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Eurospy films

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  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,819
    Now there's a familiar tune, @stag! Never seen Callan before, though.

    Interesting point about what can be or can't be considered as Eurospy. If one were to discuss (possible Eurospy) tv series, does Department S/Jason King fall into that category as well? Partly naming Jason King in this discussion as I'm having great fun watching it for the first time. Love the way Len Deighton and Ian Fleming has been named only a few episodes in already!
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    I don't think the television series can be considered EuroSpy since, from what I know, it's a genre only given to films, mainly B-Movies. From what I also gather, it falls upon the films that are made in Britain and Europe only during the sixties. Jason King and Department S were seventies products, so that automatically counts them out.

    Things like these are discussed in that EuroSpy book guide.
  • Red_SnowRed_Snow Australia
    Posts: 2,545
    Not a film, but 'The Spy Who Came In From the Cold' is being made into a TV series, by the BBC and AMC who teamed up for 'The Night Manager'.

    Can't say I like TNM as much as I thought I would, so I'm quite interested to see how this turns out.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited January 2017 Posts: 15,423
    Not a EuroSpy at all. Especially when it isn't a film.

    But there is a category called Neo-EuroSpy that's given to the likes of Taken and Criminal, for example. So, had it been a film, I think it would have been a Neo-EuroSpy... if the British are still part of Europe (not EU) of course.
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    edited January 2017 Posts: 1,053
    I thought that Callan the film would be classified as Eurospy? It was released in 1974.

    I urge folks to watch it via the link I posted, you won't be disappointed.

    As for Jason King. I can remember seeing a few episodes during the original transmission. Peter Wyngarde popped up in a recent re run episode of Simon Templar. He played a terrific baddie opposite Sir Rog.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Afraid not, @stag. By the time the film was released, EuroSpy was long gone. It's a genre only given to films. While the television series of the source material was more stage-based than theatrical. But that's another story.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,819
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    I don't think the television series can be considered EuroSpy since, from what I know, it's a genre only given to films, mainly B-Movies. From what I also gather, it falls upon the films that are made in Britain and Europe only during the sixties. Jason King and Department S were seventies products, so that automatically counts them out.

    Things like these are discussed in that EuroSpy book guide.

    Interesting facts, @ClarkDevlin!
    It's funny to read how much the Eurospy genre plays on Bond and Fleming. Not only by using "0" and "7" in any way possible, but also words like "operation"or "assignment". Even "man"!
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Torgeirtrap wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    I don't think the television series can be considered EuroSpy since, from what I know, it's a genre only given to films, mainly B-Movies. From what I also gather, it falls upon the films that are made in Britain and Europe only during the sixties. Jason King and Department S were seventies products, so that automatically counts them out.

    Things like these are discussed in that EuroSpy book guide.

    Interesting facts, @ClarkDevlin!
    It's funny to read how much the Eurospy genre plays on Bond and Fleming. Not only by using "0" and "7" in any way possible, but also words like "operation"or "assignment". Even "man"!
    Oh they definitely did, @torgeirtrap. At first, they even did attempt to use the 007 digit for their films it made Cubby upset and threaten legal action, saying only James Bond can be 007 and rightfully at that! So, they kept the three-digit option and came up with their own numbers and codenames. Almost all of them were ripoffs of Bond, The Avengers (Mr Steed and Co, not the superheroes) and The Man from UNCLE. These three have ruled the pop culture of the early to mid (and almost late) sixties. It's the rise of the Spaghetti Westerns that led to the demise of the EuroSpy films.
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    edited January 2017 Posts: 1,053
    @ClarkDevlin that's a shame. Callan is still a good film though.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Definitely, @stag! Loved Callan thoroughly. That car chase is just spectacular. It's the film that introduced me to the earlier-produced television series.

    And I love Edward Woodward's "This Man Alone" based on the Callan theme.
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,541
    What about Duo Mafiosi Contro Goldginger? With Fernando Rey! The henchman threw his shoe and chech at 27:25 for a tribute to the... novel!



    And I specially like James Tont. There was Operazione UNO and Operazione DUE. Check this video, because it's so bad that it can be really funny (00:27 Brilliant!!). And an underwater car much before TSWLM! ;)

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,343
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Depends on your viewpoint. If the British films are part of the European film productions at the time, then it is. If they aren't, like the Americans, they are legitimately their own. That would also jettison CR'67 from the category and Where The Spies Are, alongside the Drummond films.

