Missione speciale Lady Chaplin

This is the third and final film starring secret agent Dick Malloy (Ken Clark). I have not seen either of the previous films but they are spy films much like the 007 films, but made by Italians and starring this lesser-known American actor in the lead.

When the film begins, Lady Chaplin (Daniela Bianchi...of "From Russia With Love" fame) dresses up like a nun and kills some monks in a monastery. Clearly, this lady lacks scruples and she'll come into contact with Dick sooner of later. As for Dick, his boss is worried about a sunken American sub, the USS Thresher. On board are Polaris missiles...nuclear missiles and the good guys need to get to them first. Unfortunately, when Dick goes exploring, he finds the sub but the missile tubes are empty! How does Lady Chaplin play into all this and will she fall for Dick by the end of the movie?

Like a Bond film, this movie has a nice international look--with location shoots in New York, Spain, France, Italy and the UK! It also looks good...with a better than usual budget for an Italian film of the era. Like Bond, this agent has his gadgets and the plot is pretty similar to the Bond thriller "Thunderball"...which debuted the previous year. So is it up to Bond quality or worth seeing? I'd say no and maybe. No, it's not quite bond in quality (such as camera-work, acting and props) and whether or not you will enjoy it depends on if you can get past seeing a relatively bland secret agent...and Dick is a bit limp as a character. But if you simply cannot get enough 007 and don't mind that he's sort of a cheap substitute, Dick is work seeing.

SPECIAL OPERATION LADY CHAPLIN Ken Clark, Daniela Bianchi, Jacques Bergerac, Helga Linne, Evelyne Stewart, Mable Karr, Philippe Hersent Ken Clark again plays secret Agent Dick Malloy for a continuation of the series. When he gets in a cab, they have 077 printed on the cab door.

Helga Linne is in it, even though they never have her name listed in any of the English language credits. Her name does appear in the Spanish version. The end scene in the Spanish version is "similar" but very different in the action than in the English. This is a minor discrepancy but worth noting. Also, the Spanish version has complete END CREDITS that the others omit. Same train scene, but no written credit.

I just watched the Blu-Ray version of FROM Russia WITH LOVE, where Daniela Bianchi first became know to western audiences. Her accent was so think that they had to have someone dub her voice. It is interesting to watch the 2009 Rai-TV, show, STRACULT, with Ken Clark and Daniela together on the same stage. Ken died on June 1st, 2009, just a few months after the show was taped.

They use Scorpions a lot in this movie.

The movie has a very believable story about stealing nuclear missiles from a sunken US Navy Submarine. It snaps along great until the final battle where Ken is in a plane and suddenly comes out of the water wearing a wet-suit and using a spear-gun that fires exploding grenades. I always thought there was a cut there but this new longer version I received has that Jump as well.

There is also a great TRAILER on You Tube for this movie, in case you want to watch it.

Larry Anderson, Canada.

"Lady Chaplin, in her touch, there is something that means much..." says the song sung by Bobby Solo early in the film, as Daniela Bianchi appears only in some turquoise panties, very sexy, and we see the yellow car rolling down the rocks, when she might as well keep it, she had no reason to push it into the sea. Ken Clark is better than in "Tiffany Memorandum", the story is better(actually, we got a story), we even have an original hanging scene at minute 15.24. So, when disguised as a nun, when as an old lady in a wheelchair, Lady Chaplin-Daniela Bianchi (the beautiful from "From Russia with Love") kills in cold blood everyone she has to. Actually, they are a team of two sexy young women killers, exactly like in Deadlier Than the Male. The gadgets are not missing: if Elke Sommer kills with a bullet-cigar, Bianchi(who looks like a twin sister of Jill Ireland) kills with a gun disguised in the wheelchair. All the fight scenes look very real and, overall, it is pleasant to watch.

This is Ken Clark's most Bondian adventure and it is a hoot. Despite the fact that the numbers `077' are prominently featured on the door of a taxi taken by Ken at one of the many airports in this movie, this is not a Coplan flick. Ken is CIA agent Dick Malloy and although he looks slightly uncomfortable in his designer duds, he's still mighty dapper. SMLC was Ken's fourth spy flick and it's one of the most enjoyable especially for those who want to come down easy from Bond. It's full of gadgetry and has a Fleming feel to the plot.

Don't miss this fun adventure. It's easily as entertaining as any Bond flick despite the absence of a charismatic villain.

I would highly recommend this . Very fun and extraordinary . Rec. from Eurospy Guide by Matt Blake/David Deal.