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By the time we get to this film, Frederick Stafford had left to do Hitchcock's Topaz, and in comes American actor John Gavin. As many here knows, Gavin would have played Bond in Diamonds Are Forever, hadn't Sean Connery returned to the role. Joining Gavin is Luciana Paluzzi and Curd Jürgens, as well as Rosalba Neri and Margaret Lee, who both had featured in other Eurospy productions. In other words, the Bond and spy film connections are heavy with this cast!
Hubert meeting Maud (Luciana Paluzzi):
In Pas de roses pour OSS 117, Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, or Jonathan Roberts as he is going by here, is sent out to investigate a number of political assassinations. Having undergone plastic surgery to look like notorious criminal "William Chandler", Hubert (I will call him Hubert throughout this review), has put into place an elaborate plan to infiltrate the organisation behind these killings – which just happens to be named "The Organization". To place himself on their radar, Hubert, as William Chandler, is taken into custody after having been recognised as the notorious criminal by Spanish dancer Conchita Esteban (Rosalba Neri), the woman he's been staying with.
As expected, The Organization takes the bate and gets him out of custody by spraying sleeping gas from a sleeping gas canister lowered by a helicopter over the motorcade that’s transporting him. From here he is taken to a villa, in which he is greeted by The Major (Curd Jürgens), the head of the criminal enterprise. Curd Jürgens is, unsurprisingly a full on Bond villain type, even wearing a fancy nehru jacket!
Believing Hubert to be this William Chandler, he is given his mission – the murder of Heindrich Van Dyck, a UN delegate to the Middle-East peace process between two warring tribes. The killing is sure to make the ongoing conflict between the tribes to continue, as they will blame each other for the killing of the UN delegate, which benefits The Organization and a certain Farouk Melik. Before setting off, he gets acquainted with (and seduces) their in-house doctor, Maud (Luciana Paluzzi). She is to give him a "general vaccination" before his trip. Upon arrival he is to meet up with a contact, Dr. Saadi (played by Robert Hossein who played the main villain in Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117 , Dr. Sinn).
After his arrival, he collapses in his hotel bed, and is brought back by Dr. Saadi. It is revealed that this vaccination is in fact a deadly poison, which he must be given an antidote for each day at 5PM, or else he will die. Hubert sets about his mission, where he will fake the killing of Van Dyck, trying to dupe Dr. Saadi. Along the way he also gains the confidence of Farouk Melik's daughter, Aïcha (Margaret Lee), after saving her from two bad guys trying to force out information about her father. What she doesn't know, is that Hubert himself is behind it all, and the bad guys are in fact working for him. This sequence evokes the look of Bond's first meeting with Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released one year later.
What Hubert does not know as he goes about his mission, is that The Major has no intention of letting Hubert live, once his killing of Van Dyck is completed…
This is all surely the recipe for Eurospy gold? The ingredients are certainly there, but what we are served is probably not as good as we would have wanted it to be. It gets off to a promising start, but the pace slows down in the second half. Luciana Paluzzi disappears once Hubert is sent on his mission by The Organization. There's a scene at a Bedouin camp that, even though it's central to the plot, just drags on. The ending is rather anticlimactic too.
Naturally, it was interesting to see how John Gavin handled the task of playing a very Bond-like character. Despite having the physicality, he does not have the charm that Kerwin Mathews and Frederick Stafford brought to the role. If anything, I would have guessed that Gavin was the one who went into his first OSS 117 film without prior acting experience, not the more charming Frederick Stafford. You couldn't get a better Bond "audition" than a film like this, and although it's very easy to understand how he could have ended up getting the role of James Bond, he doesn't show anything here which suggests that he would have portrayed Bond any way other than as a generic, American action hero type. Out of shape Connery was no doubt the better choice for DAF!
Pas de roses pour OSS 117 does not live up to Atout cœur à Tokyo pour OSS, Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117 or Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117. Those three films manages to keep my interest more than this one. The inclusion of Bond alumni Curd Jürgens and Luciana Paluzzi just about makes it a bit more entertaining than OSS 117 se déchaîne.
These five films offer a great Eurospy experience – on a bigger budget. There are a lot of elements that makes these films more than simple Bond rip-offs. They are well worth a watch if you can find them!
If I am able to, I will try to get my hands on a copy of OSS 117 n'est pas mort (OSS 117 Is Not Dead), the 1956 film that came before these. There is also a 1970 film, OSS 117 prend des vacances (OSS 117 takes a vacation/Hot Holidays for OSS 117), that I think I have as a digital download. If I remember correctly though, the quality of the transfer is rather bad. If I manage to find it, and the quality of the transfer is watchable, I'll make a review of that one too.