    Ah, I see. It's more complicated than I initially thought. I'm not to well read up on the area of Eurospy films, though I do know of their existence of course, as most general spy fans do.

  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited January 2017 Posts: 15,423
    Definitely, @ggl007! :D

    James Tont: Operazione Uno is the first EuroSpy film to take the crown of being the one, I believe. And yes, Goldginger is also a EuroSpy. Most certainly it is.
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Depends on your viewpoint. If the British films are part of the European film productions at the time, then it is. If they aren't, like the Americans, they are legitimately their own. That would also jettison CR'67 from the category and Where The Spies Are, alongside the Drummond films.

    Ah, I see. It's more complicated than I initially thought. I'm not to well read up on the area of Eurospy films, though I do know of their existence of course, as most general spy fans do.
    I've still yet to pick up Richard Rhys Davies' The International Spy Film Guide 1945 - 1989 for a more thorough development of knowledge regarding the category, but I know he has lots of information regarding the development of each film (consisting of over 2000 films) detailed in its build-up.

    The thing about EuroSpy films is that they tend to feature spy plots more so than spy protagonists. One example is The Tiffany Memorandum (obviously its title is a capitalization over the first Quiller film) where the main character is a journalist caught up with the spy world, played by Ken Clark, who's known for starring as the first Agent 077 in a trilogy of films in the guise of Dick Malloy. Said this because there are other Agent 077 characters as well.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,207
    Ok guys, is someone willing to give a list (top 10 if you will) of the best eurospy films for someone who is akin to discover the genre?

    Thanks ;)
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    Posts: 1,053
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Definitely, @stag! Loved Callan thoroughly. That car chase is just spectacular. It's the film that introduced me to the earlier-produced television series.

    And I love Edward Woodward's "This Man Alone" based on the Callan theme.

    @ClarkDevlin, did you spot a couple of OHMSS cast members in the Callan film?

  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @GoldenGun, I really have to brush up on my EuroSpy since a few of the films got confusing for me judging by the idea of having seen them back to back, with the actors playing the same characters. Most notably, the Agent 077 films with Ken Clark and Richard Harrison, but I know how to tell the difference of Special Mission Lady Chaplin (the last in the Dick Malloy 077 trilogy) apart, because I've seen it for like five times.

    But, from what I remember, I'll name my top ten:
    1-Deadlier Than The Male
    2-OSS 117: From Tokyo With Love*
    3-Agent 077: Special Mission Lady Chaplin
    4-The Ipcress File
    5-Agent 505: Death Trap Beirut
    6-OSS 117: Murder For Sale
    7-Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die
    8-Operation Poker
    9-Agent 077: From Orient With Fury
    10-Super Seven Calling Cairo

    Of course, this is subject to change. But, from what I remember this is how my list goes. Will keep you informed.

    * - From Tokyo With Love is written by Terence Young which inspired two future Bond films, of those being You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me. It's a must for every Bond fan.
    stag wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Definitely, @stag! Loved Callan thoroughly. That car chase is just spectacular. It's the film that introduced me to the earlier-produced television series.

    And I love Edward Woodward's "This Man Alone" based on the Callan theme.

    @ClarkDevlin, did you spot a couple of OHMSS cast members in the Callan film?
    Indeed, @stag. :) Catherine Schell being one example. Lovely woman.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,207
    Thanks a lot @ClarkDevlin!

    Never knew The Ipcress File was a eurospy! Really like that one.

    Also is Danger: Diabolik eurospy? It's from well-known horror director Mario Bava who practically invented the giallo, I can't skip that one I suppose.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    You're welcome, @GoldenGun! :D

    And yes, Danger: Diabolik! is a EuroSpy, as is The Fantastic Argoman. Both of these don't feature spy protagonists but rather comic book hero types (superhero or a supervillain) that are caught up with the spy world.

