A Dandy in Aspic

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.

Laurence Harvey works for British Intelligence. He is assigned to go to Berlin to investigate who is killing British agents assigned to a particular case. He goes, he works with fellow agent Tom Courtenay (who thinks him a poser and diletante), hooks up with girlfriend Mia Farrow, and wanders around Berlin. No one knows that he is actually a Russian plant who desperately wants to go home. He's also the assassin he's been tasked with finding.

Anthony Mann's last movie (he died during production, leaving Harvey to shoot the final sequences) is a dull and murky and I spent most of the movie having no idea of what was going on. I suppose this is meant to reflect the reality of spy work in the coming era of George Smiley, when you don't know who is working for whom and where loyalties lie. However, add this to the coldness of Mann's later work, the low-key affect that Harvey displays, you may have a great movie, but it's not one that is any pleasure to watch.

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.

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.

Other than knowing that Anthony Mann died while on location in Berlin I still don't know precisely the exact sequence in which this film was shot; so I remain unaware exactly which scenes were the work of Mann and those by Lawrence Harvey, who replaced him.

That aside, it's a worthy swansong with a remarkable cast ranging from Per Oscarsson to Peter Cook - who sounds as if he's writing his own dialogue - and benefits from an uncharacteristic score by Quincey Jones; while enjoying several memorable moments, of which I particularly liked Harvey delivering what he intended to be a withering putdown to Tom Courtney; whereupon Courtney completely takes the wind out of Harvey's sails by replying "I must remember that! Allow me to write it down!"