A Dandy in Aspic (1968) User Reviews

A bleak spy thriller

[MrOllie · 6/10 · 9 September 2011]

It was somewhat of a feature of the late 1960s to make bleak and world weary spy movies. This film is in this mould. I saw the film upon it's release and quite enjoyed it, albeit it is slow and a little dull. Still, I think that it is an interesting piece of film making and enjoyed the performances of Laurence Harvey and Tom Courtenay who play British agents who do not like each other. (Harvey is in fact a double agent). There are some good locations shots of 1960's London (mainly bleak) and Berlin (not so bleak). Harvey trudges around both capitals after been given an assignment to kill a Russian Spy - who is in fact himself. Mia Farrow is a trendy young thing (tho' a bit on the thin side)and adds love interest. However, as she keeps turning up wherever Harvey goes, is she as innocent as she appears? A young Peter Cook also stars as a rather irritating junior British agent. John Bird and Lionel Stander add a little humour into an otherwise humourless film. Definitely worth a look.

Easy to criticize but hard not to like IMHO

[daviderichardson · 7/10 · 6 November 2010]

I won't go into much detail as I don't disagree with many of the negative comments cast here, but overall this is an eminently watchable film- I've seen it perhaps 6 times. I like the quirky off balance, alternating dark and light nature (but then again I loved Fay Grim and other flawed gems).

And although likewise flawed there are some great individual performances great shots of London/Berlin ( I was in East Berlin in 1980 and it didn't look or feel much different) that make it the perfect rainy Wednesday afternoon companion.

Note, as uneven as it is, overall I think films like this are a more enjoyable experience than current releases like the Girl Who Played with Fire or the Social Network that are more consistent; but consistently mediocre. But as always, YMMV.

STRANGE SURREAL SPY ENTRY IN THE 60'S WAVE

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 3 September 2021]

There were All Kinds of Secret Agent Movies in the 1960's Spinning Off the Success of the James Bond Series.

Spoofs, Satires and Super-Serious Stuff.

But this is one Odd Duck Among the Proliferation. It Starts with a Marionette Title Sequence that is a Color Saturation Stunner.

There is a Psychedelia to it that will Continue through the Running Time.

The Movie Employs Editing and Camera Tricks that were somewhat "New" at the Time and Adds to the Overall Surreal, Detached from Reality Tone.

It's Complicated and the Dry Delivery is Contrasted by some Visual Vibes that are Bizarre and make the Viewing Disjointed and Decidedly Different.

Legendary Director Anthony Mann Died Suddenly During Filming.

He and Star Laurence Harvey were in Close Consultation Regularly.

So Harvey Finished the Movie in the Director's Chair and Probably Continued with Mann's Vision. Accounts Differ.

It is one of the Most Awkward Takes on the Cold War Zeitgeist with an Ambiance of Confusion and Disarray.

Mia Farrow's Love-Interest Character is Inserted with Incomprehensible Regularity. Just One More of the Off-Beat Ingredients that make this an Experience Like No Other of its Ilk.

Be Advised it's a "Long Strange Trip".

Worth a Watch for the Quirk of it All.

This movie gets a bad rap!

[mfcarr · 24 August 2000]

While the story is admittedly somewhat confusing, this is definitely not the disaster that Maltin et al. would have you believe it is. It's got some plot issues, and is in fact a bit baffling by the end, but these weaknesses are far outweighed by the sleek mid-60's visuals, the cool location shots of Berlin, and the whole spy-in-an-atmosphere-of-paranoia-and-dread vibe (ie., like the Prisoner). Definitely worth a rent if you're into spy movies and/or paranoia.

p.s. the ever so mod and swinging soundtrack music is by Quincy Jones!

The hapless Dandy...