    Now, whether Ipcress is a EuroSpy or not is highly debatable. But, I'd like to count it as one.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,819
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    @GoldenGun, I really have to brush up on my EuroSpy since a few of the films got confusing for me judging by the idea of having seen them back to back, with the actors playing the same characters. Most notably, the Agent 077 films with Ken Clark and Richard Harrison, but I know how to tell the difference of Special Mission Lady Chaplin (the last in the Dick Malloy 077 trilogy) apart, because I've seen it for like five times.

    But, from what I remember, I'll name my top ten:
    1-Deadlier Than The Male
    2-OSS 117: From Tokyo With Love*
    3-Agent 077: Special Mission Lady Chaplin
    4-The Ipcress File
    5-Agent 505: Death Trap Beirut
    6-OSS 117: Murder For Sale
    7-Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die
    8-Operation Poker
    9-Agent 077: From Orient With Fury
    10-Super Seven Calling Cairo

    Of course, this is subject to change. But, from what I remember this is how my list goes. Will keep you informed.

    * - From Tokyo With Love is written by Terence Young which inspired two future Bond films, of those being You Only Live Twice and The Spy Who Loved Me. It's a must for every Bond fan.
    stag wrote: »
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    Definitely, @stag! Loved Callan thoroughly. That car chase is just spectacular. It's the film that introduced me to the earlier-produced television series.

    And I love Edward Woodward's "This Man Alone" based on the Callan theme.

    @ClarkDevlin, did you spot a couple of OHMSS cast members in the Callan film?
    Indeed, @stag. :) Catherine Schell being one example. Lovely woman.

    I am loving these movie titles! Super Seven Calling Cairo and Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die are just so ridiculous and fantastic! Seeing this makes it almost strange that the two OSS 117-parodies with Jean Dujardin didn't make more use of humor in the movie titles. OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies and OSS 117: Lost in Rio are boring titles in comparison!
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,819
    Are Youtube subtitles any reliable?
    That Man From Rio (with Jean-Paul Belmondo) is available on Youtube, but as it's in French, I won't be able to understand much of it.

  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Definitely, @Torgeirtrap. But, the sixties OSS 117 films, despite bearing a little amount of humour as the Conner Bonds, were pretty serious spy thrillers. Over the top villains and locales, yes (Mission For A Killer is almost like a sixties Indiana Jones at the climax, set in the jungles of Rio and there even are Red Indian cavemen involved), but they were still serious. The ones with Jean Dujardin however are parodies that bear very little resemblance to the source materials.

    Oh, and by the way, The Man from Rio actually is available with an English and with a BluRay HD format at that! I have mine somewhere. But, be warned it's not a EuroSpy. It's a film about treasure hunt. But, still worth watching if you like Belmondo. I personally do.
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,819
    Expected the OSS 117-films from the 60's to be something quite different from the spoofs we've seen in the 00's, @ClarkDevlin. Do hope we get a third film with Dujardin starring as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath!

    Did not know that The Man From Rio is available in English! It sure wasn't the last time I checked. The only reason I named this one here, was because of this little line on the Eurospy aricle on Wikipedia: «Jean-Paul Belmondo was in the French spy spoof That Man From Rio (1964)». Reading the storyline summary after reading your comment, makes me wonder why That Man From Rio is named in that article at all. Still going to see it, though. Belmondo is a great actor.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @Torgeirtrap, yes indeed. They're more akin to the original books character, who himself is a CIA agent, and former OSS (hence the codename OSS 117) written by Jean Bruce. But, the only film I heard that directly captures the essence of the character is the first film adaptation called OSS 117 Is Not Dead, released in 1959, and to this day, its very rare to find. Some people I know are still on the hunt for it. I do have one myself on Betamax. Well... my father has it. As for a third Dujardin OSS 117, it's still in development, and the primary focus of it is to have it set in a 1973 Africa with an African female companion, and half unbuttoned shirt with long hair and sideburns Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath in the center of the spotlight. A friend of mine had a talk with Michel Hazanavicius while he was on the set of The Artist in Hollywood. He told him about the concept. A year ago, it's been rumoured that a third film is underway soon. Dujardin revived his old Bryce character, I'm sure OSS 117 will be there soon enough as well.

