Modesty Blaise (1966)

Modesty Blaise, a secret agent whose hair color, hair style, and mod clothing change at a snap of her fingers is being used by the British government as a decoy in an effort to thwart a ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph Losey

Writers:

Evan Jones (screenplay), Peter O'Donnell (comic strip),

Stars:

Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp, Dirk Bogarde

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monica Vitti	...	Modesty Blaise
Terence Stamp	...	Willie Garvin
Dirk Bogarde	...	Gabriel
Harry Andrews	...	Sir Gerald Tarrant
Michael Craig	...	Paul Hagan
Clive Revill	...	McWhirter / Sheik Abu Tahir
Alexander Knox	...	Minister
Rossella Falk	...	Mrs. Fothergill (as Rosella Falk)
Scilla Gabel	...	Melina
Michael Chow	...	Weng
Joe Melia	...	Crevier
Saro Urzì	...	Basilio
Tina Aumont	...	Nicole (as Tina Marquand)
Oliver MacGreevy	...	Tattooed Man
Jon Bluming	...	Hans

Storyline

Modesty Blaise, a secret agent whose hair color, hair style, and mod clothing change at a snap of her fingers is being used by the British government as a decoy in an effort to thwart a diamond heist. She is being set up by the feds but is wise to the plot and calls in sidekick Willie Garvin and a few other friends to outsmart them. Meanwhile, at his island hideaway, Gabriel, the diamond thief has his own plans for Blaise and Garvin.

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Plot Keywords:

diamond | sheik | island | spy | based on comic strip | 

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Taglines:

Nothing can faze Modesty Blaise, the world's deadliest and most dazzlingly female agent!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

4 July 1966 (Norway)

Also Known As:

Modesty Blaise - Die tödliche Lady

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Modesty Blaise Ltd., Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many scenes set in London did not make it to the final print. Among those performers featured in these deleted scenes was Maureen Pryor.

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Goofs

Modesty's large leg tattoo is missing in the pre-credits sequence.

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Quotes

McWhirter: [about Mrs. Fothergill] When the moon is full, I fear for my life.

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Connections

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Modesty"
Written by John Dankworth and Benny Green
Sung by Roger Cook (as David and Jonathan) and Roger Greenaway (as David and Jonathan)

User Reviews

View it on it's own, not as a spoof or adaptation, and you might enjoy!

I've never read the Modesty Blaise comics. What inspired me to rent this DVD was a love of 60's kitsch fashions, and an immense respect for Monica Vitti. And while I was baffled by the events in the film -- it didn't seem to make a DAMN bit of sense the first time around -- I still found myself loving it. And on repeated viewings I love it even more.

What's to love? Primarily, the quirkiness of EVERYTHING in the film: the direction is off-kilter (so many things happen in parts of the screen that you're not looking at, and the pacing is bizarre to say the least: a constant string of anticlimaxes that I found refreshing), the acting is deadpan and weird (Bogarde's shifty, psychopathic, and slightly flaky villain...Stamp's disgruntled but cheerful anti-hero...Rosella Falk's twitchy, wide-eyed, barely-restrained violence -- she is a stand-out highlight in the movie...and Monica Vitti, expressing herself mostly through strangely-timed gestures and facial expressions...just check out her "How do you get this off?" routine), the sets are gorgeously dressed (Gabriel's atmospheric island, and the fantastic cell with the spiral staircase), and the plotting is all over the place. Who's double-crossing who? Why are they doing that? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? On first impression, I felt the film was just "winging it," making it up as it went along. But far from it...it's elaborately plotted, just strangely presented.

Really, I love this film, and I'm so glad it's seen re-release. It's sloppy, crazy, irreverent, and fun. If you view it as a weird little film -- not as a spoof, or an adaptation of the comic, or a reflection of the times, or as an attempt to be hip or strange -- I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

And yes, the clothes ARE fantastic.