Pas de roses pour O.S.S. 117

After a series of high-profile assassinations the United States decides to assign OSS Agent 117 "Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath" (John Gavin) to investigate. To that effect, in order to obtain some credibility with this unknown organization and help him to gain access within it he has plastic surgery to resemble a wanted and very dangerous criminal. Sure enough, he is accepted rather quickly but what he doesn't know is that the person in charge-known simply as "The Major" (Curd Jurgens)-is quite suspicious and has his own internal network which continually maintains surveillance on everyone. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was the first film in which John Gavin appeared as OSS Agent 117 and he performed quite admirably in that regard. Along with that, I thought that the plot was quite entertaining with Margaret Lee (as "Aicha Malik") also putting in a credible performance. Admittedly, I was rather disappointed with the limited screen time for both Luciana Paluzzi (as "Maud") and the aforementioned Curd Jurgens but all things considered I found this to be a solid EuroSpy film and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Yet another of those made-in-Europe "spy thrillers" inspired by the success of the James Bond movies, "Murder for Sale" will evaporate from your memory even as you watch it.

John Gavin lacks the roguish charm, cynical edge, and tough-guy assurance needed to bring off this kind of part. He seems, as always, sincere and dutiful and anxious to please and one can't but help feel a bit sorry for him. But, hey, what other actor can claim to have been directed by Douglas Sirk, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Peter Ustinov?

The best scene comes early in the movie when the police come to arrest Gavin who's sleeping in a hotel room. Gavin jumps out of bed and, as music from "Carmen" plays on the soundtrack, fends off the cops by using his bedsheet the way a matador uses his scarlet cape. Gavin apparently sleeps "in the raw" and this scene gives him a chance to show off his bare and oh-so-beautiful chest.

Not as entertaining as the first in the series , but stiil amusing entry in Oss 117 series with John Gavin as absolute starring . While I didn't enjoy as much as the first in the series this Oss 117 installment results to be an acceptable film into the Eurospy subgenre , whose origin was the James Bond movies and especially : James Bond against Dr. No and From Russia with love by Terence Young . In this one, our starring is posing as a ruthless crook to penetrate into a terrorist organization led by a nasty boss , Curd Jurgens who played the main villiain in Guy Hamilton's The spy who loved me , and his cohorts , Doctor Saadi : Robert Hossein and a tall henchman : George Eastman . Along the way Gavin runs into a pack of baddies who intent on stopping him .Meanwhile , John Gavin falls for 3 beautiful damsels : The Bond girl Luciana Paluzzi , Rosalba Neri , and Margaret Lee .

Typical Euro spy movie with ordinary ingredients : thrills , noisy action , fights, fantastic gadgets along with strange artifacts , simple helicopters and explosive women . It has some flaws and gaps , as it does tend to get a bit old , including repetitive nature of some fight scenes , but it has big fun , so it cares . John Gavin gives a passable acting as a brave secret agent who infiltrates an criminal organization that especializes in political assassinations by assuming the identity of one of its top killers . Gavin has an easy going air about him that makes him great to see . Gavin starred two classics for Douglas Sirk : Imitation to life and A time to love and a time to die . However , he followed to play secondary roles in Spartacus , Throughly Modern Millie and Pycho , TV series , until his death at 86 . He is well accompanied by a brilliant enemy , Curd Jurgens , and a suitable villain doctor , Robert Hossein. Along with a plethora of Italian secondaries , usual in Spaghetti and Peplum , such as the hunk George Eastman , Renato Baldini , Emilio Messina , Roberto Messina and the always present Piero Lulli . And 3 luscious , bombshell girls : Luciana Paluzzi , Margaret Lee , Rosalba Neri.

