Torn Curtain (1966)

In Alfred Hitchcock's mid-60s, war-time political/spy thriller - it was a Cold War cloak-and-dagger tale of intrigue, mystery and suspense concerning an American physicist who defected to East Berlin in Germany (behind the Iron Curtain), as part of his secret mission to acquire Soviet information (a secret formula) that would be helpful to his research for the US anti-missile defense program (the missile was dubbed Gamma 5), before returning back to the US. His seemingly-traitorous plan was thrown off when his loyal fiancee decided to join him behind the Iron Curtain, jeopardizing their relationship and his espionage mission. The film's plot relied on the dramatic switching of perspectives from the female to the male protagonist, followed by their working together as they were shuffled from place to place to escape the Iron Curtain.

The screenplay by Northern Ireland screenwriter Brian Moore (plus additional rewrites by British authors Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse) was based upon the real-life defections of two British diplomats (Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean) to the Soviet Union in 1951. Hitchcock's spy film 'behind the Iron Curtain' came at a time of a resurgence of 007-Agent Bond films in the early 1960s.

The film's most celebrated and unforgettable memorable sequences or set-pieces included: (1) the cat-and-mouse sequence of a tense pursuit and the sounds of footsteps in the echoing hallways of the Museum of East Berlin, (2) the prolonged life and death struggle to kill an East Berlin security agent in a farmhouse kitchen (including choking, stabbing, and gassing), (3) the sequence in which the US scientist swindled or fooled a notable East German scientist to reveal his mathematical formula about a rocket system (the film's MacGuffin) on a blackboard, and (4) the concluding suspenseful scene in a crowded German ballet theater where crying "Fire" (in English) was the only way to escape. One of its taglines was: "It Tears You Apart With Suspense!"

Although some of the film's exteriors were shot in Denmark and West Germany, most of the film was shot on the backlots of Universal Studios in Hollywood, with some impressive uses of matte paintings, and the substitution of American locations that doubled as European ones.

Hitchcock's 50th was poorly received by critics as a routine and average film - and even a disappointment for Hitchcock himself, due to numerous issues, many of which included studio interference: (1) a major disagreement between Hitchcock and his long-time composer and partner Bernard Herrmann led to a falling out, (2) the expected chemistry never materialized between the film's two major A-list stars - (a miscast and highly-paid Julie Andrews and method-actor Paul Newman, both with bland and charmless performances), and (3) the overlong, uninspired, pallid and undistinguished plot and script (and the film's ending) included problems with its believability, somewhat due to its numerous grainy rear-projection sequences. On a budget of $6 million, the film took in revenue of $13 million, making it a moderate hit for Universal Pictures.

• the opening title credits were composed of a split-screen or 'torn curtain' (with a bluish background) - on the left, orangish-red fiery flames burned (from a rocket missile), while on the right in the cloudy smoke were random, impressionistic, close-up images of characters' faces from the film
• in Osterfjord, Norway in early September of 1965, the M.S. Meteor was on its way to Copenhagen, Denmark with many esteemed professors and scholars were onboard the tour vessel heading for the city's International Congress of Physicists; for some reason, the vessel's heating system was non-functional and temperatures on board were near freezing and the outdoor decks were empty; passengers in the dining room for breakfast were wearing overcoats and hats to keep warm; water in drinking glasses was frozen; numerous academic leaders and scientists, including Dr. Walter Keller from Princeton University, and other peers, were planning to be at the conference, and were preparing by attending on-board lectures on topics such as "Neutrino Collisions"
• one breakfast dining table was noticeably empty - its absent occupants were in their cabin in bed together under warm blankets with their clothes (with name-tags) piled on top; Senior Physics Professor Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman) (and rocket scientist) and his British colleague and graduate assistant Dr. Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews) were both representing the U.S. Interspace Committee; as they kissed, Michael told his American fiancee Sarah (with an English accent): "We'll call this lunch and go upstairs for breakfast"
• this comment prompted her to firmly state her views about sex before marriage: "You're a scientist, and you're supposed to respect a natural order in all things. Breakfast comes before lunch...And marriage should come before a honeymoon cruise"; he playfully scoffed at her: "You're on the wrong boat"; she suggested a "July wedding" for the two of them
• [Note: The scene of the two of them in bed having premarital sex was opposed by the National Roman Catholic Office for Motion Pictures: ("Parents should be aware that the 'Mary Poppins' image of the female lead (Julie Andrews), shattered in this film, cannot serve as any criterion of the film's acceptability for their children")

