NEW SPY RELEASES

UK distributor Network has a number of titles coming out that might appeal to Spy Vibers, including Blu-ray editions of The Ipcress File and The Quiller Memorandum. Note that the discs listed below are region 2 PAL. US viewers will need an all-region player. 

The Quiller Memorandum (Blu-ray/July 28th): "George Segal gives a bravura performance as an unorthodox secret agent on the run from a neo-Nazi organisation in this stylish 1966 espionage thriller directed in West Berlin by Michael Anderson. Tautly scripted by Harold Pinter, this multiple BAFTA-nominated film also features Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow and Senta Berger. The Quiller Memorandum is featured here in a High Definition transfer made from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. SPECIAL FEATURES (HD except where indicated): Contemporary interviews recorded on location in Berlin with George Segal, Alec Guinness, Senta Berger, Max von Sydow, director Michael Anderson and producer Ivan Foxwell (Standard Definition); Original theatrical trailer; Four image galleries, including extensive promotional and behind-the-scenes shots; Promotional material PDFs." Network page here.

The Ipcress File (Blu-ray/July 28th): "Featuring a quintessential performance from multiple Oscar-winner Sir Michael Caine and an iconic score from the legendary John Barry, this stylised and compelling 1965 Cold War spy movie won multiple awards on its theatrical release - including three BAFTAs. The Ipcress File is featured here in a High Definition transfer made from original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. Harry Palmer, a stubbornly insolent sergeant working for the Ministry of Defence, is less than thrilled to be transferred to an elite counter-intelligence unit under threat of blackmail. Palmer and the rest of his unit follow the trail of a missing scientist, but when he finds a piece of tape marked "IPCRESS" in an abandoned warehouse he suddenly becomes a marked man. SPECIAL FEATURES: Michael Caine is Harry Palmer - exclusive interview with Sir Michael Caine; Exclusive interview with production designer Sir Ken Adam; Commentary with director Sidney Furie and film editor Peter Hunt; Michael Caine Goes Stella comedy short; 1969 documentary: Candid Caine; Original theatrical trailer and US radio commercials; Stills gallery." Network page here.

Ring of Spies (DVD/July 21st): "There have always been spies men and women who have pried for patriotism, for religion, for love... or for money. This intriguing drama is based on the true story of the Portland spy ring an unlikely Soviet operation active in southern England from the late 1950s until January 1961 when the core members were arrested. Directed by TV drama veteran Robert Tronson in 1964, Ring of Spies stars Bernard Lee (best known as Ian Fleming s M ) William Sylvester, Thorley Walters and BAFTA winners Margaret Tyzack and David Kossoff. It is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer. An antiquarian bookseller and his wife; a disgruntled, hard-drinking naval clerk and the lonely secretary he recruits; a polished Soviet agent who assumes the identity of a dead Canadian citizen: the players in a familiar Cold War story of hidden cameras, dead-letter drops and a long-range radio calling Moscow Central. A duel between Soviet intelligence and British counter-espionage, and a trade in deadly secrets directed from a bungalow in suburban Ruislip, hidden for years from unsuspecting neighbours and British spy catchers." Network page here.

S*P*Y*S (DVD/July 14th): "Before Austin Powers, before Johnny English, there were S*P*Y*S! Capitalising on the huge success of their onscreen pairing in M*A*S*H, in 1974 this highly enjoyable espionage spoof reunited Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould as a couple of bungling Paris-based American agents walking a tightrope in a paranoiac world of peepholes and booby-traps. Filmed largely in Paris and London, co-starring Joss Ackland and featuring the English language debut of French icon Zouzou, S*P*Y*S is presented here in a brand-new digital transfer from original film elements. CIA misfits Douglas Griffin and Eric Brulard are unaware of each other's existence until both turn up at the same pissoir in search of a mysterious hidden package. When the urinal immediately explodes, each is convinced that the other is a KGB assassin!" Network page here. 

Counterspy (DVD/July 7th): "This fast-paced 1953 comedy thriller stars Dermot Walsh as a mild-mannered young accountant forced to go on the run after unwittingly coming into possession of coveted top-secret plans. Also featuring Bill Travers, Oscar-nominated Hermione Baddeley and an early role for horror queen Hazel Court, Counterspy is presented here in a brand-new transfer from the original film elements in its as-exhibited theatrical aspect ratio. While perusing the books of an engineering company, fastidious auditor Frank Manning encounters rum goings on when he is approached by a woman who claiming she is being blackmailed. She begs him to find certain letters and he eventually agrees. Having obtained the letters, he takes them to a specified address where, to his horror, he finds a man, fully clothed, dead in the bath." Network page here.