In any case, that last one featuring Luciana Paluzzi (Fiona is one of my all-time favourite Bond characters), Curd Jürgens and Rosalba Neri (I am a huge giallo fan so I've seen and enjoyed her work before) sounds like an exceptionally interesting one!
https://www.amazon.fr/Coffret-Int%C3%A9grale-Oss-117-dechaine/dp/B0014JKMKY/ref=sr_1_10?crid=155XA9K6AL5FY&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8b3E7ZdKxZrhYK0xN1_JlPwbQoK2nGQB4Y_JSF9d3U4O4gRE4cZBJ74gVLLmlMQeCYojSJCv--89msq48xPcTN6m5FQRkpB97lImN28POViYhOJeRA76Ktov9GfI1ntPe3AehWoT6UxGHEH1TYFefKBXKxC33qXKIcstEaw8k4JF58-U7aiD2ygDeAJ3eMV8TjmDNbIp7gYVRxePN-NE2Xr5qryaXowIuN3RRD1qGBM_oiS7NVgUDqE5NJ_aQQRT-ZOVYYrxFCaZIg8n5JKhIVul_i3Uj3grVLTqb_GCGkk.5rTpyxIhB7c2CjJAg6cR8TU_70mAYV4I8EdLdkadjN8&dib_tag=se&keywords=oss+117+dvd&qid=1722339270&sprefix=oss+117%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-10
For me, Furia à Bahia is the best, followed, very closely, by Atout Cœur à Tokyo. But there are two I haven't seen.
As for me, I watched a few DVD during my vacations in Brest. The Lost World : Jurassic Park II was very good (I'm a fan of Dinosaurs), but alas, between the smallness of the TV, and a sound that was not up to par, I think I'll wait until I'm home again to watch the rest of the saga on my own TV. Some TVs are not suited to big spectacle movies. I also watched two concert (Celtic Woman : Ancient Land and Michael Ball and Alfie Boe at the 02), one documentary (Apocalypse : Les Débarquements, and the first 12 episodes of the third season of It Taakes a Thief (great performance by Fred Astaire as the hero's father, BTW). As usual, I brought too many DVD. I'll have to restrain myself when I pack in the future.
I'd be tempted to get that set too, had it been a region free or Region B. For now though, those old digital downloads will have to do when I want to give them another watch.
I've tried to keep these reviews as spoiler free as possible. I did feel however, that I had to include some plot points, just to give a picture of how these films are like.
Pas de roses pour OSS 117 is probably the one of these films that had the most ingredients to make a great spy film, but to me it only managed to be a very good Eurospy film – a genre which can be a mixed bag (which, obviously, is part of the charm as well!). The films I ranked above this film is probably closer to a Bond like experience, in my opinion.
Rosalba Neri's contribution is unfortunately only limited to one single scene (and what a waste that is!). I'm familiar with her work through some other Eurospy films and a few giallo films, and although this is far from a giallo film, it did give off a bit of a "late 60's Italian production" vibe, if that makes sense. Piero Piccioni's score adds to that overall feel.
Does the French DVD collection above feature English subtitles or dubbed audio tracks, @Gerard?
It was very difficult to choose between Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117 and Atout cœur à Tokyo pour OSS 117 for that top spot. There was much to like about both, and Furia à Bahia was probably the best film if you value action the most.
If possible, I choose BR over DVD too. I still buy a decent amount of DVD's, since there are a lot of titles that aren't available on BR disc. This is even more common with TV shows.
Hope I can find a moment to go and rediscover one of my favourite summer films.
The plot is an incoherent mess, but in short it goes sort of like this: Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, alias OSS 117 is about to have a well deserved vacation at his aunt's chateau in the French countryside. Upon his arrival he is attacked and subdued by some bad guys, and is replaced by a double. Hubert manages to somehow escape his captors and kill his double. From there, he quickly find himself going to Sao Paulo, where more attempts are made on his life – orchestrated by a sinister man called Santovski. Santovski is behind an organisation that plan to destroy all life on Cuba with…insects…
If the plot isn't thin enough, the way this film is shot and edited makes it an even bigger mess. The editing is really bad, with jump cuts more jarring than in 1967's Casino Royale… On top of that, we see apparent use of library stock footage, forthcoming characters introduced by inserting split-second headshots, characters introduced only to disappear from the story completely, and in one scene, rather than filming what is happening, we get a sudden cut to text playing over a blue background, describing the scene – as if from the script or a book page – before we jump back to the scene again!
