Where the Spies Are (1965)

Director:

Val Guest

Writers:

James Leasor (novel)
Wolf Mankowitz (writer) ...

Release Date:

May 1965 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure

Tagline:

From Russia, Beirut, London, Rome and Byblos with LOVE!

Plot Keywords:

Pistol | Gadget | Spy | Doctor | Airplane

Cast

David Niven	...	Dr. Jason Love
Françoise Dorléac	...	Vikki
John Le Mesurier	...	MacGillivray
Cyril Cusack	...	Rosser
Eric Pohlmann	...	Farouk
Richard Marner	...	Josef
Paul Stassino	...	Simmias
George Pravda	...	1st Agent
Noel Harrison	...	Jackson
Ronald Radd	...	Stanilaus
Alan Gifford	...	Security
Bill Nagy	...	Aeradio
George Mikell	...	Assassin
Nigel Davenport	...	Parkington
Gábor Baraker	...	2nd Agent

Runtime:

Germany:110 min | USA:110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1966) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Beirut, Lebanon

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

According to John Heseltine (who restored the car for the film) David Niven couldn't master the idiosyncratic gearbox of the Cord 810 and subsequently it was driven in bottom gear, resulting in it overheating. The scene in the film showing the steaming Cord was hastily rewritten to work around the problem. The car had to be restored from nothing but a rusty collection of parts in just six months to get it ready for filming.

A light satire on the cold war spy story

An amusing, tongue-in-cheek, British satire on the spy genre with David Niven at his debonair best. The comedy is dry and subtle, taking aim at the British and Russian spy-film caricatures. Niven plays the bumbling amateur who makes good but was recruited because all the other spies have been unfortunately lost - that's MI5. John Le Mesurier plays the part of the harassed, penny-pinching, civil servant with aplomb. His use of understatement in suggesting that the purpose of the visit was just to find Rosser and nothing more and his reference to the radio in a biscuit tin, exemplifies the absurdity that underpins the satire. Françoise Dorléac plays the sexy double agent with a light touch. A good support cast with Nigel Davenport excelling as the hard-drinking expatriate Brit. and Ronald Radd suitably menacing as the Russian spy master. In the 1960's the Lebanon was considered an exotic location, essential for this kind of film. As in the Bond films, the travelogue element with a "holiday" romance was an important part of the overall attraction.