X3 agent spécial

Despite occasionally amusing passages this engaging spoof of the nascent spy genre is, however, perhaps not memorable enough to be more than an agreeable time passer.

Still, the cast is willing: for most of the film's second half, Dirk Bogarde - playing an unwilling British spy - is forced to sport several ingenious impersonations (waiter, milkman, a typically Bavarian villager, etc.) to evade the pursuing Russian agent Leo McKern. Robert Morley is McKern's British counterpart (but posing as a diplomat) and John Le Mesurier (playing one of Her Majesties' top secret agents) appears in the film's very first (and arguably best) sequence: stopping at what seems to be a reception desk, he proceeds to place on it every kind of gadget one could think of before proclaiming that one of their best agents had been killed and, soon enough, a card showing "007 Deceased" appears on the screen!

Sylva Koscina, playing McKern's Ninotchka-like daughter (who also poses as Bogarde's chauffeur) adds the requisite element of sex appeal to the mix when she becomes enamored with her "boss". Another funny sequence takes place when Bogarde is asked to try out an indestructible glass fabric (the work of a German inventor) by throwing a large rock at it; sure enough, the rock bounces onto the floor when it hits, but as they start walking away, the sound of shattering glass is heard on the soundtrack which prompts the Russian factory owner to hiss "You Nazi swine" to the dumb-founded inventor!

For those of us who were growing up after World War II, there wasn't much about the Cold War that was funny. At least, not during the late 1940s and 1950s. But after Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the U.S. in September, 1959, things began to change. Still on guard and wary of the Soviets, America and Western Europe began to take the Cold War a little more lightly at times. So, films such as "Agent 8 ¾" began to appear. Others have noted the films based on Ian Fleming's James Bond character, and similar spoofs.

But, this was still a time of tension. People were fleeing Soviet controlled countries, and Berlin was one of the last places of escape. So, the Soviets began building the Berlin wall in August 1961. Even after the wall was up, there were occasional daring escapes. Hollywood turned out some excellent films that looked at the escape attempts and other espionage thrillers. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" came out in 1965. It gave a realistic and excellent feel for the east-west tension in Germany at the time.

I recall an incident when I was in the Army and stationed in Germany, 1962-1964. A friend and I flew the mail plane from Frankfurt to Berlin for a long weekend visit to tour the city. We took an American military tour bus through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin. We made a stop at the Soviet War Memorial, and as we were leaving, a small group of East German boys approached us. GIs in those days always had gum or candy on hand, and we gave the boys both. As our bus was pulling out, our guide told us that the German Police would take the goodies from the boys. Sure enough, as we watched through the rear window, two cars pulled up and men in long black coats got out and corralled the kids. Hollywood couldn't have staged it any better.

Most of the espionage films during the1960s were combination action, mystery and thrillers. They were interesting and the better ones kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Some had humor. Some of the best were "The Prize" in 1963, "The Ipcress File" in 1965, "Arabesque" in 1966, "The Deadly Affair" in 1966, "Funeral in Berlin" in 1966, "Torn Curtain" in 1966, "Ice Station Zebra" in 1968, and "Topaz" in 1969. A number of spy spoofs also came out in that time, but none were very exceptional. Films other than espionage around the Cold War were quite good and funny. But the Cold War spy spoofs mostly were so-so. "Agent 8 3/4 "is about as good as they got, and it's little more than a light, somewhat entertaining movie. The plot is OK, but the script is weak. There are no great funny lines, and only a few laughs over panning one thing or another about the British or Soviet secret agencies. The actors are good but not exceptional.

A better-than-average spy thriller, the film is sort of like a combination between James Bond and 'North by Northwest'. It has an awful number of lame jokes in the mix, but in compensation, there are many amusing moments to be had along the way. Set and made during the time of the Cold War, there are almost unavoidably overly silly, mocking portrayals of the Communist characters, however in such a light-hearted film as this one is, silly supporting do not pose much of a problem. Generally, this is just enjoyable stuff, nothing heavy but still entertaining, and at times quite sexed up too, without overdoing it.

