Billion-Dollar Brain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Billion-Dollar Brain | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Ken Russell |
| Produced by | Harry Saltzman |
| Written by | Len Deighton (novel) John McGrath |
| Starring | Michael Caine Françoise Dorléac Karl Malden Ed Begley |
| Release date(s) | December 20, 1967 U.S. release |
| Running time | 111 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Billion-Dollar Brain (1966, ISBN 0-09-985710-3) is a spy novel by Len Deighton. In 1967, its cinematic adaptation was directed by Ken Russell and starred Michael Caine.
Billion-Dollar Brain is the fourth of Len Deighton's novel series (often: the Harry Palmer novels) featuring an anonymous secret agent protagonist working for the British intelligence agency, the W.O.O.C.(P); the secret agent's name, Harry Palmer, is from the three cinematic adaptations of The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and Billion Dollar Brain. Like many of Len Deighton's other novels, the plot of Billion Dollar Brain is intricate, with many film noir-style dead ends; the film is not faithful to the plot and characters of the novel.
The eponymous billion-dollar brain is a 1960s supercomputer, operated by a private (amateur) American intelligence agency known as "Facts for Freedom" (FFF), run by General Midwinter. The Brain is used to optimize the operations of the FFF's agents. The FFF plan the overthrow of Soviet power in Latvia, as a test-case for the ultimate destabilisation, and downfall, of Communism. British secret agent Harry Palmer is instructed to penetrate an FFF cell operating from Finland.
The main Finland FFF operative, Harvey Newbegin ('Leo' in the movie, but the suggestive surname remains)—is a traitor, running a phantom network of agents (pocketing the money supplied to fund it), while passing information to the Soviets and betraying American FFF agents to British Harry Palmer's old, Russian adversary, Colonel Stok, of KGB (from the previous novel, Funeral in Berlin). Meanwhile, FFF agents have infiltrated the Microbiological Research Establishment at Porton Down, England, and are stealing a virus (transported in eggs). The agents believe the virus is destined for the FFF, in America, but Newbegin is attempting to pass it to the Soviets.
In Billion Dollar Brain, the retired Harry Palmer is blackmailed into returning to work for the British secret service as a double agent. He is to infiltrate an American-financed, ultra- right-wing group dedicated to liberating Latvia from the Soviet Union, and, most important, to recover the virus-incubating eggs for the West. The screenplay's plot relies heavily upon the sophisticated computer system with which the right-wing group controls its Latvian anti-Soviet spy network.
Notably, the movie is the last screen appearance of French actress Françoise Dorléac, who was killed in a road accident weeks after the end of principal photography.
Billion Dollar Brain follows The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin. The DVD was released on October 4, 2005.
