The Iron Curtain *** (1948, Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney) – Classic Movie Review 11,899

Director William A Wellman’s controversial 1948 black and white American thriller film The Iron Curtain is based on the memoirs of Igor Gouzenko, and stars Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. Daryl F Zanuck of 20th Century-Fox produced the film in response to claims by Rep. J. Parnell Thomas, chairman of the House Un-American Activities Committee, that Hollywood did not make anti-Communist films.

Separated from its history as propaganda, The Iron Curtain is a gripping documentary-style true-life Cold War thriller about a code clerk in the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, Igor Gouzenko (Andrews), who defects with his wife Anna (Tierney) and spills the spy ring beans to the Allies.

The Iron Curtain is told with much skill and realism by director Wellman, who films on the actual Canadian locations. Andrews makes a thorough job of portraying the character, and Tierney provides decorative and loyal acting support as his wife.

Also Berry Kroeger, Edna Best, Stefan Schnabel, Frederick Tozere, Peter Witney, Leslie Barrie, Noel Cravat, Anne Curson, Helena Dare, Eduard Franz, Reed Hadley, June Havoc, Mauritz Hugo, Nicholas Joy, and Eula Morgan.

Charles G Clarke shot the film on location in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where Soviet sympathizers tried unsuccessfully to disrupt shooting.

It was re-released as Behind the Iron Curtain.

Russian composer Dmitry Shostakovich unsuccessfully sued the film’s distributor 20th Century-Fox in New York court for his using musical works that had fallen into the public domain.

It is based on Igor Gouzenko’s 1947 articles I Was Inside Stalin’s Spy Ring in Hearst’s International-Cosmopolitan.

It features Dana Andrews as Igor Gouzenko, Gene Tierney as Anna Gouzenko, June Havoc as Nina Karanova, Berry Kroeger as John Grubb, aka ‘Paul’, Edna Best as neighbour Mrs Albert Foster, Stefan Schnabel as embassy attaché Colonel Ilya Ranov, Eduard Franz as Major Semyon Kulin, Nicholas Joy as Dr Harold Preston Norman, aka ‘Alec’, Frederic Tozere as Colonel Aleksandr Trigorin, Peter Witney, Leslie Barrie, Noel Cravat, Anne Curson, Helena Dare, Reed Hadley, June Havoc, Mauritz Hugo, and Eula Morgan.

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 11,899

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