This film is very funny indeed, because it was well directed by Ralph Thomas, who could sometimes make terrible films, such as SOME GIRLS DO (1969, see my review). But primarily the film is carried by the superb and delicately delivered performances of those three old pros, Robert Morley, Leo McKern, and Dirk Bogarde. They all knew so well what they were doing that they could always direct themselves. McKern had a passion for Indian food, and I often used to sit near him in the Shahbhag on Roslyn Hill, as he scoffed his curry, but I never thought it tactful to speak to him, as disturbing a man at his curry is simply not the done thing. McKern's greatest acting triumph was his performance as Peer Gynt, in the play of that title by Ibsen. I saw that extremely long and brilliant production at the Old Vic in a long-gone era, but have never forgotten that McKern was a classical actor of enormous stature, and if he had not had such a rumpled face and a funny expression, he might have done more to prove it to people. This film has an absurd story which is satirically and lightly done, so that it all ends up being just lots of fun on the principle of: Who cares if it's ridiculous? It works. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. You take your life in your hands when you try to make a satirical comedy. John le Mesurier provides solid backup, as usual, making his comical long face and joining in the fun of pretending to be a spy. Everyone in the film is either a spy or pretends to be a spy or doesn't know he is a spy because nobody has told him. During the Cold War we needed this kind of comic consolation sometimes, because the realities were so grim. There are also some pointed jokes about people sponging on the dole, lazy chaps who claim to be writers and will one day write a great novel but never do (Bogarde plays this for all the laughs he can get), and there is Sylva Koscina having fun falling in love with him whilst spying on him in Prague. All good solid sixties nonsense. And there is a wonderful 'in-joke'. At one point Bogarde is looking at a newspaper, and a secondary story which most people would not notice is headed: '"I'm not a spy!' says Ralph Thomas', Ralph Thomas of course being the film's director. Lots of laughs on the set, I'm sure. 'And now time for a pint,' I suspect.

MASTER PLAN: capture that spy! A restrained yet witty, surprisingly entertaining parody of the James Bond/spy genre so prevalent during the Cold War of the sixties. Keep in mind that the connection to Bond may be based on the fact that agent 007 was killed at the end of the original novel version of "From Russia With Love." The hero and main character (Bogarde) is not actually a spy - that is, trained for or knowledgeable of the arcane profession. He's actually a bit of a layabout, an unpublished writer content with collecting unemployment to get by. He's not even truly interested in getting a job, but when the prospect of a good salary unexpectedly comes up, he's unable to resist the offer. He thinks, based on his meeting with his new boss (Morley), that he's being sent to Prague on typical corporate business and because he understands Czech. Some warning signals go off in the back of his mind with the thought of going behind the dreaded Iron Curtain and using a code phrase (the title of the film) as part of his instructions. Well, he should have heeded those signals more. It's intriguing that he doesn't know who his contact is - the return code phrase has something to do with September - and this sets up some amusing scenes.

Bogarde is excellent as the slightly naive but nevertheless intelligent, quick-on-his-feet dupe. The story bogs down just a bit as he acquaints himself with the new locale but it really kicks into full gear when he's finally targeted by the enemy (headed by McKern). The audience and the character himself find out that he's actually pretty well suited for the cloak-and-dagger business, much to our astonishment. The actress Koscina had a more flamboyant role in the similarly imitative "Deadlier Than the Male," but she exudes a lot of sultry appeal here. And old pros Morley and McKern show how such experienced thespians can add much to such a film. Since much of the story's premise points to the pointlessness and 'running-about-in-circles' of the espionage business, this translates into a rather frivolous, pointless overall scheme for the film, but you're engaged while viewing it. Also, this early in the decade, this was more derivative of the early "From Russia With Love"-style of the 007 thrillers, rather than the 'world-threatening/domination' plots of later imitators, such as Flint and Matt Helm. And, I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of the alternate title, "Agent 8&3/4." Hero:8 Villain:7 Femme Fatale:7 Henchmen:6 Fights:5 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:4 Auto:6 Locations:6 Pace:6 overall:6