A Boat (With Physicists and Scientists) on Its Way to Copenhagen for an International Conference - Including A Couple Representing the U.S. Interspace Committee

• they were interrupted by a knock on their cabin door - the delivery of a mysterious radiogram addressed to Professor Armstrong, reading: "YOUR BOOK IS READY" - sent from the Elmo Book Store in Copenhagen, but Armstrong elusively denied it was for him and refused it: ("It must be a mistake") - presumably to keep it a secret from Sarah for some reason; however, shortly later, he went to the Radio room and asked for the radiogram again, and then printed out a reply-response: "MESSAGE RECEIVED. ARRIVE HOTEL D'ANGLETERRE COPENHAGEN 0900 TOMORROW"
• the next scene was set in the lobby of the Hotel D'Angleterre ("Hotel of England"), the site of the International Congress of Physicists Conference; in his brief cameo, Hitchcock was sitting with a child on his lap, as the music changed to resemble the famous "Hitchcock theme," also known as the Funeral March of the Marionette; Michael and Sarah were occupants of two adjoining rooms in the hotel

American Nuclear Physicist Professor Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman)

Professor Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews) - Michael's Assistant and Fiancee

• two phone calls to their room from the Elmo Book Store were answered by Sarah while Michael was showering; he tried to stop her from going on a stroll to pick up the book that had been ordered at the bookshop; as she was leaving the hotel, she was joined by persistent and curious Professor Karl Manfred (Günter Strack) who observed as Sarah was handed the brown paper-wrapped "first edition" book by bookseller Freddy (Arthur Gould-Porter); the seller suggested: "Take good care of it, dear heart"; back in the hotel lobby, Sarah handed the book to Michael, who then introduced Prof. Manfred to their dinner host Professor Olaf Hengstrom (Peter Bourne)
• from Sarah's point of view, Michael was acting deviously like he was hiding something; she saw him pocket travel tickets that he picked up at the travel desk, and then took the wrapped book into the lobby's gentlemens' rest room; there in a locked toilet stall, he noticed that one of the front pages directed him to Page 107, where the Greek letter π was circled, and other underlined letters on the page spelled out the message: "CONTACT π IN CASE OF EMERGENCY"
• during lunch with an inquisitive Sarah at Tivoli Gardens, Michael tersely and dismissively told her that he was leaving for Stockholm by plane that afternoon to meet with the Swedish Defense Department - disrupting his plans to give an evening lecture at the conference; he vaguely explained how he might be able to revive his cancelled Gamma 5 missile project he was working on with the US government, after seeking advice from Professor Hengstrom on the boat; Sarah felt he had been keeping this a secret for a long time, and had tried to keep her from joining him on the trip: ("You did everything you could to stop me from coming"); he then told her he might be gone for a few months, and that she should cover the conference for him in his absence; she was miffed by his deceptions and treatment of her: "Oh, Michael, you certainly know how to make a girl feel wanted"; he persisted in forcefully refusing to let her join him in Stockholm after she suggested: "We could get an apartment. I mean, I could look after you, shop, cook"
• Sarah left the table and returned to the hotel travel desk to book an immediate flight home to New York on SAS at 16:45 that afternoon; and then she happened to ask: "What time does Professor Armstrong's flight leave for Stockholm?" - and to her surprise, she discovered that he had lied to her; he had booked a single ticket at 16:30 on Romanian Airlines to East Berlin; Sarah was shocked and puzzled: "East Berlin? But that's behind the Iron Curtain!"
• later in mid-flight, Michael was surprised to see Sarah seated in the back of his plane; he approached her and angrily demanded that she not follow him and immediately return to Copenhagen - realizing that he had put her life in jeopardy: "Now you stay away from me. Don't talk to me. When this plane lands, you take the next one out! Anywhere! Go home! Do you understand?"; she was speechless, as the scene faded to a blur

