History Film / TheIpcressFile

''The Ipcress File'' is a 1965 British film, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] from the Creator/LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. [[{{Deconstruction}} Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out]]. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

''The Ipcress File'' proved an enormous success. The character of Harry Palmer was revived for two sequels based on Deighton novels, ''Funeral in Berlin'' and ''Billion Dollar Brain'', as well as two further sequels not based on any of the novels, ''Bullet to Beijing'' and ''Midnight in St. Petersburg''.

* SpyFiction: Definitely Stale Beer flavoured. Also an interesting example because it was made by the Bond films' production posse as a more down-to-earth alternative to the increasingly Martini-flavoured Bonds.[[labelnote:*]] The Martini flavour had only just ascended from being an UnbuiltTrope, too, with the previous year's ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}.[[/labelnote:*]] It was made the same year as fellow Stale Beer spy yarns ''Film/TheSpyWhoCameInFromTheCold'' and ''Series/DangerMan'', but almost looks subversive in retrospect compared to Bond, ''Series/TheAvengers'', and the like.

* SpyFiction: Definitely Stale Beer flavoured. Also an interesting example because it was made by the Bond films' production posse as a more down-to-earth alternative to the increasingly Martini-flavoured Bonds.[[labelnote:*]] The Martini flavour had only just ascended from being an UnbuiltTrope, too, with the previous year's ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}.]] It was made the same year as fellow Stale Beer spy yarns ''Film/TheSpyWhoCameInFromTheCold'' and ''Series/DangerMan'', but almost looks subversive in retrospect compared to Bond, ''Series/TheAvengers'' , and the like.

* SpyFiction: Definitely Stale Beer flavoured. Also an interesting example because it was made by the Bond films' production posse as a more down-to-earth alternative to the increasingly Martini-flavoured Bonds.[[labelnote:*]] The Martini flavour had only just ascended from being an UnbuiltTrope, too, with the previous year's ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}.]] It was made the same year as fellow Stale Beer spy yarns ''Film/TheSpyWhoCameInFromTheCold'' and ''Series/DangerMan'', but almost looks subversive in retrospect compared to Bond, ''Series/TheAvengers'', and the like.

* SpyFiction: One of the first deconstructions of the genre in film. It also counts as a deconstruction of the Bond films. Harry Palmer is often considered the anti-007.

* TropeMaker: For the Stale Beer approach to Spy Fiction.

* MustHaveCaffeine: In that same opening scene, Palmer grinds some espresso beans and runs them through a French press - simultaneously showing he's a man with particular tastes (TheSixties were [[BadToTheLastDrop the age of the percolator and instant coffee]]) and averting [[SpotOfTea what you'd expect a British spy to start his day with]].

* MustHaveCaffeine: In that same opening scene, Palmer grinds some coffee beans and runs them through a French press - simultaneously showing he's a man with particular tastes (TheSixties were the age of the percolator and instant coffee) and averting [[SpotOfTea what you'd expect a British spy to start his day with]].

* MustHaveCaffeine: In that same opening scene, Palmer grinds some coffee beans and runs them through a French press - simultaneously showing he's a man with particular tastes (TheSixties were definitely the age of the percolator and instant coffee) and averting [[SpotOfTea what you'd expect a British spy to start his day with]].

''The Ipcress File'' is a 1965 British film, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] from the Creator/LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Deconstruction Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out]]. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

[-[[caption-width-right:350: Now listen to me, now listen to me.]]-]

''The Ipcress File'' is a 1965 British film, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] from the Creator/LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

* Deconstruction: Of the Spy Genre and the Bond films. Harry Palmer is universally considered the anti-007.

'''''The Ipcress File''''' is a 1965 British film, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] from the Creator/LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

'''''The Ipcress File''''' is a 1965 British film, [[TheFilmOfTheBook adapted]] from the LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

* RealMenCook: It could be argued that this was the film that made it all right for men to cook for their women.

'''''The Ipcress File''''' is a 1965 British film, adapted from the LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the ''Film/JamesBond'' film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

!! ''The Ipcress File'' is associated with the following tropes:

* TheFilmOfTheBook

* HeyItsThatGuy: Cowley from ''TheProfessionals'' is one of Palmer's fellow agents.

* MundaneMadeAwesome: The film opens with Palmer calmly getting out of bed and going through his morning rituals ofgetting dressed and having breakfast - all to the tune of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBCqP7R42K0 John Barry's insanely cool theme music]].

'''''The Ipcress File''''' is a 1965 British film, adapted from the LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the JamesBond film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

''The Ipcress File'' is a 1965 British film, adapted from the LenDeighton novel, and starring MichaelCaine as spy Harry Palmer. It was directed by Sidney Furie and produced by Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the JamesBond film series, who brought a lot of his Bond ProductionPosse over to the film, including designer Ken Adams, composer JohnBarry and editor Peter Hunt. Despite these links, ''The Ipcress File'' was a ''very'' different beast to the Bond films. Characters were less concerned with fighting villains in volcanoes than they were in ensuring that the correct paperwork was filled out. Its main hero was a bespectacled working-class former black marketeer who bought his groceries in supermarkets.

* OfficerAndAGentleman: Palmer's bosses Colonel Ross and Major Dalby.