock film and you have the ipcress file

Can you review Charles Bronson’s The Mechanic from 1972.

I agree absolutely on the cinematography, the number of extremely memorable shots and sequences that convey a very clear mood to the audience. I personally do enjoy the Ipcress File and something I do find clever is the way the cinematography is used to subtly indicate the double agent's presence.

While Broccoli was [Citty aside] content to stay with Bond, Saltzman did several other film and wanted to corner both ends of the market [ie. make Bond as outlandish as possible, make Palmer as gritty as possible]. In 1969, he made with Michael Caine both Play Dirty [a gritty anti-war film] and Battle of Britain [directed by Guy Hamilton and very patriotic]. Both were flops and most of his financial investments started to fail which gave Broccoli the opportunity to remove him from Bond. Saltzman only produced 2 further films [Nijinksy 1980, Time of the Gypsies 1988] before his death in 1994.

It captures London then without trying, much as Tinker Taylor does a decade later. London was bombed out. Even in the 80s, at the end of where I worked, Carter Lane, was still a massive WWII bomb site.

I love our introduction to Harry because he doesn't perform any show-stopping stunts or do anything crazy. He just makes himself some coffee.

Was Caine doing the no-blinking thing in this performance ? I wonder if he had discovered it at this point.

Great review. Despite multiple recommendations (even from my dad) I find the film interesting more than enjoyable. Would love to hear your thoughts on The Professionals TV series at some point.

Just saw the movie. Looks like Saltzman got bored with making bond cartoons, with the over the top choreographed fights, stunt drivers in cars no one can afford, and trophy women real men never date. The plot was great!!! I’m a bond fan for the kid in me, but it’s nice once in a while to watch something in the same genre that makes you feel and think like an adult.

Very underrated spy film in my opinion!! Rewatched it last night for the first time in a good few years, really enjoyed it! The direction is brilliant, very ahead of it’s time, and of course the John Barry score 🙌

Love this film not because of the story line but for seeing London how it was.just brilliant

The Kremlin Letter makes "The spy who came in from the cold" look like a slapstick comedy...

I can’t find your gold finger review did u review it at all?

Can't believe you found the plot difficult to follow. It really isn't tricky.

The hands doing the chopping actually belonged to Len Deighton, the author of the books the Harry Palmer movies were based on. He wanted to have Palmer cook because he loved to do so himself. Hope you can also review the other Palmer movies (though you can skip the last two).

I love this film so. much. I know what you mean when you talk about the actual bare bones of stuff leaving quite a lot to be desired. I do find the story itself a bit convoluted and it never really did much to keep me that invested. It's such a charming little film though! Just really beautifully crafted and one of those rare films that seems to perfectly capture a particular moment in time. I find the mundaneness of everything actually benefits it in the grand scheme of things, there's something so satisfying in how this entire film has been crafted I just can't describe it. It's insane when you see the Bond connections though, especially as this is considered the "anti Bond". I love how it offers a genuine, and more honest look at espionage at a time where the Bond films were truly leaving their mark. Whenever I think of The Ipcress File I think of two things. The first is a soundtrack that is quite possibly one of John Barry's finest works and the second is that scene in the supermarket. May not be much but for me it's one of the best scenes in the entire film. Almost acts as the antithesis of the kind of thing they wanted to capture - the blurred lines between espionage and mundane day to day life (bloody lovely example of very crisp and defining sound mixing too. ;) If it's not asmr inducing 60's footsteps scraping along a stone pavement it's a very definitive and loud trolley collision that leaves you absolutely reeling!) Happy you enjoyed it Calvin! x

Well remember, Bond did make a coffee for his boss in Live And Let Die, and remember Bond is known to "dabble" and make Keesh for Tanya Roberts in, well u know of course.

Hey Calvin, how much Patreon money do you want to review Metal Gear Solid 3?

But guess who composed the soundtrack? John Barry! Wow

Personally I enjoyed The Ipcress File. It works as a straight spy film. A departure from the tongue in cheek adventures one would expect from say… James Bond, or Other films within the similar genre.

In this film, Caine equals any George Smiley. A superb spy film.

Thanks for posting Calvin, I'm ashamed to say i've never sat down to watch it despite owning for a long time, will have to very soon

Hi Calvin, Kudos on the review and your fine channel. I did my own review of Ipcress File on my fledgling channel (WFP Reviews). I wasn't as troubled by it's relative lack of "action" as it has so many other assets - particularly young Sir Michael and Barry's score - and I've watched it numerous times. (Perhaps its nostalgia.) I also found the movie version more entertaining than the novel - it was more of a struggle to read it than Fleming or Le Carre. (I should add that I don't watch other channels before doing my videos as that would be bad form.)