It packs a cololorful and evocative cinematography in terrific locations from Tonino Delli Colli, Pasolini' s ordinary cameraman . And atmospheric musical score in jazzy style of the sixties and seventies by Piero Piccioni . This motion picture titled OSS 117 murder for sale or No flowers for OSS 117 (or one of the other half dozen names this movie goes by) was regular but professionally directed by Andre Hunebelle , and it definitively worth checking out if you are a fan of Euro spy genre . Andre was a craftsman who used to direct to Kerwin Matthews , Jean Marais and Louis De Funes in various films ; as he made several watchable pictures of all kinds of genres as drama , comedies such as : Casino de Paris , Massacre Dentellos ; adventures , Swashbucklers , many of them starred by Jean Marais : 3 musketeers , Return 3 Musketeers , Mysteries Paris , The hunchback , The captain , Les Charlots mousquetaires , Adventures Cadet Rouselle , Mission Tanger , and especially known for Fantomas Trilogy : Fantomas , Fantomas returns and Fantomas vs Scotland Yard .

The series based on novels written by Jean Bruce begin with "0SS is not dead"1955 by Jean Sacha with Ivan Desny , Magali Noel. " 0ss 117 unleashed" by Andre Hunebelle with Kerwin Matthews, Irina Demick . " Panic in Bangkok" 1964 by Andre Hunebelle with Kerwin Matthews , Robert Hossein , Pier Angeli. "Oss 117 Fury in Bahia" 1965 with Frederick Strafford , Raymond Pellegrin, Mylene Demengeot. "Oss 117 Terror in Tokyo" 1966 by Michral Boisrond with Frederick Stafford, Marina Vlady ."Oss117 Vendetta of spies" 1979 by Pierre Kalfon with Luc Merenda ,Elsa Martinelli , Genevieve Grad. "Oss117 Tue Le Taon" 1971 by Andre Leroix with Alan Scott. And "Oss 117 El Cairo nest of spies" and "Oss 117 lost in Rio" by Michael Hazanavicious with Jean Dujardin , Beatriz Bejo.

This is one of the later entries in the Eurospy, and more specifically in the OSS 117, cycle, and it's probably one of the better ones as well. The two main reasons for that are: 1) The cast. John Gavin is one of the most capable "pseudo-Bonds" of the era, with a good comic flair; you can see why he actually came very close to being the REAL Bond once, in 1971, before Sean Connery changed his mind and came back for "Diamonds Are Forever", Margaret Lee is playfully attractive, Curt Jurgens makes a suitable villain (just like he would a decade later in "The Spy Who Loved Me"), Robert Hossein plays another soft-spoken evil doctor (just like he did in "OSS 117: Panic In Bangkok"), and even the luscious Luciana Paluzzi of "Thunderball" fame is around, though only for about 10 minutes and then she vanishes. 2) Unlike many Eurospy films, this one is not driven by fight scenes at every opportunity. There are some fights, to be sure, and they're pretty good, but most of the time the film is just trying to tell a story. Admittedly the climactic fall of the criminal "Organization" should have been more spectacular - maybe the producers ran out of budget by that point? **1/2 out of 4.

....So OSS 117 has nothing to complain about.Director André Hunebelle ,who used to direct Jean Marais in watchable swashbucklers had become a spy thriller drudge. It's his fourth Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath (OSS 's real name ,for those who care) .He used first Kerwin Matthews ,then Frederick Stafford .

The cast of "Pas de Roses..." is by far the most interesting: gathering one of his talented compatriots (Robert Hossein) earnest German thespian Jürgens,an ex-James Bond Girl (Luciana Paluzzi,remember Fiona Volpe?)and John Gavin ,the hero of Douglas Sirk's last great works ("Imitation of life" (1959) and " a time to love and a time to die") not to mention "psycho" where he was completely overshadowed by Perkins anyway.

The story is routine itself but there are some good ideas ,such as the poison .More somber than "furia à Bahia" but,unlike the precedent 0SS, humorless.

Like this?Try these (James Bond " A La Française")

"OSS 117 se déchaine" Hunebelle 1963

"Banco à Bangkok pour 0SS 117" Hunebelle 1965

"Furia à Bahia pour 0SS 117 " Hunebelle 1965

"Atout coeur à Tokyo pour OSS 117" Boisrond 1966