Our Man in Havana (1959)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Graham Greene (novel)
Graham Greene (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 February 1960 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Comedy

Plot:

Jim Wormold is an expatriate Englishman living in pre-revolutionary Havana with his teenage daughter Milly...

Plot Keywords:

Vacuum Cleaner | British Secret Service | Cuba | Police | London

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	Jim Wormold
Burl Ives	...	Dr. Hasselbacher
Maureen O'Hara	...	Beatrice Severn
Ernie Kovacs	...	Capt. Segura
Noel Coward	...	Hawthorne (as Noël Coward)
Ralph Richardson	...	'C'
Jo Morrow	...	Milly Wormold
Grégoire Aslan	...	Cifuentes (as Gregoire Aslan)
Paul Rogers	...	Hubert Carter
Raymond Huntley	...	General
Ferdy Mayne	...	Prof. Sanchez
Maurice Denham	...	Admiral
José Prieto	...	Lopez (as Jose Prieto)
Duncan Macrae	...	MacDougal
Gerik Schjelderup	...	Svenson

Runtime:

USA:111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Havana, Cuba

Company:

Kingsmead Productions

Trivia:

Several times during the film, one can see the neon business sign next door to Mr. Wormold's building which boldly reads "BOND". It is an obvious nod to Ian Fleming's popular spy novels of the time.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the sequence where Wormold seeks revenge on Carter, Wormold stands in an alley way, with a window behind him to his left. He shoots at Carter, misses him, and walks quite a distance down the alley while putting on his jacket. Carter then pulls out a gun, shoots twice at Wormold who is walking away. Suddenly, the scene cuts back to Wormold back in his original location standing in the alley way with the same distinctive window behind him to his left. He is now without the jacket he had just been seen putting on while walking away. Wormold then shoots Carter.

Quotes:

Jim Wormold: Do you know what they say about Captain Segura?
Milly Wormold: I know, he beats his prisoners, but he never touches me.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Get Smart: Our Man in Toyland (#1.4)" (1965)

Soundtrack:

¿Domitila, dónde vas?

Classic Guiness!

One of my favorite scenes is when Alec Guiness must get the chief of police (Ernie Kovacs) so drunk that he passes out. He arranges a game of checkers played with miniature bottles of scotch. You know,the kind served on airlines. Each time one is taken, it must be opened and drunk immediately. This leads to hilarious results. Guiness is excellent in the beginning for his famous "fusby" look. Meek, almost sheepish. Only when Kovacs is finally "knees up", can Alec Guiness complete his plan. (Watch the movie to see what this is!). This movie used to be a staple of late night television, before cable and the advent of talk shows, when movies reigned supreme. Of course, it was usually horribly butchered.