Hey Calvin, I totally agree with your view on this film mate. I only watched it the once too but surprisingly have returned to the sequels a few times. The 60s sequels are pretty good and the 90s sequels with Caine and Jason Connery have their charm too. If you’ve not seen them I’d recommend them for a good watch. Cheers for the great work on these videos JT

I loved the story in this film actually -- I actually found it to be quite simple. It plays out like a mystery as the fairly complex Ipcress is unraveled. At times the clues being quiet and deceptively subtle don't jump out which is probably what made the plot feel complex to a lot of people. But really, at it's core, it's about Palmer finding a mole in the agency in order to stop the enemies from carrying out that larger plot. Unlike most of the Bond films, it was interesting to watch Palmer go about finding the mole closer to a real spy, in quiet, tactfully, and constantly looking over his shoulder as no one at all can be trusted. That lingering doubt and paranoia really made the world the story depicted feel dangerous and threatening -- and if we hadn't known there were sequels, would we really have felt so confident that Palmer was going to get out of his predicament alive? Honestly, I liked the story of this film better than 90% of the Bond movies that have been made. And I really like most Bond films.

Are you going to review the other Harry Palmer films?

are you going to review the sequals

I've never seen it mentioned anywhere but there's a scene in View to a Kill where Bond and Stacey are holed up in the house and James, complete in apron, makes here an omelette ("I've been known to dabble"). I believe this is a case of cheeky rivalry between the Bond and Harry Palmer franchises: 20 years prior, Michael Caine cooked the omelette for Sue Lloyd, thus showing he was more romantic than Bond.

A great film..Nigel Green is superb as Major Dalby!

I found the sequel, The Funeral in Berlin, more enjoyable. Though I like them both - realistic spy movies are more thrilling than the outlandish James Bond adventures.

I seen this film many times, and hope to see it many more. The other ones that fallow, not so good.

1:21through 1:49 So, basically, the entire Daniel Craig saga.

I saw this as a teenager when it first came out. I got the plot right way. It's not confusing at all.

I think you'll get a kick out of the third movie, 'Billion Dollar Brain'. Harry Saltzman basically took a short break from Bond to do these three Harry Palmer movies. They almost feel like a more realistic spin-off series from Bond; you've got lots of the same personnel including Guy Dolman, Vladek Shaybel, John Barry, Ken Adam, Sid Cain, Guy Hamilton, Maurice Binder. Palmer is an MI6 agent with a Walther in the '60s. Despite the difference in tone, I can't help but see Harry Palmer as living in the same universe as Bond.

I adore Michael Caine and this film. Unfun fact is that London was grime and dark and grey then. The swinging 60s were a tiny part of London.

The London I grew up in was bombed out and dingy.

Great review. Pretty much any Caine film is worth your trouble. How about looking at ¨The Name Of The Rose¨ ? An excellent film with Bond all over it......

Weren’t The third man and Secret Agent precedents?

You should definitely also watch (and maybe review?) the second Harry Palmer film "Funeral in Berlin" - it has everything good "The Ipcress File" has, plus a better and less confusing plot and better pacing. And it was directed by Guy Hamilton...

I'd like to see Calvin's views/review on No One Lives Forever

Check out the Quiller Memorandum, Berlin set spy thriller from the 60s with a great John Barry soundtrack

It's been said that Harry Palmer's style, glasses and Mac, were influenced by the look of the great train robber Bruce Reynolds.

Could you do a review on Hitchcocks psycho

the cinematography steals the show. it also covers up the boring plot and slow loving dialogue. brilliant flick Calvin

Palmer pisses all over Bond. The cinematography in Ipcress File is great.

They used to show all the Harry Palmer films regularly on the BBC during the 70s and early 80s, but haven't done so in years (think ITV4 have shown a couple a while back though). Have you seen the follow up, The Billion Dollar Brain? Quite impressive, particularly the finale, but too camp to be taken seriously, which was a shame.

The President's Analyst.

Great movie, built on by Funeral In Berlin....as for Billion Dollar Brain....Harry Palmer meets Austin Powers directed by Ken Russell and it's a very underrated film.

Hi calven have you ever considered doing action figure reviews on James bond figures

Good video!

Well, I've nearly binge-watched all this guy's content now, to the extent where I'm now watching the Harry Palmer films... Austin Powers next.

