The Ipcress File

Britain in the 1960s liked to imagine itself as a global saviour. James Bond told us we still ran the world.

But The Ipcress File told a very different story.

In this episode of Celluloid Underground, we take a deep dive into one of the most quietly radical spy films ever made — a Cold War thriller that strips espionage of glamour and replaces it with paranoia, paperwork, and psychological warfare.

We explore how a fading post-imperial Britain is reflected in cramped offices, petty bureaucratic rivalries, and a hero who shops for groceries instead of saving the world. We examine Sidney J. Furie’s disorienting visual style, John Barry’s unsettling score, and how the film creates an atmosphere where no one — not even your superiors — can be trusted.

This is not a story about power. It’s a story about uncert ...