Starring as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, we have Luc Merenda in his very first acting role. From what I understand, he featured in several productions during the 70's and 80's (and even a role as late as last year), and I have not seen any of those, but he is doesn't make much of an impression in this one. He isn't that bad in the fight scenes, but these are poorly choreographed or/and filmed in poorly lit surroundings.
OSS 117 prend des vacances is a big step down from the 1960's productions. I read somewhere that this is supposed to be a parody of sorts, but there's nothing here that will make you laugh. If, for some reason, you think this is worth 90 minutes of your time, you can find the film on Youtube (no subtitles here though, unlike my copy):
Skip it
It's a bit strange I haven't watched Topaz sooner, as it contains elements which is very much right up my alley: spies, intrigue and, of course, Hitchcock. You'd think that this would be a perfect match, seeing as he'd stepped into the world of intelligence work before. However, I happened to think one single thought throughout: this is a film that Hitchcock shouldn't have made.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the film, it's competently made, it has a good cast, and I'll definitely watch it again soon. But watching Topaz was very much like watching a master past his prime. You never really feel the same sense of danger and drama he is so well known for. The film moves rather slow, and when action kicks in, you can't help but feel that – given when this film was made – action scenes have moved a bit on from what is displayed on the screen here. It's almost like watching a 1950's film coming a decade too late. My immediate thought after watching Topaz was that this was a story that would have been better left to a younger director; how would this film have looked like directed by someone like Sidney J. Furie, Peter Yates, or even Terence Young?
Topaz, to me, feels like a film where the most disappointing aspect is the director himself. I can't help but think that by just changing things up a bit, this could have been a much better film.
I also understand that there are two alternative endings to this film, so I don't know how they impact the overall feel of the story. If anyone knows which (European) Blu-ray releases of the film that contains these alternative endings, please let me know. I'd very much like to watch them.
The German BD goes for EUR 7.77 these days, plus whatever postage is applicable to your neck of the woods. And yes, you can choose the original English version with or without subtitles (so you're not stuck with DE). On amazon.de, check for Topas, not Topaz.
I agree that the movie is a mixed bag, and I seem to remember I didn't like the alternative endings any better. The best scene of them all is
Agree, the scene…
Watched it late last night, Sergio Leones wonderful sprawling epic is still wonderful viewing! Clint may be the star, but I think Eli Wallach steals the movie ("when you need to shoot, shoot!, don't talk!") and of course the legendary Lee Van Cleef rounds out the title! All the characters racing to retrieve stolen money buried in a graveyard. Said graveyard is the staging for the amazing final showdown all to the music of the maestro Ennio Morricone! Classic western, the best of the Dollar trilogy!
A superb western and one of very best ones ever. I do like its predecessor a tad more, but that's more a compliment for that one than to this one's detriment. Top-class stuff all of them really. We may associate westerns with North America, but the best westerns are 'Made in Italy'.
And filmed in Spain 😅
Yes, I do like 'For a Few Dollars More' a lot, better than the first one, but Leone really had reached the top of his game for this third one, and of course 'Once Upon a Time in the West' which beats them all!
I agree, that's my favourite western of all.
Mine too. It was the film that brought me to Sergio Leone and (probably even more important) to Ennio Morricone's music. However, while Leone's Westerns may be top of the class, I wouldn't extend that judgment to most other Italian Westerns, most of which (of those I have seen) are simply not of the same class. And there are brilliant Hollywood Westerns that I prefer over those.
I agree. I don't really enjoy any of the other Spaghetti westerns, the 'Sabata' films are OK, and the 'Trinity' films daft fun, but the others are pale imitations!
A lot of people are not into Westerns, but some of my favourite films come under this category.
The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Professionals, The Long Riders, High Plains Drifter, Monte Walsh, The Magnificent Seven, to name a few!
Yeh, its a pretty good one, but I prefer some of Clints other westerns like 'The Outlaw Josey Wales', and 'Joe Kidd'
As a devoted Marvel aficionado, I have witnessed both excessive nitpicking and unwarranted praise for MCU projects. The dichotomy between fans who lambast every detail and those who dismiss any critique of the MCU is glaring. My intention here is not to be a contrarian but to express genuine disappointment. I want Marvel to thrive, and yet, "Deadpool & Wolverine" left me feeling profoundly unfulfilled.