[mbruce007 · 6/10 · 1 December 2020]

The 1960s, for want of a better word, "vomited" knock-off spy thrillers in the wake of the success of the James Bond films with Sean Connery. Such titles included: Daniel Mann's Our Man Flint (1965); Ralph Thomas's Deadlier Than The Male (1967); and David Miller's Hammerhead (1968), to name but a few. However, this little number, A Dandy In Aspic (1968), based on the novel by Derek Marlowe, has passed through time relatively unnoticed, despite its direction by Anthony Mann, a filmmaker renowned for his work on Westerns and Film Noir thrillers. Moreover, this film boasts quite considerable acting talent of the day. The haunting Laurence Harvey plays the protagonist secret agent, Eberlin, who is given a mission to assassinate a KGB agent, and who is repeatedly haunted by past and present moral crises, very much in the tradition of the characters of John Le Carré and Ian Fleming. The love interest of the film is Caroline (in my opinion, the fairly talentless) Mia Farrow, playing the stereotypical role of a "swinging sixties" photographer, who, rather irritatingly, gets herself caught up in the spy game.

British acting stalwart, Tom Courtenay, plays the very understated character of Gatiss, a rival British spy who distrusts Eberlin. Look out for appearances by Richard O' Sullivan, of '70s televisual fame in the comedy series, Man About The House. The audience is also treated to a few guest appearances by British satirist, Peter Cook, for once unaccompanied by his partner-in-crime, Dudley Moore. Cook plays a comical womanising spy, Prentiss, who delivers such sexist lines they would make a millennial audience wince. Discussing with Eberlin the fact that his latest sexual conquest is "Eine kleine raver", in her company, is one of them. Still, the film is, naturally, indicative of its time.

The action sequences in the film are gritty and the film has a suitably brooding atmosphere which is, ironically, sometimes offset by the rather vibrant costumes the characters wear, supplied by veteran stylist, Pierre Cardin. Furthermore, the cinematography by Christopher Challis is tactful and it is accompanied by the appropriately minimalist score by veteran Jazz musician, Quincy Jones, whose scoring work for Sidney Lumet's adaptation of the Le Carré spy thriller, The Deadly Affair (1968), I equally enjoyed. After the film's recent premiere on Blu-Ray by Powerhouse Films, I thought it was timely to unearth this nearly fifty-year-old curio. If anything, watch it for Harvey's performance alone. That is, if you can simultaneously support Farrow's frequently sickly and mopey character.

A Killer Tom Courtenay Steals the Show

[TheFearmakers · 7/10 · 12 October 2020]

"I do believe that you two would have got on well together," Tom Courtenay as a stuffy and cautious, cold-blooded British agent named Gaitiss tells Mia Farrow's flaky model Caroline after she beds Laurence Harvey, a far more sympathetic agent that we think is named Alexander Eberlin. "You haven't got a past, and he hasn't got a future."

Sadly, either did veteran director Anthony Mann, who started out doing Film Noir with creative camera angles before turning to more safe studio Westerns, making A DANDY IN ASPIC a kind of halfway visual comeback as he... before dying on set... is behind everything in the first forty-minutes in England -- following the assassination of a top spy -- before moving to Germany where Harvey sustained direction using that era's zoom shots and surreal perspectives...

But the main motivation involves Harvey's Eberlin with the real name of Krasnevin: not only a Russian spy but THE Russian that everyone - during the last half of an uneven yet unique espionage thriller - wants to seek out and destroy...

Especially scene-stealing Courtenay, playing it so creepy, vicious and unlikable that his strict Prisoner-of-War rat in KING RAT is OTLEY (a charming rogue) by comparison...

Meanwhile, the best scenes don't involve Harvey at all... especially his torturous romance with an annoying Farrow, whose dated hippie threads (and dialogue) clash against the more timeless grey/gritty Cold War aesthetic: It's the two suspenseful meetings between Courtenay (while sticking to Harvey like glue) and Russian Lionel Stander that really stand out:...

Reminding both the audience and the secretly hunted anti-hero of an impending fate which, in this case, might have deserving company.

Complex Spy Drama!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 16 August 2019]

"A Dandy in Aspic" is another of those 60s cold war spy vs. spy stories. It's notable as being Director Anthony Mann's final film as he died during the filming.

Three British agents have been murdered by an Russian assassin known as Krasnevin. Alexander Eberlin (Lawrence Harvey) who in reality IS Krasnevin longs to return to Moscow. Things get complicated when boss spy Fraser (Harry Andrews) assigns Eberlin the task of taking out Krasnevin. Fraser assigns Gattis (Tom Courtenay) to assist Eberlin in his task. In the meantime Eberlin has met the young Caroline (Mia Farrow) with whom he takes an interest.

