Hopscotch (1980)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Bryan Forbes (screenplay)
Brian Garfield (novel)

Release Date:

10 October 1980 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The most dangerous man in the world. He's about to expose the CIA, the FBI, the KGB...and himself.

Plot:

A CIA agent tired of his incompetent colleagues retires and dares them to stop him from publishing an embarrassing book of memoirs.

Plot Keywords:

CIA | Memoir | False Identity | Cold War | False Passport

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Miles Kendig / James Butler / Mr. Hannaway / Leonard Ross
Glenda Jackson	...	Isobel von Schonenberg
Sam Waterston	...	Joe Cutter
Ned Beatty	...	Myerson
Herbert Lom	...	Yaskov
David Matthau	...	Ross
George Baker	...	Westlake
Ivor Roberts	...	Ludlum
Lucy Saroyan	...	Carla
Severn Darden	...	Maddox
George Pravda	...	Saint Breheret
Jacquelyn Hyde	...	Realtor
Mike Gwilym	...	Alfie
Terry Beaver	...	Tobin
Ray Charleson	...	Clausen

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | German

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

AVCO Embassy Pictures

Trivia:

Sam Waterston arrived late to begin filming because his role in Heaven's Gate (1980) ran much longer than anticipated. By the time he began his work as Cutter he was exhausted. As a result people mention how awful he looks two times, and he blames jet lag.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Kendig is chased by FBI cars in Georgia, and spills the oil on the road, we see it as he left it, then again a moment later as the FBI cars career off the road. The splash-pattern of the oil on the road is different in the two cases.

Quotes:

Carla: You seem like a nice man. You remind me of my father.
Kendig: That's always been my problem.

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Il barbiere di Siviglia

Hopscotch 1980 Film

A rare movie jewel, quirky, funny, intelligent, interesting, with a well paced, and well-developed in-depth story line. Realistic characters believably conveyed by the actors and full of great dialogue. There is no excess un-necessary fluff or overkill in this movie! All players carry their weight and are completely believable in their characterizations, operating, as one would expect normal people to communicate with each other, with intelligence and humor. All of this serves to amplify (Ned Beatty's) Myerson character making him look all the more obnoxious – a lifelike caricature when compared to the other key players. This film is a creative alternative to the stale ridiculous explosions, un-necessary violence and 'shoot em ups' seen in many movies. Every aspect of the movie compliments the story line; it is shot on location in the natural settings of Europe and the U.S., which makes it visually attractive. There are no studio backdrops, with dark unrealistic settings. It is unendingly interesting and can be seen many times a year, without becoming old and tired. The only problem it has is the poor picture quality as film sometimes appears out of focus.

Jackson and Matthau are brilliant foils for each other, because despite their obvious age difference they are well matched by intelligence and wit, therefore coming off as a believable pairing as players of equal stature, eclipsing the obvious age issue altogether. This is a delightful movie has an apparent absence of Hollywood movie politics. This is one of the very best films I have ever seen for the all of above reasons.