By the 1960s, director Alfred Hitchcock had been making films for decades. A holdover from the silent era, Hitchcock saw major changes in the film industry happen in real-time. And he was able to weather these hurdles to great success. However, in the mid-20th century, movies were changing once again and Hitchcock's films were perceived by some critics as becoming formulaic. Even though Hitchcock was still attracting some of the biggest talent of the day, he was certainly staying well within his niche. On top of his film career, the directorial icon was also juggling a hit TV by this point.

In 1966, when Hitchcock released Torn Curtain, he was entering another stage of filmmaking in the industry. Only two years after the spy thriller's release, a new rating system would be established that would dictate the appropriateness of movies for audiences in an entirely different way. And Hitchcock would find himself faced with an R-rating for the first time.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) ratings system went into effect in the late 1960s. Prior to this, movies endured strict censorship under the Hays Code, also known as the Motion Picture Production Code. This code worked under the practice that all movies had to be made for a general audience. Topics such as sex and sexuality, crime, swearing, and anything otherwise deemed taboo or inappropriate had to follow a rigorous set of guidelines. Movies were expected to promote a certain moral standard and act as a compass, modeling "good" behavior for the viewing public. For this reason, movies in the early days (before 1934) of Hollywood can be perceived as playing faster and looser with their subject matter.

It would not be until 1968 that the film industry would see a shift away from the Hays Code and an update in the form of the MPAA rating system. This move made a lot more sense for the modern world, and would less inhibit artists. Films would not be required to have ratings as non-MPAA members but could submit for a rating. The current form, known as the MPA rating system, is still considered voluntary, but it behooves most filmmakers to attach a rating to their film. Audience members, and especially parents, generally prefer to have a guide when vetting what is appropriate viewing for children. Still, with the new system, it took a while to determine what type of content belonged in which category.

The movie follows Michael Armstrong (Paul Newman) and his fiancée Sarah Sherman (Julie Andrews), who find themselves undercover behind the Soviet Union's Iron Curtain. According to TVTropes.com, the movie was initially rated R due to the use of what's known as a Bavarian Fire Drill — "a Social Engineering tactic where you get what you need done by acting as if you already have the authority to do it." During a tense moment in the film, Michael yells out "Fire!" in a packed theater in order to distract East German police. In 1984, the film was re-rated with its current rating: PG. The same year, the PG-13 rating was introduced to the ratings rubric.

Torn Curtain was released during the Cold War, an intense time in America to tackle its chosen subject matter. It's possible this may have also contributed to its extreme rating. Still, despite Hitchcock's reputation for being a king of suspense and horror, his films tended not to cross any major lines. Even the memorable shower scene in Psycho (1960) has minimal gore — although this can be attributed to the Hays Code's restrictions. Hitchcock would only make three more feature films before his death in 1980. These included: Topaz (1969 — Not Rated), Frenzy (1972 — R), and Family Plot (1976 — PG).

Following her Oscar-winning success in Mary Poppins (1964), Andrews was looking to step outside of her prescribed acting wheelhouse. This would be the only Hitchcock film on which Andrews would work. And it was certainly a departure from the prim and proper singing nanny of two years prior. Although not exactly as scandalous as Victor/Victoria (1982), made during a time when Andrews was still attempting to outrun her squeaky-clean image -- further perpetuated by The Sound of Music (1965). Andrews would turn down similar roles that she felt were too Poppins-esque such as Truly Scrumptious in a musical starring former costar Dick Van Dyke: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). According to the book The A-Z of Hitchcock by Howard Maxford, both Andrews and Newman were not Hitch's choice for the film, but rather pushed on him by the studio for their star power.

During rewrites of the film, Hitchcock expressed his potential displeasure with the casting of Andrews. In the book Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light by Patrick McGilligan, it details a specific note given to the scriptwriters relating to Andrews. At a particular moment in one of the earlier drafts of the script, Andrews' character is referred to as "beautiful" and Hitchcock countered it with the note: "...Do you think beautiful is perhaps too much, and cannot we say lovely instead?" Whether this was just Hitchcock's search for the most appropriate word to describe the actress or a knock on the casting is up for interpretation. Regardless, Andrews would later say she was not entirely pleased with the end result. And she discouraged her family and friends from seeing it.

Decades later, Andrews would talk about the exacting nature of Hitchcock while working with him on the film, as well as his guidance as a director. She said in a 2006 interview, "I think he loved his leading ladies, and for the time that you were making the movie, you were his special property... He sort of owned you a little bit." Andrews went on to relate a particular instance in which he took the time to teach her about camera lenses and his filming techniques. Her experience working with him seemed to be a mix bag. Still, Andrews found a lot to appreciate in the entire experience of filming Torn Curtain. She added, "The thing that turned Hitchcock on was the manipulation of the public. You would be terrified out of your wits one moment and then weeping or laughing with relief the next moment. And that's what he wanted was to keep you on the edge of your seat."

As Hitchcock reached his later career, critics would begin to accuse him of repeating the same shtick with Torn Curtain. Hitchcock himself had his own reservations about the film. According to a TCM.com article:

. . . as Hitchcock began putting the ideas together for Torn Curtain, he felt very insecure. The Birds (1963), although popular, was nowhere near as big a hit as Psycho (1960) and his next film, Marnie (1964), had been a critical and box-office disaster. Fearing he might be losing his touch, Hitchcock allowed the Universal Pictures front office to make more and more demands to ensure that Torn Curtain would be a popular hit.

His fears are not entirely unfounded as his 1956 mystery thriller The Man Who Knew Too Much had a similar vibe and premise to Torn Curtain. In the end, it did not perform poorly nor was it a smash hit.

Critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it "a pathetically undistinguished spy picture, and the obvious reason is that the script is a collection of what Mr. Hitchcock most eschews -- cliches." McGilligan cited a review by Variety that was more forgiving, but still critical: "Some good plot ideas are marred by routine dialogue, and a too relaxed pace contributed to a dull overlength... Hitchcock freshens up his bag of tricks in a good potpourri which becomes a bit stale though a noticeable lack of zip and pacing." It may not be his best film, but it's still a great example of his later works during a transitional time in Hollywood. And it has stand-out stars who make it well worth a watch on their own merits.