Fraser has identified Eberlin's Russian contact Pavel as Krasnevin. Eberlin goes to Pavel's apartment with the intent to kill him but cannot. As he leaves the drug addicted Pavel behind, Pavel is taken by unknown assailants. He is later found dead and is proven not to be Krasnevin. Later in Germany, Eberlin attempts to cross over to East Berlin but is refused entry. The Russians believe that he is more valuable in England. Caroline pops up with her assistant Nevil (Richard O'Sullivan) in Germany. Eberlin and Caroline begin an affair when she throws herself into his arms. Eberlin is suspicious.

Gattis is impatient for Eberlin to complete his task. Prentiss (Peter Cook) is also working the case. Eberlin is forced to shoot a mousey Russian operative Henderson (John Bird) to avoid detection. Gatiss goes to meet Russian spy chief Sebakevitch (Lionel Stander) to negotiate a price for giving over Krasnevin.

Sebakevitch identifies British Agent Copperfield (Norman Bird) as Krasneviin however Gattis and Eberlin find Copperfield murdered in a photo booth. Gattis exacts his revenge by shooting the Russian at a car race during a crash of the racers. Prentiss advises Eberlin that the British were responsible for killing Pavel and that they knew that Eberlin was Krasnevin all along.

As he is about to board a flight back to England, Eberlin sees Gattis in the distance and...................................................................................

Harvey plays the lead character as a snobbish arrogant character with little emotion. Why Mia Farrow's character was popping up all over without any reason is mystifying.

Confusing and complicated beyond necessity.

A Double Agent Whose Time is Running Out

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 15 August 2021]

This film essentially begins with a British agent by the name of "Alexander Eberlin" (Laurence Harvey) being tasked to travel to Berlin and kill a KGB agent by the name of "Krasnevin" who has recently been responsible for the assassination of several British spies. In charge of the overall operation is a man known simply as "Gatiss" (Tom Courtenay) who has been informed that he is the next target of this KGB assassin. As a result, he becomes personally committed to finding out the identity of Krasnevin and decides to micromanage the entire aspect of the mission. What he doesn't know is that Alexander just happens to be a double agent-and his real identity is none other than-Krasnevin. The problem for Alexander is that, not only is he being watched by Gatiss at all times, but several of his Russian handlers have recently been killed and he has nobody there in Berlin that he can trust. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although this film doesn't have a lot of action, it makes up for it with a good amount of mystery and intrigue. Ironically, it's the considerable amount of intrigue which also makes the film difficult to follow at times. Be that as it may, I liked the performances of both Laurence Harvey and Tom Courtenay along with that of Mia Farrow (as Alexander's love interest "Caroline") to a lesser extent as well. Overall then, while this may not have been a great spy film by any means, it managed to keep my interest for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

stiff espionage thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 25 December 2022]

In London, Alexander Eberlin (Laurence Harvey) is a double agent for both the British and the Soviet intelligence. The British orders him to hunt down Russian spy Krasnevin. He is partnered with British agent Gatiss (Tom Courtenay). He's having a fling with civilian photographer Caroline (Mia Farrow).

This needs to be a paranoid espionage thriller. It's not thrilling. Laurence Harvey is playing the character too coldly. He needs to be scared or something or else the audience won't care. Nobody is rooting for him. I barely know what Caroline sees in him. The story is too stiff and so is the lead.

a dandy in aspic

[mossgrymk · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

When you consider that its original director, Anthony Mann, died about a third of the way into production and that it was completed by its leading man, someone with very little experience behind the camera, it is a wonder that this film is not a complete mess. It is, however, considerably disheveled. Gone are the crispness, pacing, and tension of Mann's classic westerns and noirs, like "The Naked Spur" and "T-Men". In their place we have this overly complicated, slogging affair where the characters and their relationships are like flowers being strangled in the crabgrass of a typically over plotted, 1960s espionage story. Had Mann survived you have to think he would have brought in another writer to clean up scenarist Derek Marlowe's muddle, adapted from his novel. And then there is Laurence Harvey's stiff, lifeless performance in the lead. You want to cut the guy some slack since he had to take over from Mann and had the character not to usurp or share credit with his great predecessor. Not all actors would have resisted that temptation. But oh ye gods is Harvey bad! Trying to get more than a wry upturned corner of the mouth or occasional furious snarl out of the guy is like praying for rain in Phoenix in May. I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's always shocking to see bad British acting.

