John Le Carré's acclaimed best selling novel, about a Cold War spy on one final, dangerous mission, is every bit as precise and ruthless onscreen in this adaptation directed by Martin Ritt. Richard Burton delivers one of his career-defining performances as Alec Leamas, whose hesitant but deeply felt relationship with a beautiful librarian (Claire Bloom) puts what he hopes will be his last assignment, in East Germany, in jeopardy. An intelligent, hard-edged, and even tragic thriller, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is etched with realism and suffused with genuine political and personal anxiety.

Previously available on US DVD as a pretty much movie-only affair from Paramount, the film is now to get the double-disc Special Edition treatment from Criterion for a 25th November 2008 DVD release in the US at the SRP of $39.95. Complete with a new, restored high-definition 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and a Dolby digital stereo 2.0 soundtrack, the 2-disc release will have the following extra features:

• New interviews with author John Le Carré and cinematographer Oswald Morris;
• The Secret Center: John Le Carré (2000), a BBC documentary on the author's extraordinary life and work;
• Acting in the '60s: Richard Burton, a 1967 interview with the BBC's Kenneth Tynan examining the actor's performances and accomplishments;
• Gallery of set designs;
• Theatrical trailer;
• A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Michael Sragow and a reprinted interview with Ritt;
• More!