On the Same Plane, Bound for East Berlin

• after landing as the passengers disembarked, Sarah noticed that one of the passengers was Professor Manfred, who had presumably helped to arrange Armstrong's trip; he asked Michael: "I thought she didn't know"; Michael replied: "She doesn't know. She can't know. She just followed me"; Professor Armstrong was besieged by reporters and photographers as he stepped off the plane for a planned press event; Sarah and Prof. Manfred watched from behind him

Arrival at the East Berlin Airport (Behind the Iron Curtain)

• Professor Manfred introduced Michael to the Vice Minister Strauss (Hans Difflipp) on the tarmac, and then it was announced that the distinguished American nuclear scientist Professor Michael Armstrong was defecting to the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and switching his political loyalties: "Professor Armstrong has decided to live and work for peace in the Peoples' Democracies"
• inside the airport, Professor Armstrong met with the GDR's Head of State Security Heinrich Gerhard (Hansjoerg Felmy), who appointed a "personal guide" or chaperone to accompany Armstrong everywhere - gum-chewing, long leather-coated, twitchy Hermann Gromek (Wolfgang Kieling), an East German security officer, noted for having a faulty cigarette lighter
• Armstrong was reminded by Gerhard that he had unexpectedly brought "excess baggage" with him - his assistant and fiancee Sarah Sherman, and was asked what should be done with her: "Then what did you intend her to do? Go home, marry the boy next door, or what?"; Michael answered: "I hoped, vaguely that she'd understand my motives. Maybe she wouldn't, but I hoped she'd join me later"; Sarah was called in and given a choice: "How would you like to live behind what you call the Iron Curtain?"; the two were given until the next day to think it over
• in a public speech at the airport to Eastern and Western reporters, Armstrong explained the reason for his defection to a Communist country - Washington had abandoned his six year anti-missile program to design an "anti-missile missile" (known as Gamma 5) to "make nuclear defense obsolete"; he described his mission: "I am offering my services to your University of Leipzig, hopefully to work with Professor Gustav Lindt, a leading authority in my field. Together with Professor Lindt, we will produce a defensive weapon that will make, um, all offensive nuclear weapons obsolete, and thereby abolish the terror of nuclear warfare"
• later in Sarah's room in the Hotel Berlin while the rays of a golden sunset were shining in, Michael and Sarah engaged in a deep discussion about their fates, filmed in one long-take with a steady long-distance camera; Sarah explained: "I just knew I had to follow you. I... By instinct, to protect you or something," but he felt that his lies were justified to keep her in the dark; when she called him a "traitor" to his country, he admitted: "I can't explain it to you"; he refused her request: "Would you please take me home?"; the next morning, Michael left a note under Sarah's door: "GONE FOR A WALK. GO HOME!! Michael"
• in the next sequence, Michael attempted to evade his guard Gromek as he left the hotel lobby; he entered a double-decker bus and watched as Gromek mounted his motorbike to pursue him; Michael entered the East Berlin Art Museum, and engaged in a silent cat-and-mouse chase and pursuit within the vast rooms and empty hallways of the museum, as their footsteps echoing off the checkerboard marble floors