The other Harry Palmer films are worth a look as well: FUNERAL IN BERLIN (with Oskar Homolka as a wily Russian general who wants to defect, or does he?) and BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN which has more of a Bond feel to it thanks to a Texan meglomaniac and direction by Ken Russell of all people. Caine really is worth seeing in all of them and makes a very down to earth spy who trusts no one because no one is ever on the level with him. There were 2 made for TV films in the 1990s: Midnight in St. Petersburg and Bullet to Beijing, but you can skip those as they are nowhere near as good as the original films. Thanks for the fun review, keep them coming!

Glad you Reviewed this Classic film, seen it so many times.Please do review the other two films ''FUNERAL IN BERLIN''' and ''BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN'' Michael Caine reprised his Harry Palmer Role for two more films for television in the (1990s) Era. ''BULLET TO BEIJING'' and ''MIDNIGHT IN SAINT PETERSBURG''

Gonna put Funeral in Berlin on the list?

Good evening Calvin

Did you see the tv show about it.

One of my fave spy films. Lots of flaws though. The way the fight on the stone steps was shot is rather pretentious, for instance. But if it's on the telly, I'll watch it and enjoy it, and always recommend it. Good review.

A beautiful film. If you can't understand it, wait till you watch Funeral in Berlin!!

You find the plot difficult to follow? Huh. It's a straight, linear progression of events. There isn't even a twist. You sure you watched Ipcress?

When you grow up, watch The Ipcress File again. Maybe then you'll get it.

Much of your description also applies to the book by Len Deighton. Very confusing plot. The main character's narration is cynical, sarcastic, and funny. I just finished reading the book and will watch the movie soon. Hopefully it'll explain a few things for me.

I thought this was a really well put together movie. A little slow moving in places however the characters and plot kept my interest. Also, the production team were top notch on this one. Going off topic now, how come no mention from you over the Lashana Lynch nonsense ?

John Barry

I'm not sure that's true about Saltzman being the more over the top of the two. I've heard those stories too but, apart from Saltzman being the one who made more grounded films outside the partnership, the team seems to have always been a marriage of convenience and do they agreed early on to alternate as lead producers on each film to avoid arguments. And Saltzman definitely then comes across as the more grounded one, leading on On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Live and Let Die, while Broccoli did You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and The Man With The Golden Gun.

I actually think you would like the sequel, Funeral in Berlin, a lot better.

Hadn't noticed all the Bond connections you are right it's incredible the OTT producer made this one your observations are always interesting. The mushroom scene and what Caine said about it is funny.. that kind of sums up his character his idea of snobbery is a tin of mushrooms that costs 10p more than a tin of standard mushrooms.. Bond is about caviar with Potter is tinned mushrooms. Potter is your tinned food man he's not a proper snob or an alpha male because he shops and cooks and that's why he would have been not considered an alpha male or straight back in the 60's and thats why Austin Powers is more Michael Caine than Sean Connery because it's funnier when a sex symbol looks more like Harry Palmer than James Bond. A film by Harry Saltzman you won't want to watch is Toomorrow starring Olivia Newton-John. That nearly ruined her career before it got started that was a failed project for everyone involved including Saltzman..I saw it and enjoyed it but only because I love Olivia and it wasn't as awful as I was expecting. I can just imagine you squirming with horror it all though.

I am going to be perfectly blunt, there isn't a single Bond film that can touch The Ipcress File.

Saw it first run and a breath of fresh air at the time. Most of the ads featured a critical blurb that read" "A thinking man's Goldfinger." A cheap and easy shot but it was a very witty film especially in its depiction of whitehall mandarins. Also the film was much better than the book which was all over the place. Deighton's best work is Funeral In Berlin which unfortunately is a rather dull film despite Guy Hamilton being at the helm. I was a teenager during this period and saw all the films and nothing compared to the Bond films. The Flint films looked cheap by comparison and the Matt Helm films were stupid. You might take a look at the "The President's Analyst" which satirizes the genre and era. Also, strangely, the early sixties "Road To Hong Kong" which got the jump on everyone when it came to making fun of all that was to follow. as they were filming roughly at the same time as Dr. No. Have fun.

The film that also partly inspired Austin Powers. (Goldmember having Michael Caine in it). Hope the rest are coming!

I remember seeing this film years ago and finding it intensely boring

What's the problem with middle age guys?

Great movie. I think Bond and Palmer exist in the same fictional universe.

The reviewer should probably stick with something simple like the batman franchise. Easy to follow story lines and he won't have a bunch of unfamiliar names pinballing inside his head.

"James Bond was a bit of nonsense I wrote,he wasn't a real Harry Palmer!!!!" - Ian Fleming.....nuff said

People in the 1960s' actually thought that a man cooking in the kitchen was a bit queer? Which is funny because mostly if not all the greatest chefs throughout culinary history are male o_O