A Dandy in Aspic

It was somewhat of a feature of the late 1960s to make bleak and world weary spy movies. This film is in this mould. I saw the film upon it's release and quite enjoyed it, albeit it is slow and a little dull. Still, I think that it is an interesting piece of film making and enjoyed the performances of Laurence Harvey and Tom Courtenay who play British agents who do not like each other. (Harvey is in fact a double agent). There are some good locations shots of 1960's London (mainly bleak) and Berlin (not so bleak). Harvey trudges around both capitals after been given an assignment to kill a Russian Spy - who is in fact himself. Mia Farrow is a trendy young thing (tho' a bit on the thin side)and adds love interest. However, as she keeps turning up wherever Harvey goes, is she as innocent as she appears? A young Peter Cook also stars as a rather irritating junior British agent. John Bird and Lionel Stander add a little humour into an otherwise humourless film. Definitely worth a look.

I am not sure why this film gets a bad rap -- I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful locations of an impossibly glamorous late-60s London, Lawrence Harvey suitably mysterious, a seeping sense of doom which won't give you nightmares but will make you appreciate the story arc even more.

Yes there are plot holes but nothing major. The character of Mia Farrow remains a cipher, but maybe it's intentional.

Watch out for two then future telly stars in minor roles: Richard O'Sullivan (of Man about the house) and Mike Pratt (of Randall and Hopkirk).

Recommended.

While the story is admittedly somewhat confusing, this is definitely not the disaster that Maltin et al. would have you believe it is. It's got some plot issues, and is in fact a bit baffling by the end, but these weaknesses are far outweighed by the sleek mid-60's visuals, the cool location shots of Berlin, and the whole spy-in-an-atmosphere-of-paranoia-and-dread vibe (ie., like the Prisoner). Definitely worth a rent if you're into spy movies and/or paranoia.

p.s. the ever so mod and swinging soundtrack music is by Quincy Jones!

Secret Agent Alexander Eberlin is sent into Berlin to search for the Russian agent Krasnevin. The Brits and Soviets enter into an intriguing game of cat and mouse.

I'll be honest, I recorded it based on the name and year. I was expecting some sort of comedy with the likes of Kenneth Williams or Ian Carmichael; I hadn't planned for yet another 60s spy movie.

In my opinion, it's pretty good: a decent, if unoriginal, plot, a strong cast, and some excellent location work. It did actually keep my attention, even if it was predictable; I'm sure we all knew how it was going to end.

The two issues are the script and pacing, at times it trundles along, and some of Eberlin's encounters with Caroline are bizarre to say the least.

Visually, it's good; it looks somewhat newer. I liked the opening and closing sequences; a puppet on a string left us in no doubt as to the type of film ahead.

Laurence Harvey did a fine job; I bought his character, but for me, the star of the show was Tom Courtenay; I just found Gatiss to be a little more interesting. Caroline's character made no sense; she didn't really go anywhere. Was she simply a bad penny? Mia Farrow I'd suggest, was ok.

6/10.

I remember going to see this with my girlfriend at the time but, could not recall anything of the movie. I put this down to the fact that, back in the days of the double feature it was paired with Marlon Brando's The Wild One, which had been banned in Britain for 15 years. Consequently the cinema was packed with rather vocal leather-jacketed bikers, which was a little distracting. Thus, I took the opportunity to see what I missed when the movie was shown on Talking Pictures TV recently.

More HP than JB the story features the then familiar groping around in the murky world of Cold War espionage. With the regular tropes of ; who can be trusted? Who is your enemy? And worse. Who really is on your side?

Laurence Harvey plays dislikeable double agent Alex Eberlin in British intelligence with a sideline as a KGB assassin. He has been bopping off genuine agents in an important operation and the bosses are concerned. Summoned to a meeting Alex is informed that the name of the assassin is Krasnevin. Which comes as a shock since that is his real name. However, no-one actually knows who Krasnevin is. Alex is given the task of tracking down and eliminating himself! The assassin is thought to be in Berlin and Alex is dispatched there with a handler, the equally disagreeable Gatiss (Tom Courtenay) who carries a (literal) shooting stick and hates Alex's guts from the start. Once in Berlin Alex secretly ties to defect across the border but the Russian authorities are wise to him and he is turned back.

A mystery, throughout the movie, is the completely superfluous presence of upper class, wannabe hippy chick Caroline (Mia Farrow whose task seems to be simply turning up unexpectedly wherever Alex is and compromising his cover. Her character serves no useful purpose.

Darker than Funeral In Berlin but not as dark as The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Being a sixties spy movie, the action moves between capitals and tourist sites. People are killed surreptitiously but the violence is never gratuitous. Harvey is convincing as the world-weary agent looking for a way out and Courtenay's character's vicious persona is reflected in the efficient way he shoots his KGB opposite number at a racing circuit after organising a crowd panic. You know he will show no mercy once he finds it who Krasnevin is. The cast is graced with a who's who of British character actors which include Harry Andrews, Barbara Murray, Richard O'Sullivan, Norman Bird and a young Peter Cooke behaving rather irresponsibly. There is also an early diversity marker in the casting of Calvin Lockhart as African-Caribbean agent Brogue, although he does not feature once the action moves to Berlin. No gadgets apart from Gatiss' shooting stick but, Eberlin does get to drive a flashy sports car. The ending, directed by Harvey himself after the death of Anthony Mann, comes as a bit of a surprise; all being revealed in the last two minutes but, on reflection, it is what you would expect in such a treacherous profession. A worthy entry in the genre.