The Cavernous, Echoing Rooms and Hallways of the Art Museum

• to evade Gromek, Michael exited a side door of the museum onto the street and took a taxi to a farm in the German countryside, and asked the driver (Peter Lorre, Jr.) to park and wait for him; at the side doorway with his shoe in the dirt, he created the π symbol to let the farm wife (Carolyn Conwell) know that he was part of a counter-intelligence network; she pointed to his contact, her "farmer" husband (Mort Mills) plowing a nearby field on a tractor; as they rode on the tractor together, the farmer congratulated Michael on playing the part of a "dirty defector," but was curious about the presence of his "girl"; Michael explained she unexpectedly followed him and now they faced a dilemma: "There are two of us involved in the escape now, I can't get her to go home"
• their discussion revealed the plot twist - Armstrong's defection was part of his plan as a secret double-agent intelligence gatherer, to acquire knowledge about anti-missile systems found in the brain of a chief East German scientist named Professor Gustav Lindt (Ludwig Donath): "The information I'm after is inside the head of a scientist at Leipzig University...It takes a scientist to pick a scientist's brain"; when asked: "Did Washington approve this crazy scheme of yours?", Armstrong answered: "They don't know anything about it," and that his "scheme" might take weeks or months to accomplish; Armstrong learned that his contact person for his escape in the Pi network in Leipzig was an agent named Koska (K-O-S-K-A)
• as Armstrong returned to the farmhouse outside East Berlin, he noticed that his East German "bodyguard" policeman Hermann Gromek had followed him there; Gromek entered the farmhouse after Armstrong to confront him: "I'm gonna report you to the Minister of Culture"; Michael introduced the farm wife as a relative on his mother's side of the family, but Gromek was disbelieving; the menacing German also suspected that Armstrong was a double-agent due to the Greek letter Pi symbol scratched into the dirt outside the door - and kept insisting (with physical gestures) for Armstrong to explain ("Maybe a Greek letter. Professor! Maybe pi?...A dirty little two-bit organization for spying and escaping!") - and accused him of being an "American agent"

Gromek: "I'm gonna report you..."	Gromek Asking About the Pi Symbol: "Maybe a Greek letter"	Reaction to Gromek's Accusations and Threats
Gromek Dialing the Authorities	Rice Soup Bowl Thrown at Gromek	Gromek Choked and Strangled by Armstrong

• a lengthy, nasty and brutal murder sequence followed inside the farmhouse with the assistance of the farm wife; it was deliberately filmed without background music to emphasize how difficult it was to kill a human being (with one's bare hands without using a gun); the murder had to be accomplished quietly, in order to avoid arousing the suspicions of the taxi driver waiting outside
• there were various different attempts and multiple stages in the lengthy, slow, awkward, and immensely problematic struggle to kill the seemingly invincible German; as he was phoning the authorities: a rice soup bowl was thrown at him by the wife (it struck the wall next to him); while the farm wife ripped the phone out of the wall, Armstrong grabbed Gromek from behind and began to choke and strangle him, as the strong and intimidating Gromek bragged: "Cut it out. Don't be stupid. I was trained by experts"

Gromek Stabbed With a Butcher Knife in the Upper Chest

• when the farm wife picked up Gromek's gun to shoot at him, she glanced out of the window and saw the taxi driver, and realized that she must set the gun down and use a knife instead - a quieter method; the farmer's wife and Armstrong both wordlessly conveyed to each other that they had to eliminate Gromek
• the farm wife grabbed a butcher knife from a kitchen drawer and approached toward Gromek, who was continuing to wrestle against Armstrong, but joked: "Tell the cookie she should put that down. She's gonna cut your fingers off"; she nervously aimed the knife at him before thrusting it into his upper chest (with the sound of the knife snapping off and clanking to the floor); the farm wife also bashed in Gromek's kneecaps with four swings of a shovel (with the sound of the dull thumping metallic shovel hitting his legs), and he crumpled to the floor; Gromek made a dash for the window and pulled it open to signal for help, but Armstrong and the wife swiftly shut the latch, but then Gromek grabbed Armstrong's neck and attempted to choke him

Gromek Collapsing to the Floor After Being Bashed by a Shovel in the Kneecaps

Gromek Still Alive and Fighting For His Life

Armstrong and Gromek Struggling Against Each Other

• and finally, Armstrong and the wife were able to forcibly drag Gromek's body across the floor, filmed from both a high-angle and low side-angle, and with realistic closeups of heads, hands, and faces - concluding with a grim overhead shot above the oven; his head was thrust into the kitchen's cast-iron gas oven to asphyxiate him to death (with the sound of the hissing gas) - the fingers of his hands twitched in the air expressing his excruciating death throes

