Donde están los espías

Spy stories were all the rage in the 1960s and Ian Fleming had suggested David Niven to play James Bond, however Producer Albert Broccoli wisely chose Sean Connery instead. The idea that Niven would be a good choice to play a British spy persisted at MGM, but, here, he seems more facile than debonair as everything conveniently falls into place, including beautiful Francoise Dorleac, four features before her tragic death. Mindful of the strong box office of "Where the Boys Are" (1960), this title was chosen for this James Bond mimicry. It was of little help and any idea of a sequel was shelved.

A foreign power is taking out British Intelligence. Another agent gets murdered in Lebanon and the service is forced to recruit doctor Jason Love (David Niven). He worked for the service during the war. He is assured that it's a safe and easy job. It's not. He pretends to be attending a medical convention. At the Paris airport, he encounters his contact, beautiful model Vikki. He misses his flight which explodes in mid-air.

This is neither funny nor thrilling. It's trying to be a fun spy action flick. He is definitely no Bond. There is a few attempts at humor but they mostly fall flat. This is not the gritty realistic type but it's also not that fun. It's stuck in the muddy middle. Even the exotic locations don't feel that exotic. This is the start of a franchise which never took off.

I can absolutely not find a DVD or VHS to purchase of "Where the Spies Are". Please tell me where everyone is finding this film???? The reviews show it to be a fascinating time-capsule of 1960's Cold War craziness. The book is noteworthy. There are several different movie posters available which also suggest this was a hilarious film --even if paned by some noteworthy critics. Merely having David Nivin starring in any film should make it a gas.....so please tell me why is the dog-gone film so difficult to locate in cyberspace or real-world retail world??? I have searched Amazon, Netflix, eBay, and virtually every other vintage movie site. And now to add to my frustration, IMDb makes me write a minimum of 10 lines of absolute dribble when all I wanted to post was found in the first two lines. So I will keep adding to this silly comment until the minimum number of lines has been achieved. I need to know what site to visit to find this movie.

David Niven is well cast and plays a fine neophyte operative. The film lacks a steady dose of suspense, however. On a more mundane plane, there are varied misspellings of Russian, most obvious being the Russian for Aeroflot emblazoned across the jetliner (Niven's robe has it spelled correctly).

A dated little movie,but which ,thanks to the cast ,remains entertaining today.It was Goldfinger time and it shows.The scene on the plane recalls the ending of the best James Bond of all time,Vikki broadly playing the part of Pussy Galore.

But it is difficult to believe that a doctor can become a secret agent overnight.But if you forget that (in the highly superior "North by Northwest ",Cary Grant portrayed the same kind of hero),you may find his adventures palatable.

Also notable for the presence of Catherine Deneuve's sister ,Françoise Dorleac,then one of the most promising French actresses who tragically died two years later.