DVD: The Kremlin Letter | reviews, news & interviews
DVD: The Kremlin Letter
DVD: The Kremlin Letter
John Huston's star-packed spy caper is ageing well
Monday, 25 July 2011
Patrick O'Neal and Bibi Andersson in 'The Kremlin Letter': as bleak a movie as John Huston ever made
John Huston’s 1970 spy movie is the sort of baggy, eccentric work that is routinely dismissed by critics at the time, but whose untidy pleasures become apparent with age. Max von Sydow and Orson Welles are among the cheap but arresting all-star cast in what begins as a colourful and camp 1960s caper, only to darken shockingly. It’s the DVD debut of as bleak a film as Huston made.
John Huston’s 1970 spy movie is the sort of baggy, eccentric work that is routinely dismissed by critics at the time, but whose untidy pleasures become apparent with age. Max von Sydow and Orson Welles are among the cheap but arresting all-star cast in what begins as a colourful and camp 1960s caper, only to darken shockingly. It’s the DVD debut of as bleak a film as Huston made.
Explore topics
Share this article
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Film
Blu-ray: Pharoah
Dazzling historical epic from the Polish New Wave
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat review - jazz-themed documentary on the 1960s Congo Crisis
Musicians played different roles in the struggles of the newly independent African country
Gladiator II review - can lightning strike twice?
Sir Ridley Scott makes a big, bold return to the Roman Empire
ARK: United States V by Laurie Anderson, Aviva Studios, Manchester review - a vessel for the thoughts and imaginings of a lifetime
Despite anticipating disaster, this mesmerising voyage is full of hope
Joy review - the birth pangs of in vitro fertilisation
Subtle drama about the quest to give women a childbearing choice
Blu-ray: The Oblong Box
Vincent Price and Christopher Lee in 'Witchfinder General''s phantom follow-up
Bird review - travails of an unseen English tween
Andrea Arnold gives a hyperreal spin to her latest story of a neglected girl
The Problem With People review - local zero
Hardly a Forsyth saga, this unfunny Oirish comedy is a homage to catatonia
Anora review - life lesson for a kick-ass sex worker
Sean Baker's bracing Palme d'Or winner twists, turns, and makes a star of Mikey Madison
Blitz review - racism persists as bombs batter London
Steve McQueen's overwought World War Two boy's adventure film delivers its message
Small Things Like These review - less is more in stirring Irish drama
Cillian Murphy is exceptional as a man wrestling with his church and conscience
The Room Next Door review - Almodóvar out of his comfort zone
The Spanish director's meditation on mortality is a beautiful misfire
Add comment