The Gassing Death Scene

• the two were anguished, shocked and paralyzed after the tremendous struggle; the farm wife removed Armstrong's blood-stained jacket and planned to burn it in her fireplace; she also helped to clean, rinse off, and and remove Gromek's blood from Armstrong's right hand; the German-speaking wife also suggested that she would bury both Gromek's body and his parked motorbike, by making gestures with the shovel; Armstrong returned to his taxi for the trip back to the city, as the farm wife erased the Pi symbol in the dirt
• upon his return to the city, Prof. Armstrong was summoned to see the Head of Security Gerhard in his office, in the presence of Prof. Manfred and Sarah; he was informed that Sarah would function as his assistant: "She has decided to come over to our side. Your fiancee would like to work as your assistant in Leipzig"; she stressed to Michael: "I want to be with you"; the decision was partly due to Prof. Manfred's intercession: "He combines mathematical logic with romantic inconsistency"; they were toasted with cognac: "To your new life in your new country"; they were told to leave immediately and be driven in a car to Leipzig, although it appeared that the "indispensable" Gromek (who could assist them) had been "lost"
• the next day in Leipzig, Prof. Armstrong and Sarah were introduced to members of the physics faculty at Karl Marx University; Armstrong was also presented with his new security guide Otto Haupt (Harold Dyrenforth) since Gromek had disappeared; as they were being shown around the university, Armstrong was tripped (an insert shot of a female leg was shown) and fell down a flight of stairs head-first; as he was being examined in the university's clinic for bruised ribs, the nurse identified herself as Dr. Koska (Gisela Fischer) - the person the farmer had told him was his contact person in the Pi escape network
• Dr. Koska explained the Pi organization to him: "We are not a political group. We only help people take a long vacation from this lovely place"; her husband, a professor mathematics, had died a year earlier; she urged him to "move quickly" due to the unexpected disappearance of Gromek (and the search for him); Dr. Koska was tasked with helping him and Sarah with an escape plan to shuttle them out of East Germany: "There are two of you to get out now.... I will need photographs of both of you for the false identity cards we have to prepare"; Armstrong explained how his fiancee Sarah was still in the dark about "the whole idiotic mess," and had no idea that his defection was faked; she pressured him to see Dr. Gustav Lindt as soon as possible, since he was leaving soon for Leningrad; Prof. Armstrong was confident that he could acquire what he needed from the "curious" Lindt: ("He's got the key to a puzzle in his head. I have to get the key...In order for him to find out what I know, he's gonna have to tell me a little bit about what he knows")
• meanwhile, the taxi driver became suspicious when he saw a 'Missing Persons' newspaper article about Gromek and notified Head of Security Gerhard about his previous contact with Gromek at the farmhouse (shown in an overlapping flashback)
• at the same time, "American colleague" Prof. Armstrong was led by Prof. Manfred to a university lecture hall with elevated seats to be interviewed by members of the physics department about developments in the US Gamma 5 Missile program; Prof. Lindt was seated in an upper row of seats above four other faculty members in the front row; as Prof. Armstrong began his remarks, he was interrupted by news about the missing Gromek delivered to Prof. Manfred from Haupt; Armstrong was questioned about his dubious visit to a farmhouse; he was forced to lie about how Gromek was not there - and his interview with the faculty was abruptly terminated
• in the upper row of seats, the inquisitive Prof. Lindt objected to their security concerns, and insisted: "Gentlemen, I must know about this Gamma Five work before I leave!"; he suggested that if Prof. Armstrong couldn't speak with him, he would then confer with Armstrong's assistant Prof. Sherman: (Lindt: "So, something is better than nothing. She also worked on Gamma Five"); Prof. Sherman was immediately ushered into the room, and was interrogated about the anti-missile program, but she was confused about why she was even there to answer questions, and became accusatory toward Prof. Armstrong: ("I have nothing to tell you...I have nothing to say....(To Michael) You tell them. You tell them! You joined them. You're the one who sold out!"); under tremendous strain, she ran from the room, and was no longer willing to help Michael, and was even threatening to break up with him and leave East Berlin immediately ("I want to go back")
• Michael and Sarah retreated for a short walk to a nearby hilltop, where for a few moments, they discussed (without dialogue) their predicament; he secretly confided in her that he was NOT really defecting (and had other motives as a double-agent for the US) - "I would have told you before, since I wanted to wait until I got what I needed from Lindt"; suddenly, there were tears in Sarah's eyes and her mood changed - she became cooperative after being urged her to play along with his devious schemes and testify before Prof. Lindt; they passionately kissed each other

