Rebus

An drunkard croupier named Jeff (Laurence Harvey) is enlisted by the casino Police chief , Benson (José Calvo) , and local Police Captain Zakir ( Alberto De Mendoza) to help bust an international casino crime syndicate . The international casino crime ring is planning a big score at a fixed roulette game , scheming the set-up at a casino in Beirut. Meantime , Jeff is attracted to Laura (Ann-Margret) , a singer at the casino, but she prefers the company of the leader of the thieving casino ring that's executing the twisted heist.

This is the typical European co-production shot in the sixties and it has more to do with the Euro-spy subgenre than the ordinary Italian/Spanish thriller. In fact, it has several peculiarities of Euro-spy such as several international locations, spectacular chases, fun and complex capers being planned by nasty mastermind , explosive girls and something else. The film concerning a band rips off casinos all around the world and has now set its sights on Beirut's casino by planning a twisted hold-up , it is worth seeing because it gives a wide view of the city of Beirut before the terrible civil war that totally devastated it . Earlier these events occurred, Lebanon was considered to be the Switzerland of the Middle East . Laurence Harvey gives a so-so acting as the alcoholic casino man Jeff Miller, a disconcerting croupier, whom the police enlists the help in order to nab the bad guys. Laurence Harvey was in the worst period of his fruitful career , as it was , the next and last decade of Harvey's screen life was a disappointment, with the actor relegated to less and less prestigious pictures and international co-productions that needed a "star" name. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Harvey became largely irrelevant as a player in the motion picture industry. His luck had run out. Good friend Liz Taylor, whose string of motion picture successes had also run its course, had him cast in Night Watch (1973), and he directed the last picture in which he appeared, Welcome to Arrow Beach (1973). If he had lived, he might have made the transition to director , he had earlier directed The Ceremony (1963) and finished shooting A Dandy in Aspic (1968) after the death of original director Anthony Mann. Laurence Harvey died on November 25, 1973, from stomach cancer, he was dead at age 45 . He publicly revealed that he was dismayed by being afflicted with the fatal disease, as he had always been careful with the way he ate. Sadly, his personal luck, just as capricious as his professional career, had also gone into eclipse. He's well accompanied by the always gorgeous Ann-Margret who delivers a sympathetic and charming acting , as usual . Being a Spain/Italy/German coproduction here shows up various notorious secondaries as Spanish actors : José Calvo , Alberto de Mendoza, Luis Morris , Luis Dávila , Milo Quesada as Italian : Andrea Bosic and German ones : Jan Hendriks and Camilla Horn.

Here stands out the attractive musical score by composer Luis Enrique Bacalov who subsequently , many years later , he would win an Academy Award for ¨The Postman and Pablo Neruda's soundtrack¨ and spotlights the charming songs : Take a Chance written by Luis Bacalov, Bruno Zambrini & Audrey Nohra performed by Ann-Margret and Suddenly the Rain Written by Luis Bacalov & Lilian Cachia performed by Ann-Margret. The motion picture was regularly directed by Nino Zanchin , and it has severals flaws , gaps , shortcomings and failures. This craftsman Nino Zanchin was usually a Second Unit Director or Assistant Director and occassionally directing some movies . In fact he only directed three films : Adventure in Morocco , I figli chiedono perché and this Rebus (1968) . Rating : 5/10 , mediocre . Only for the hardcore completists of Laurence Harvey and Ann-Margret filmography .

This is really bad,direction,acting ,plot everything is B grade and Harvey and Ann Margret must have joined this probably as a vacation to cosmopolitan pre civil war Beirut. This was shot on location in Beirut ,and its the only interesting thing about it,actually one feels sad watching this movie that this city called at the time Paris of the East ended up in ruins. The movie is about a bunch of crooks who deal with casinos and mostly takes place in casino settings. Harvey looks rather miserable in this movie and Ann Margret has a small part ,like she just joined this for a quick buck.

Italian-Spanish-West German-Argentinian co-production, also known as "Appointment in Beirut" and never released in the US, stars Laurence Harvey as an alcoholic croupier in London fired for his bad behavior and blacklisted. In desperation, he accepts an offer from a man in the fog to work at a casino club in Lebanon where the local police are out to thwart international criminals working the roulette table. Harvey's help is needed to catch them, but he falls for club performer Ann-Margret, who may be in-cahoots with the leader of the crime ring. Not-uninteresting mishmash caper in Italian and English (most of it dubbed) is intriguing due to its obscurity alone, though the production is better than expected and the star leads (though looking somewhat burned by their lack of better employment in Hollywood) are solid. ** from ****

I have just joined this site and am not sure if my contribution is appropriate but after reading Ron Angel's experience I thought I would have a go.

Way back in the late 60s myself and a friend were having a drink in a pub called the Swiss Cottage in North London.Just before closing time a chap shouted out,"Can anyone be at the Playboy Club tomorrow? We are in urgent need of extras." We were told that Laurence Harvey would be there.

Needless to say,John and I turned up on time and were taken through to the casino where several other pub regulars were chatting up a handful of "Bunny Girls." It seemed,and probably was, hours before "Larry" turned up.Apparently he had been waiting for his chauffeur-driven Rolls to arrive (although his hotel was just around the corner) but as we were subsequently told, that's what made him the star he was.

When the cameras finally rolled,Laurence Harvey - who was portraying a drunk- staggered in between the roulette tables,where myself and the other extras where seated.The dialogue was all in Italian so I had no idea of the storyline but the scene ended with a scuffle and Mr Harvey being thrown out of the casino.

This scene was played over and over again and just as I thought they had got it right, Laurence suggested there was not enough atmosphere and lit up and gave out several cigarettes to the extras - the fact that several of us did not smoke was no excuse.I was impressed with the detail that went into every segment of the scene,and realised the dedication and the professionalism that is required at the highest level.

I have never actually seen Rebus and would be very grateful to anyone who could advise me on how to obtain a copy.

Laurence Harvey as a croupier in Beirut

At the beginning of 1969, the time of the GERMAN ADVENTURE FLICKS was simply over. The long-successful film producer Wolf C. Hartwig tried again with his Rapid-Film with this only moderately successful film. To do this, he teamed up with the Italian producer Alberto Grimaldi, but that didn't save the film, which was shot in London and Beirut.

After his appearance in "Battle for Rome" (1968), the Lithuanian-British world star Laurence Harvey plays an alcoholic croupier who is supposed to pull off the really big thing in a casino in Beirut. Aha!

The rest of the cast is at least interesting: the Swede Ann-Margret can also sing a little song, Ivan Desny and the Argentinian womanizer Alberto de Mendoza exude oily charm. Unfortunately, the UFA silent film star Camilla Horn ("Faust" (1925)) is a total failure; her role as an affected American is simply annoying.

Oh yes, Laurence Harvey (1928-1973), who remains unforgettable thanks to his brilliant performance in ROOM AT THE TOP (1958), is at least dubbed by the great West German film star Erik Schumann (HEAVEN WITHOUT STARS, DARKNESS FELL ON GOTENHAFEN).

Not recommended!