There are some good moments. The cast has too many good people like Tom Courtenay (criminally under utilized), Peter Cook, Harry Andrews, Lionel Stander and Per Oscarson (turning in by far the best acting job as a junkie Russian spy) for there not to be. Even Mia Farrow manages a decent Brit accent (certainly better than Harvey's various American turns). But all in all this is a most dispiriting end to one of Hollywood's great directorial careers. C plus.

A lot of plot does not equal excitement...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 5/10 · 28 October 2001]

It's difficult to watch the cold war thriller A DANDY IN ASPIC and not scratch your head wondering what is going on. Laurence Harvey is a double agent chosen by British intelligence to track down a double agent who is working for the Russians. The double agent turns out to be himself...and we know that early on so you spend the rest of the movie wondering who's who and what side are they on. Nevertheless, the game of cat-and-mouse played between Harvey and nasty British spy Tom Courtney (a great actor) is fun. A DANDY IN ASPIC is not a bad movie, it just that the plot is thicker than Laurence Harvey's out of control pompadour. Mia Farrow is a swinging London photographer who gets involved with Harvey and Lionel Stander plays a witty Russian mole.

may be pretentious but not boring

[RanchoTuVu · 8/10 · 2 March 2006]

Dour spy film full of ambiance and interesting scenes, filmed on location in London and Berlin, in color, with an interesting story about a Russian spy who has been infiltrated into the British spying agency for eighteen years and wants to go back home. The twist is that he's done such a good job for the Russians, that the British want him killed. The added twist is that we're led to believe that they (the British) don't know about him (his true identity), and send him to Berlin to kill the Russian mole (himself). Who better to play the part than the intense Laurence Harvey? Combine him with Per Oscarsson as his Russian contact, the two of them both homesick and tired of the existential life of a spy, and both doomed, and you get a pretty brooding picture. Harvey's romance with Mia Farrow doesn't add much, but attempts to put him in some kind of human warmth out of the cold and danger of the spy world. If the film is pretentious, it's because of the Cold War world of espionage that it seeks to portray, Sartre existentialism with touches of Kafka, as well as swinging 60's jet set James Bond scenes, such as a great scene at the German Grand Prix, featuring Tom Courtenay with a rifle disguised as a cane, and the sophisticated and elegant opening theme written by Quincy Jones.

spy thriller script needed tightening up

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 18 September 2018]

Mia Farrow made this one about the same time as Rosemary's Baby...this one is MUCH more low key... a spy thrilla. Lithuanian born Laurence Harvey had been in films since the 1940s, and was nominated for an oscar in 1960. died young of cancer at age 45. Harvey is "Eberlin", who is hired to find and kill Krasnevin, another spy. Moves pretty slowly, and the music is more erie than it needs to be. the special effects are pretty lame, lots of un-necessary echoing for effect. and it would have been more exciting if they hadn't given away so much of the plot so early on. Gets a bit more exciting when he tries to travel into east berlin, which was still quite restricted in 1967. It's ok. tries to be more exciting and mysterious than it is. Eberlin bumps into various characters along the way, and he must figure out who's on his side, and who is not. apparently the first director croaked during filming, so this probably accounts for some of the choppiness. Keep an eye out for "Max" from Hart to Hart (Lionel Stander). No big dealio. Writer Derek Marlowe had done mostly television... had a couple stories made into films.

Dull, Pointless, Super-Slow Spy Yarn

[JohnHowardReid · 4/10 · 10 July 2009]

I found the dull, pointless A Dandy in Aspic a most disappointing movie when I saw it back in 1968. Alas, it proves equally time-wasting in its excellent Sony DVD version. Despite the credits, the film was not directed by Anthony Mann but by the far less talented Laurence Harvey (who gives a slack performance to boot). Mann died of heart attack in Berlin on 29 April 1967 after directing only a few location shots. Harvey gallantly picked up the reins, finished the German scenes and then did all the British location and studio shots, accounting for at least 99% of the film, which premiered in April, 1968, almost a year after Mann's death. True, Harvey was saddled with an impossible script. I assume the way that the totally extraneous Mia Farrow character keeps popping up in all sorts of really way-out places was supposed to be funny, and the totally far-fetched plot was perhaps intended as cynical satire; but Harvey plays all these ridiculous scenes (both as actor and director) dead serious with a banal over-use of close-ups and super-slow dialogue. Of the main stars, only Tom Courtenay manages to convey a hint of true characterization, although it's left solely to Lionel Stander, in a small, fleeting role, to convey just the right atmosphere of jocose, ruthless menace.

