similar to Stravinsky's Les Noces. The score is basically monothematic, constantly varying the main theme. For more romantic moods, it features the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument, played by its most prominent soloist, Jeanne Loriod. Thus, even the tender moments have an eerie undertone. Later on, Harry Palmer attends the end of a symphony concert, which is supposed to feature Dmitri Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony, written in 1941 during the siege of Leningrad. What we hear, however, is the end of Shostakovich's 11th Symphony "The Year 1905". Yet, music from the "Leningrad" symphony is featured later on during Midwinter's speech to his soldiers in Finland and during the final battle on the ice. Reception The film has a 50% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews with an average rating of 5.9/10. Author and critic Anne Billson calls this "by far" the best film of the series, noting that critics and audiences did not like it on first release. The Guardian called it "just terrible". "What rubbish it all is," said The Observer. TV Guide says, "Overly plotted and almost without humor, The Billion Dollar Brain (which takes its name from the computer Midwinter uses to plan his invasion) is not nearly as entertaining as its predecessors in the Harry Palmer trilogy, The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin. Michael Caine thought the visuals were "stunning" but felt "Ken Russell lost the story somewhere and no one could care a damn about what was going on because they couldn't follow what was going on." References Further reading External links Billion Dollar Brain at Trailers from Hell 1967 films 1960s spy thriller films British sequel films British spy thriller films Cold War spy films Films based on British novels Films directed by Ken Russell Films scored by Richard Rodney Bennett Films shot at Pinewood Studios United Artists films Films set in England Films set in Helsinki Films set in Riga Films produced by Harry Saltzman Films shot in Finland Films shot in England Films set in the Soviet Union Films set in Texas Films shot in Helsinki 1960s English-language films 1960s British films