During a Break in the Faculty Interview Before Sarah Was Questioned
Michael and Sarah on Hilltop Discussing Their Dilemma	A Noticeable Mood Change in Sarah After Being Told the Truth About Michael's 'Defection'	The Couple Reconciled With a Passionate Kiss

• meanwhile, the suspicious authorities led by Gerhard were searching the farmhouse
• that evening, during an elegant dinner (with music and dancing) at the university, Prof. Armstrong was able to speak to Dr. Koska and explain the danger he was in as a result of his lies about Gromek and the farmhouse; she reacted: "I've got to get you both out and back to Berlin immediately"; she explained that she would execute their escape plan the next morning at 10:00 am at the clinic
• Prof. Armstrong was able to speak privately to Prof. Lindt during the evening's dance; he teased with hints about completing his work on his US Gamma Five program discussed earlier in the day with Sarah: "I suppose, uh, she told you that we concluded our experiment successfully...whereas we've built Gamma Five"
• that evening at the farmhouse, the police dug up Gromek's motorbike, and by the next morning, things were closing in when Prof. Armstrong failed to appear at Dr. Koska's clinic to escape with Sarah - as planned, and she received a phone call about the discovery of Gromek's corpse; the police were on their way to apprehend Prof. Armstrong
• simultaneously Armstrong and Lindt were having a friendly chat at the university, where Armstrong continued to reveal hints to Prof. Lindt about his US Gamma Five program: ("We've only done the preliminary tests....We had trouble getting money. But there's nothing the matter with the theory. As far as I'm concerned, the problem's solved"); Armstrong was able to goad Lindt into showing off his "workroom" where he revealingly bragged about and divulged his own secret anti-missile defense equations; the proud and Lindt was happy to one-up Armstrong who had used "different methods" and had made mathematical mistakes (Lindt: "I'm afraid, Professor, you have very little to offer"); Armstrong falsely claimed: "Well, we built it, and it works, and it didn't blow up"; to counter him, Lindt showed off his full formula: "I tell you what you say is rubbish!...In Russia, we built it. It works!"); Lindt was tricked into revealing his own "brilliant" and "genius" formulas for shooting down incoming missiles - and then realized he had been hoodwinked when he overheard university loudspeakers announcing a search for the two US professors; he was dismayed when he realized what was happening: "You told me nothing. You know nothing. I forbid you to leave this room!"

A Private Discussion Between Lindt and Armstrong About Gamma Five	In Prof. Lindt's Secret "Workroom" With a Blackboard Filled With Mathematical Equations	Lindt to Armstrong: "You have very little to offer"
Armstrong Goading Lindt Into Revealing His Own Successful Formula	Lindt Bragging About His Own Work: "Of course it's brilliant, it's genius!"	Armstrong - Astounded by Lindt's Work!