Harvey is great as tortured spy

[dphelan-1 · 10 September 2005]

I loved Laurence Harvey in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. This is also a good performance. The spy stuff and his relationship with the character played by Tom Courtenay are interesting. Also interesting is the young Peter Cook in a "straight" role ( well sort of). Harvey brought such an air of sadness and despair to this kind of role ( much like his doomed brainwashed pawn in MC). I recall a scene where he is asked about his mother's death ( I believe) and he cannot remember how he felt. The life and emotion were drained out of him to create the perfect double agent. This kind of film was popular in the 60's as an antidote to James Bond and his clones. Others include THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD and THE DEADLY AFFAIR. The great Anthony Mann started this film and was replaced by Harvey when Mann died.

Past Its 'View-By' Date

[robert-temple-1 · 5/10 · 9 September 2008]

This is the last film directed by Anthony Mann, whose 'Raw Deal' (1948) was the perfect noir film, and who was a man of immense talent. But he died while shooting this, and Larry Harvey finished the job. This resulted in an imbalance and a lack of conception and tone. What is mostly wrong with the way this turned out is that the film is 'so VERY late sixties' in its depiction of the bowler-hatted old school tie mandarins and spy chiefs as arch, coy, and menacing in a prep sort of way. Mia Farrow is also completely hopeless as 'the girl'. She is supposed to be an irresistible little elf of a thing, but she merely looks like she is dying of anorexia (her arms are as big as knitting needles, though less strong) and about as much elfin charm as a cockroach. Farrow may be a fine actress now, but she was terrible when young. Her failure, of course, took all the zing out of the picture. Larry Harvey is absolutely fascinating as a double-agent going to pieces in private, with a constipated desperation. Larry actually had that enigmatic, super-cool manner a lot of the time. He had cultivated it so well that it became ingrained and a part of him, and it had ceased to be affectation long before I knew him towards the end of his life. I had several long chats with him alone, when he dropped his guard very much indeed, and underneath any patina of persona he had made for himself, he was at heart a very genuine person. And he WAS as fascinating as he seems in his movies. He didn't know why either, but then true stars never do. This film is worth seeing for him, and for a hysterically funny cameo by John Bird. Clearly, Larry thought it was so funny he refused to restrain him, on a 'what the hell' basis, and a good thing too, as it made a rather pedestrian film come alive a bit. Lionel Stander, however, hammed up his part of a Russian so much he deserved an apple in his mouth. Per Oscarsson was wan and Ingmar Bergman-like, just as you would expect. Peter Cook floats around cheerily not knowing what to do and never did find out. Oh yes, this whole thing is about spies and betrayal and double-agents and all that sort of thing. Hardly matters. Tom Courtenay, that pipsqueak, cast here as a 'heavy', does not work. One does not believe in the rifle he is always carrying as a shooting stick, not his ability to use it. One strange aspect of this tale is that the double-agent is disillusioned and wants to return to Russia, but they won't let him and keep turning him back at the German border: a variation on Thomas Wolfe's 'You Can't Go Home Again'? Just joking. This film is past is 'view by' date.

Unlikable characters

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 17 September 2017]

Laurence Harvey is assigned to kill a KGB agent who's killed several British agents. But, when he's informed of the man's codename, he panics—because it's actually his codename. He's a double agent! He spends the rest of the movie trying to protect his identity and escape back to Russia without any of his British co-workers suspecting his disloyalty. Along the way, he meets free-spirit Mia Farrow and has a passionless affair with her.

I like Laurence Harvey, and I love Mia Farrow, but I was bored to tears with this movie. I could lay blame on the script, pace, or acting, but it's probably a combination of all three. I didn't understand the characters, the pace was uneven, and the acting felt tired. Laurence Harvey never acted like he was truly afraid to be discovered, and if his only motivation was to make it out of the country alive, why even bother with Mia Farrow? It made him even more unlikable to me, since he obviously had no feelings for her. If you have any interest in seeing this movie, pop in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold or any James Bond flick instead.

Fab

[bjacob · 8/10 · 19 July 2017]

I am not sure why this film gets a bad rap -- I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful locations of an impossibly glamorous late-60s London, Lawrence Harvey suitably mysterious, a seeping sense of doom which won't give you nightmares but will make you appreciate the story arc even more.

Yes there are plot holes but nothing major. The character of Mia Farrow remains a cipher, but maybe it's intentional.

Watch out for two then future telly stars in minor roles: Richard O'Sullivan (of Man about the house) and Mike Pratt (of Randall and Hopkirk).

Recommended.

The decorative details sparkle like mad...too bad the plot is a dated dud

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 30 September 2009]

Laurence Harvey plays a Russian-born spy based in London who is now working for both countries as a double-agent; he's assigned by the British to kill his alter-ego, and hopes to find a target to assume his alias. Opening with a wonderful credits sequence, "A Dandy in Aspic" looks initially to be an enjoyably old-fashioned Cold War excursion with such familiar elements as CIA operatives and the KGB. Unfortunately, though screenwriter Derek Marlowe adapted his own novel, the key ingredients of such a spy-drama appear to have gone missing; the film is all talky exposition and little pay-off. Mia Farrow continually pops up unannounced as Harvey's love-interest, probably in the faint hope we'll assume she's sneakily involved somehow. There are so many camera set-ups, verboten conversations, and obtuse face-offs that the overall effect is both exhausting and stultifying. Harvey took over the direction of the film after original director-producer Anthony Mann passed away unexpectedly. This must account for the funereal pacing and the cloudy character interaction, though the plot itself wasn't exactly timely--not even for 1968. Farrow (just prior to "Rosemary's Baby") adds quite a bit of gamine magic to the proceedings as an amateur photographer who appears to be following Harvey wherever he goes; it isn't much of a role, but Mia's beauty and youthful charm go a long way towards making the picture tolerable. Other assets: Quincy Jones' low-keyed score and the fine cinematography by Christopher Challis and Austin Dempster. ** from ****

Eberlin in Berlin

[dbdumonteil · 14 April 2010]

This is the last movie by a man who gave some of the best westerns ever made.After "Cimarron" (1960) ,he went to make epics ,the first of which ("El Cid" ) stands as his most sustained work in the sixties.

"A dandy in aspic" ,which was finished by his star,looks like a cross between "the Manchourian candidate " (which Laurence Harvey's presence reinforces) and "the spy who came in from the cold" ,with a dash of Jorge Luis Borges thrown in for good measure It's not as bad as its reputation.First the dance of the puppet ,during the cast and credits ,is worthy of Saul Bass (the puppet comes back at the end).Then the movie,entirely filmed on location,takes us to the wharfs of London and to Berlin at the time of the Wall.Like many works of the era ,it deals with cold war and is not worse than most of them.Nothing from James Bond,except maybe the scene with Harvey's secretary ,but it's not Moneypenny.A threatening world where men are only pawns in a game,or puppets in the hands of a string man we never see .The best moment is probably the automatic photo booth ,a scene which has been imitated since.

SPOILER Unfortunately ,the part of Caroline (Mia Farrow) gets in the way.As soon as he's in Berlin,Eberlin meets her and we may think that the character bears some relation with the plot.But her presence is purely decorative and as Tom Courtenay says :"You've got no past and he's got no future" .

Not so dandy, comrade.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 2 June 2022]

After seeing this cold war spy drama, I am convinced that nobody else but Lionel Stander should have been cast as Boris Badinoff, the cartoon Russian spy from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. He doesn't come on until the last part of the movie, but when he does, it's like gangbusters, and he gives the most memorable performance in the film. "An old Russian proverb that I just made up this morning" will go down in my list of most memorable movie quotes.

Also going down in my list of most memorable scenes, and not for the right reason, is the first scene featuring Mia Farrow where she describes herself as voluptuous. She's hardly in the film, a recurring appearance as a photographer who shows up all over the place where Laurence Harvey is on assignment. 1968 wasn't overexposed year for Ms. Farrow, with her Sinatra marriage on the front page, three motion pictures, as well as "Peyton Place" on TV.

As for the film itself, it's another one of those 60s Cold War spy dramas that takes you all over your to places we can only dream of visiting, and of course, that makes it a vehicle. But the storyline is unappealing, majorly convoluted, and eventually, a big case of so what? Let's get to the conclusion. Harvey and Tom Courtenay are British agents, one of them possibly a double agent.

Harvey's stuck on the other side of the Berlin wall at one point where of course he runs into Farrow. Even in reading other reviews and various sources for the synopsis, I still didn't get it, and after spending nearly 2 hours watching it, I didn't feel inclined to care to watch it again either. Perhaps the change of director from Anthony Mann (who passed away shortly after filming began) to Harvey is an indication of what this feels choppy. The production design is great, but then again, there were a lot of films in the 60's with great production design and confusing stories.

A Dandy of Spy-Schtick

[mdewey · 8/10 · 30 May 2016]

Very entertaining late 60's Cold War romp through Britain and Germany. Excellent realism (Russian agent heroin user who longs for home simultaneously with the next hit!) and Laurence Harvey's cold, matter-of-fact demeanor as the disgruntled agent who is pretty much fed up with the whole political spy scene. He turned out to be a super choice for this role!

Also, Mia Farrow is excellent as the ditsy, naive "bird" who takes a fancy to LH's counterpoint character. But the real kudos go to Peter Cook, the mod devil-may-care chap who supplies to LH all the pertinent spy goings-on with a mordant, off-color humorous style. (Note his playboy flirtations juxtaposed with his serious delineations of Home Office tidbits to LH at the penthouse tower bar in Germany.) Lionel Stander gets in a good dry line or two as a Russian agent who confronts LH in Germany. Quincy Jones gets my musical kudos for the tasteful soundtrack! Finally, the ending is also tastefully done, all too apropos for LH's downward spiraling lifestyle.

Doomed cold war flick turns frigid

[vjetorix · 18 November 2002]

Oh the trials and tribulations of being a spy. Alexander Eberlin (Lawrence Harvey) is in a bad way. You see, he's a Russian spy within the British Secret Service, and has been one for eighteen long years. He wants out, to go back to Russia but is forbidden to do so by his superiors. Things have just gotten worse for Eberlin too. He's been busy killing British agents on the sly and now suddenly he's been assigned to eliminate the person responsible - himself! As if that wasn't enough, the Brits think the assassin is a Russian agent, Pavel (Per Osscarson), who happens to be Eberlin's contact in London and an old friend. When Pavel turns up dead and is declared not to be the assassin after all, things get really complicated for Eberlin.

This is credited as an Anthony Mann production but Mann died before filming was completed and star Lawrence Harvey took over. Given the interesting premise it's a shame the film is so disappointing. It drifts aimlessly never creating the tension you'd expect and in the end poor Eberlin is killed after being made a monkey of by the Brits and Russians alike. Yes it was cynical but so coldly so that the film leaves virtually no impression and that's the real crime.

There is a marionette credit sequence which is nicely done and symbolic as all get out but subtle it ain't and Quincy Jones' vague and formless score fits this meandering film but gives no weight to the proceedings. There are some nice wide screen compositions and deep focus photography to amuse your eyes but all in all this was a doomed production from the beginning and never found its footing.

Anthony Mann's swan song

[searchanddestroy-1 · 12 January 2023]

It is an amazing spy thriller film from the sixties, an era, a period where such topics were galore, besides the James Bond like features, more eccentric one than the other, and from all countries; not only American but also British, German, Italian.... The short series starring Michael Caine in Harry Palmer's role is among the best, or those inspired by John Le Carré. This Anthony Mann's film is absolutely complex, as many other movies of this kind, but riveting, tense, gloomy, and a Lawrence Harvey at his peak; he who finished the film after Anthony Mann's death. What a film, and so different from other Mann's masterpieces: westerns - among the best of Hollywood, besides John Ford's and Delmer Daves' ones - as well as his peplums made just before EL CID, FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, awesome films too. DANDY IN ASPIC is one of the best spy films of the decade, far from 007 also exciting stories.