TORN CURTAIN was Alfred Hitchcock's 50th film and signals a return to the espionage-romance theme the director showcased in such films as SECRET AGENT and THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. Hitchcock created a distinct look for the film, subduing lighting and gauzing the lens to give a more natural, less studio-produced feel. Notably, it was the strength of studio influence that contributed another change in the look of the film relative to most Hitchcock pictures, casting leads that departed from traditional Hitchcock types. Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, both at the heights of their popularity when the film was released, anchor this cold war spy thriller. An American scientist (Newman) attends a convention in Copenhagen with his fiancée-assistant (Andrews). While there, she picks up a message meant for him and is drawn into a complex web of espionage behind the Iron Curtain that he had intended to face alone. Her presence throws all his plans into disarray, and the two lovers discover too late that it's easier to get in than to get out again. In one of the film's most memorable scenes, Hitchcock shows his audience just how difficult murder can be when opposed by the will for survival.