The film squandered the potential of three deeply compelling character arcs. Deadpool's struggle with self-worth could have been explored in a more nuanced way. His quest to prove his significance amidst insecurities and self-doubt offers a rich emotional landscape, yet the film barely scratches the surface. Similarly, Deadpool's heartbreak over Vanessa's departure, due to his own perceived failures, holds a bittersweet resonance. This storyline could have struck a chord with many who have experienced loss and regret in their own lives. Additionally, Wolverine's narrative of losing everyone he cared for, compounded by his immortality, represents a profound tragedy. His inability to escape his unending misery could have been a powerful exploration of existential despair, but the film fails to fully engage with this depth.
Instead, the movie diverges into disconnected subplots that dilute its emotional impact. Deadpool's abduction by the TVA shifts the focus to rescuing friends and fixing the timeline, undermining the film's core emotional themes. Sequences featuring Deadpool and Wolverine being pruned, fighting, and encountering characters like Human Torch seem to wander aimlessly, detached from the central narrative. Although Cassandra's mind games with Deadpool are momentarily poignant, they ultimately feel inconsequential. The inclusion of characters like Nicepool, Dogpool, Gambit, and Blade, while entertaining, feels more like fan service rather than meaningful contributions to the story. These characters do little to advance the emotional arcs concerning Deadpool's quest for significance or Wolverine's struggle with his past.
The numerous battles in the film, including those between Deadpool and Wolverine, and other confrontations involving Sabretooth and Johnny Storm, lack real stakes due to the characters' immortality and predictable outcomes. The action scenes, though visually engaging, do not impact the story meaningfully. This lack of consequence renders the film's attempts at excitement and tension ultimately hollow. The overarching theme of "escaping the void" overshadows any substantive narrative, leaving viewers with a sense of stagnation.
The film also suffers from the absence of key characters who could have heightened the emotional stakes. Deadpool's loved ones are barely present throughout the film, which diminishes the sense of loss and personal connection. The focus on characters who have little personal relevance to the protagonists further detracts from the intended emotional weight. The film's failure to depict Wolverine's troubled past adequately, relying instead on vague references, fails to engage audiences with his character.
Finally, the film's resolution of Wolverine's complex past with a simplistic motivational message feels both disappointing and dismissive. The trivialization of his struggles undermines the depth of his character and reduces his past to a clichéd trope. This approach ultimately leaves viewers feeling apathetic toward Wolverine's history, which was supposed to be a source of profound pain and growth.
In summary, "Deadpool & Wolverine" is marred by its failure to deliver on its promising emotional and character-driven narratives. Instead, it indulges in superficial plots and action sequences, leaving a sense of emptiness and missed potential.
I watched director Robert Bressons 'A Man Escaped' recently, and have been meaning to catch this earlier work of his! A loner Michel (Martin Lasalle) spends his time learning the skills of pickpocketing in 1950's Paris and reflects on the morality of crime, based on a meeting with a Policeman (Jean Pelegri) and a girl ( Marika Green, the Aunt of Eva!!) Bresson has a unique style, very natural, awkward in fact, characters speak in clipped tones, almost a precursor to Yorgos Lanthimos style! He hired a real life pickpocket called Kassagi as advisor, and even gave him a part as one of Michels accomplices ( There's a bravura scene on a train where they fleece a number of passengers of their wallets and handbags!) Its tight 76 mins means it has no flab, and it's abrupt ending gives Michel hope of dispensing with his life of crime! It wont be to everyone's taste, but Director/writer Paul Schrader cites it as a reason for entering the movie business and he developed the screenplay of 'Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle as a nod to Michel!
watched Olsenbanden #1 on 55 anniversary......milestone film like DN.....well kinda , they did 14 of them
I liked the film but of the 3 it isn't the best one. I think that with each subsequent film the quality has dipped. Which isn't to say that this film stinks. This is a good film with some great chemistry between the leads. It is a shame because it could have been better.
I haven't seen the film yet, but wow, what a clear and beautifully written meditation. I've read your review on FRWL as well. I'm going to enjoy reading your posts, @HasanDafer !
I feel that Marvel has struggled with the multiverse storyline recently, with many of the latest projects coming across as overly silly and lacking the charm of the previous MCU phases. Deadpool and Wolverine will likely be my final cinema outings for Marvel. Moving forward, I'll just wait for their films to be released online and stream them from home.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed the review. I’d love to hear your thoughts once you’ve seen the film!