    As for The Man from Rio with English dub, it's very hard to find. It's a French edition that bappens to contain an English dub. I saw it online sometime ago, as well. Wish I had pinned it for you to see, too. I love Belmondo naturally. More than an actor, he's a great comedian. The film is a comedy on its own, especially with the abnormality of a cat and mouse chase that happens to have the heroine at one end, gunmen in the middle, and Belmondo on the other end. Funny stuff!
  • stagstag In the thick of it!
    Posts: 1,053
    I found this about the Eurospy genre. I must admit I'd never heard of it until I read this thread.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurospy_film

    @ClarkDevlin, back to Callan for a moment (and I now see why it can't be classed as Eurospy), the security man who shows Callan into Hunters HQ is the thug who fought with Tracy.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Definitely, @stag. Like I recommended the other chaps, to familiarize yourself furthermore with the genre, get a copy of this book. I bought it in '14 and I don't regret it one bit. It was a bit pricy but helluva of an addition to my collection.

    il_570xN.810274306_1cgf.jpg

    I must admit I didn't recognize him at first. But, now that you mention it...! I have to give this film another view soon!
  • TorgeirtrapTorgeirtrap
    Posts: 17,819
    ClarkDevlin wrote: »
    @Torgeirtrap, yes indeed. They're more akin to the original books character, who himself is a CIA agent, and former OSS (hence the codename OSS 117) written by Jean Bruce. But, the only film I heard that directly captures the essence of the character is the first film adaptation called OSS 117 Is Not Dead, released in 1959, and to this day, its very rare to find. Some people I know are still on the hunt for it. I do have one myself on Betamax. Well... my father has it. As for a third Dujardin OSS 117, it's still in development, and the primary focus of it is to have it set in a 1973 Africa with an African female companion, and half unbuttoned shirt with long hair and sideburns Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath in the center of the spotlight. A friend of mine had a talk with Michel Hazanavicius while he was on the set of The Artist in Hollywood. He told him about the concept. A year ago, it's been rumoured that a third film is underway soon. Dujardin revived his old Bryce character, I'm sure OSS 117 will be there soon enough as well.

    As for The Man from Rio with English dub, it's very hard to find. It's a French edition that bappens to contain an English dub. I saw it online sometime ago, as well. Wish I had pinned it for you to see, too. I love Belmondo naturally. More than an actor, he's a great comedian. The film is a comedy on its own, especially with the abnormality of a cat and mouse chase that happens to have the heroine at one end, gunmen in the middle, and Belmondo on the other end. Funny stuff!

    Now that you mention it, I have heard that very same summary for a possible third movie! Can't remember where or when, though. Guess word spreads fast. A sideburned Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath will be worth the wait alone!

    Will have to see The Man From Rio as soon as possible. Some really good looking location photography too, it seems – from the clips I've seen!
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,045
    Restored OSS 117 films coming out on Blu Ray

    http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=21162
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited April 2017 Posts: 4,537
    If there at English/Dutch subtitle on the release then mabey Cineart/Twin pics can release it in Benelux, Uk and France.

    I found one Kino Lorber release: Slack Bay (German/France movie) who in The Netherlands released by Belgium/French label Cineart/Twin Pics. Only on dvd in this case. But i have couple of other Cineart/Twin Pics released on Bluray include Italian movie Io sono l'amore aka I Am Love (with Dutch and French subtitels). Also Drive and Only God For Gives are from same company.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    That's terrific news!
  • LegionnaireLegionnaire
    Posts: 142
    The eurospy films are great fun and seemed to be a repository for American actors who could never get a solid footing in Hollywood. Lex Barker, Tony Kendall, Wayde Preston, Richard Harrison, and of course many european actors like Frederick Stafford, Sylva Koscina, and Genevieve Cluny. If you have a passable understanding of French then the Jean Bruce OSS 117 books are good trashy paperback novels to read as well. One film not really in the eurospy family of films, but made around the same time is 24 Hours To Kill, starring Mickey Rooney and Lex Barker. Mickey Rooney was already a Hollywood staple with movies like National Velvet, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so how he ended up in a 60’s Middle Eastern (Beirut always seemed to be one of the eurospy favorite locations) suspense/murder film is strange, but not the worst film out there. Many of them were filmed in 16mm and the prints have not held up well for viewing today, but they are fun never the less. Operation Kid Brother (O.K. Connery, is its other title) features Daniela Bianci, and Adolfo Celi, along with a few other Bond film stars, so it’s enjoyable if only for that reason alone.
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