Spy Movies: From World War I To the Modern Era

Spy movies have their beginnings in the World War I era. During this period of time, silent movies were coming into vogue in the US and Europe, and invasion literature was hugely popular in the UK. Even before the outbreak of war between the Triple Alliance (UK, France, and Russia) and the Triple Entente (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy), paranoia of Germany in particular was very high in the UK and a cold war was well underway between the two alliances. It was inevitable that this trend would carry over into the cinemas (aka "moving picture houses") of the time. Below are some of the spy movies from the World War 1 era:

After the end of World War I, movies about spies and the war continued to be made and stayed popular. There were several movies made about spies from this era that have become silent film classics. These starred some very popular actors and actresses from the time.

The spy genre maintained its popularity through the 1930s, and movies about WWI and German spies in particular continued to be made in the US and UK. A few of these movies have become famous Hollywood classics over the years. Some noteworthy movies made during the '30s include "Mata Hari," "The Man Who Knew Too Much," and "Dark Journey."

Below are some of Alfred Hitchcock's most memorable spy movies:

Spy movies made the transition from WWI to WWII beginning in 1939 with the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. During WWII, a number of notable (and not-so-notable) spy movies were made, such as Fritz Lang's "Man Hunt" and Hitchcock's "Saboteur." These movies largely concerned Nazi spy activity, but a few were made about Japanese spies as well.

Spy storylines often carried over into detective films (which were popular during the 1930s-40s) during this era. Movies where famous detectives such as Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan rescued kidnapped scientists, recovered plans for secret weapons that were stolen by enemy agents, and so on became popular among audiences.

Also during WWII, a type of "spy action movie" sub-genre about Allied resistance fighters, secret agents, commandos, and partisans operating behind enemy lines in Europe and Asia made its debut and became popular. This WWII-era sub-genre is one that has survived well into the present day.

It was during the Cold War that the spy movie genre really took off. The cold war raging between Washington and Moscow (and to a certain degree, Beijing) provided - and still provides - ample material for espionage and action enthusiasts. Authors such as John LeCarre, Tom Clancy, Ian Fleming, and Len Deighton wrote best-selling spy novels that ended up becoming blockbuster motion pictures. Well-established directors such as Hitchcock made Cold War classics such as "Torn Curtain."

A few fictional Cold War spies such as James Bond and Jack Ryan made their way to the big screen and have become hugely successful movie series and trilogies. In the case of James Bond, he has become an entire movie genre and franchise in himself! These characters have continued to maintain a presence there even some 20 years since the end of the Cold War!

The countries of the West weren't the only ones to make famous spy movies. There were a number that came out of the Eastern Bloc countries and the USSR, as well as China and North Korea. Most of these movies are not known in the West. These movies reflect the paranoia of the West and Communist ideologies of the time very well.

When the Cold War ended in 1991, movies about Russian spies did not. These continued to circulate in Hollywood and are still being made today. Movies such as "Salt" starring Angelina Jolie are the continuation of a movie genre that started some 65 years ago.

Here is a listing of James Bond movies starting from the first James Bond, Sean Connery, to the current James Bond, Daniel Craig:

Since the end of the Cold War, the spy war between the West and Russia continues to be waged on the big screen. Spies have dealt with the current Russian government in movies such as 2002's Jack Ryan entry "The Sum of All Fears" and with the Russian mafia in movies such as 1997's "The Saint." Also since the 1990s, rogue states such as Saddam Hussein's Iraq and North Korea have become popular subjects in spy and action movies such as the 2002 James Bond entry "Die Another Day."

Another popular subject of spy thrillers from recent times is the rise of global terrorism. Some of these movies try to address some of the inherent moral dilemmas in waging war against terrorism. Some examples of this are the 2005 Spielberg movie "Munich" and 2006's "Syriana" starring George Clooney.

Below are some noteworthy post-Cold War spy movie titles: