Condorman (1981)

Cartoonist Woody becomes the superhero he draws. Using his gadgets he helps a Soviet spy defect to the West.

Director:

Charles Jarrott

Writers:

Marc Stirdivant (screenplay), Robert Sheckley (novel)

Stars:

Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, Barbara Carrera

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Michael Crawford	...	Woody Wilkins
Oliver Reed	...	Krokov
Barbara Carrera	...	Natalia
James Hampton	...	Harry Oslo
Jean-Pierre Kalfon	...	Morovich
Dana Elcar	...	Russ Devlin
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Russian Agent
Robert Arden	...	CIA Chief

Storyline

Comic artist and writer Woody performs a simple courier operation for his friend Harry who works for the CIA. But when he successfully fends off hostile agents, he earns the respect of the beautiful Natalia, who requests his assistance for her defection. Woody uses this request as leverage to use the CIA's resources to bring his comic book creation, Condorman, to life to battle the evil Krokov.

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Plot Keywords:

non comic book superhero | soviet spy | spy | cartoonist | cia | 

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Taglines:

He Spies! He Flies! He Death-Defies!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 August 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kondormannen

Filming Locations:

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oliver Reed was well known as a difficult actor to work with. One night after one too many alcoholic drinks, he actually tossed his tuxedo costume into the sea from a Monte Carlo hotel room. The company manager learning of this the following morning, rowed out into the Mediterranean to retrieve it before it floated away. Rather than add an additional expense to an already tight budget.

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Goofs

After the scene where Woody and Natalia escape from Morovich by turning the Condormobile into a hovercraft, Morovich reports to Krokov that the Condormobile turned into a hydrofoil.

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Quotes

Natalia: [Natalia, Harry and Woody are hiding in a church, admist the attendees for a wedding. Natalia sees Morovich and his henchman storm in and begin searching the crowd] I wish to speak!
Priest: [stops with the wedding ceremony] Yes?
Natalia: [points] This man is already married!
Priest: To whom?
Natalia: To me.
Groom: What?
Natalia: Come home, Piedro, please? For the sake of the children!
Groom: [looks to his bride to be] She's lying! She's nothing but a liar! She's crazy!
Natalia: I wish I was! But Piedro Junior cries for his father!
Groom: You will leave here at once!
[...]

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Crazy Credits

When the Condorman logo appears, a cartoon Condorman poses next to it and gets his wing caught underneath it. This is followed by the Condorman cartoon flying (and crashing) over live-action footage of Paris during the opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Strongbad_email.exe (2004)

User Reviews

Unlikely hero in comical family film

I love this movie. I grew up watching Condorman and I always think of it with fond memories. The special effects may not be the best; however, the movie is over two decades old, and I think the effects are quite adequate. Besides, the movie is not supposed to be realistic, but rather it is a comedy with action elements. It provides a window into what people worried about in the early eighties; Cold War espionage is a major part of the story. Overall, it is charming and is a feel-good movie. It has all the classic elements: good verses evil and boy meets girl. It is a quality family movie and I would recommend this film to all who are young at heart.