The book of the film, and once again it sets my teeth to aching. Remember the scene where Laurence Olivier as the Nazi, Szell, tortures Dustin Hoffman, as Babe, by using a dentist's drill on him, without the benefit of an anaesthetic? The book is a tautly written thriller, an entity in itself and not a novelisation of a screenplay. There is an introduction by John Schlesinger, who directed the movie, in which he points out some of the changes he had to make, like having the fastidious Szell appalled by how the various cities he passes through are paralysed by strikes. It would probably be an idea to view the film on video, after reading the novel. Or vice-versa.By Vincent Banville