• Armstrong fled from the classroom and escaped to the upstairs university clinic to meet up with Sarah and Dr. Koska; the threesome fled on bicycles to the center of the city where they boarded a decoy bus operated by the π network and led by Mr. Jacobi (David Opatoshu); they were hoping to arrive at their destination (East Berlin) and establish their contacts before 7:00 pm that evening; Jacobi described the concept of the fake decoy bus with anti-Communist Germans on board: "We travel the same route as the official Leipzig to Berlin bus. But we leave ten minutes ahead of it"; it was a dangerous mission for the other passengers: "We help others get to Berlin, and then we come home"; they were beset by a roadblock set up by the Stasi and subject to a search, and then a second roadblock set up by bandits and Soviet Army deserters; they were rescued by a military truck and given a safe but problematic escort by two officers on motorcycles; a third problem resulted when the "real" second bus caught up to them and alerted the officers to their decoy bus; Sarah and Michael were able to sneak off the bus undetected, and the rest of the passengrs escaped unscathed from machine-gun fire

The Decoy Bus From Leipzig to East Berlin

Passengers Sarah and Michael with Mr. Jacobi

The "Real" Bus Caught Up to the Fake Bus

• as the two were headed to the Friedrichstraße post office (and a contact named Albert), they met an eccentric but helpful character - an exiled Polish lady who called herself Countess Kuchinska (Lila Kedrova), who guided them to a coffee house; she was impressed to meet them due to their notoriety: "How exciting to meet you, Professor. It is not every day one meets a spy....And his face in all the papers. But don't look so worried, my darling girl. You are quite safe with me. I am not Kommunistical"; the desperate woman offered a proposition: "You two will promise me to be my sponsors for a visa to the United States of America. In return, I will take you where you wish to go"; they agreed, and she helped to direct them to the post-office, where for a few tense moments, they awaited contact with post office clerk Albert (Albert Szabo)
• once Albert appeared from a back room, he slipped them a card with a picture of a ship and the name of a travel agency in Berlin (named the "Astra Reiseburo"); at the same moment, a post-office guard had alerted an armed officer who approached with a machine gun, calling out "HALT!"; Sarah and Michael slipped out the back entrance as the Countess blocked and tripped up the pursuing officer on the stairway, allowing them to escape; she looked toward them longingly as they fled, with tears in her eyes, crying: "My sponsors!"
• when they were across the street from the travel agency, two men approached them; one of the men was the farmer from the countryside; the second man described the next leg of their journey that would take them out of East Berlin; he would provide them with tickets to the ballet that evening: "They're sending you out by sea on an East German boat in the costume baskets of a Czech ballet company. It gives its last performance tonight and goes to Sweden. Remember, the boat is East German. You won't be safe until you're ashore. 8 sharp, I will bring you to the theatre. You will take your seats one minute after the house lights go down. At first intermission, you'll be taken through the pass door backstage by the baggage master of the company. He will know you because he has your seat numbers"; the baggage manager was to be identified by his fake red hair and the name of Hugo (Maurice Doner)
• while Michael and Sarah wached the ballet performance in a crowded East Berlin theatre, the lead Ballerina (Tamara Toumanova) recognized the couple in the audience; she was still fuming over being neglected and upstaged when her arrival at the East Berlin airport was overshadowed by Michael's defection; she reported them to the authorities, and security officers began to appear at all the exits; once Michael spotted Gerhard, he was forced to yell "FIRE!" to cause chaos as the theatre-goers panicked in an attempt to evacuate and they were able to evade capture; they made their way to a backstage door where they met their red-haired Pi network contact Hugo (Maurice Doner)

Artificial Fire on Stage

Overhead View of Audience Members Surging Toward Exits After Michael Yelled: "FIRE!"

Gerhard Caught in the Mass Panic

• Hugo directed them to hide in two large wicker baskets or hampers of costumes (from the Czech ballet troupe) that were placed on an East German ferry-freighter (Westgall) to cross the Baltic Sea to Sweden; once the freighter docked, the ballerina watched as two baskets were hooked by a Swedish crane operator - and due to her suspicions of subterfuge (refugees were caught hiding in baskets on a previous trip), she pointed out for the hampers to be machine-gunned by a guard; she was mistaken however - Michael and Sarah had already jumped off the boat and were swimming to the dock and retrieved by Swedish officers; after dangerous circumstances, the two were seen huddled under blankets to keep warm and dry - a perfect bookend for the film's opening

Huddled Under Blankets