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JOHN BARRY RELEASE

Screen Archives Entertainment have released John Barry's score for the 1966 spy thriller, The Quiller Memorandum. From their website: "Cool, classic John Barry soundtrack for superb Michael Anderson 1966 spy thriller starring George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger. Music first appears on LP from Columbia label in 1966. Inspired by fresh script from Harold Pinter, drawn from Adam Hall best seller, Barry avoids James Bond style of spy music, nods instead towards atmospheric West Germany locale, bleak theme of rising neo-Nazi movement. For the record, composer produces perfect album offering majority of his score in vivid stereo sound. Haunting main waltz-theme "Wednesday's Child" anchors, suspenseful cues play in contrast. Album also features Matt Monro in vocal version of theme. Intrada CD features album program in stereo from Columbia master tapes, courtesy Sony. For album fans, original artwork features on one side of booklet, all new artwork features on other side. Take your pick! John Barry conducts. Intrada Special Collection release available while quantities and interest remain! - Douglass Fake." Below is the trailer for the film, starring George Segal, Alec Guiness (Our Man in Havana), Sente Berger (Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Ambushers), and Ingmar Bergman regular, Max von Sydow (The Kremlin Letter, Three Days of the Condor, Brass Target, Never Say Never Again).

Scroll down for recent editions of our series, For Your Shelf Only, where guests share stories about collecting and show us some of their treasures. Series links: Jon Gilbert, Raymond Benson, Jeremy Duns, Peter Lorenz, David Foster, Rob Mallows, Roger Langley, rare Ian Fleming short. You can find James Bond books and other spy treasures in Spy Vibe's secure Amazon Store. 

OUR MAN IN DENMARK: THOMAS PEDERSEN

OUR MAN IN DENMARK: THOMAS PEDERSEN
An exciting journey for all Spy Vibers is when we take that first step from the mainstream spy canon (007, ITC, etc) into the world of international, low-budget spy movies. It was the mid-1960s. Thin black ties, Wayfarer sunglasses, and spies were in! Italy was one of the most notable markets for copycat film productions, where any genre that proved itself with a hit was quickly followed by endless imitations: Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, itself an adaptation of Kurosawa’s samurai success Yojimbo, rustled up hundreds of grizzled dudes on the screen with itchy trigger fingers; Mario Bava’s Black Sunday inspired an onslaught of Gothic horror; And the third James Bond film, Goldfinger, ignited a new world of film adventures based on the proven formula of gadgets, girls, guns, and cocktails. Though reportedly not a great movie itself, the actual title of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (1966), sums up why the genre was, and is, so popular and fun. The 307-page Eurospy Guide by Matt Blake and David Deal is literally filled with hundreds of spy films from the 1960s which were often international co-productions between companies in Italy, Spain, Germany, and countries around the world.

The movies are low-budget and usually campy. A number have enjoyed the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment, including one of my favorites, Operation Kid Brother (Operation Double 007, O.K. Connery) with Bond alumni Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Adolfo Celi, Daniela Bianchi, Anthony Dawson, and... Sean Connery's kid brother Neil (see Cinema Retro issue #12 for more info). There is an irresistible charm and Spy Vibe cool that comes, I believe, from the fact that filmmakers distilled the spy genre down to its essential conventions. You will not find fast-paced scripts and Ken Adam sets, but you will see Fab fashion, classic sports cars, truly genre-defining soundtracks (often by giants like Morricone, Umiliani, Nicolai, Wilden, and Piccioni), and action!

The real challenge is tracking down these gems. Few are commercially available. Double O Section has kept us abreast of upcoming releases from Dorado and other distributors. License To Kill has reviewed many rare titles. Otherwise, we rely on fellow fans and collectors to share segments of Eurospy movies on-line. One valuable archive for me has been the pet project of Thomas Pederson, who has uploaded over two hundred clips on Youtube on his channel thmace. Pederson is more than a spy movie maven, he is also an aficionado and collector of great design. Last week he took some time out from a busy week to speak with Spy Vibe before leaving for his summer adventure.

How did you first become interested in spy films? What was your introduction to EuroSpy? Well I am actually a “latecomer.” I have always loved spy films, especially the Bond films. I had a taped from television copy of The Quiller Memorandum that I watched so many times that the tape stopped working. I mean seriously first the sound went – but I still watched it – and then finally it just gave up the ghost. I always read a lot of spy novels: Adam Hall, James Leasor, etc. Films I enjoyed: The Harry Palmer series, Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, The Eiger Sanction, Once Upon A Spy, The Tamarind Seed, Telefon, and more of the mainstream stuff.

Around 1980 I saw a trailer of The Double Man with Yul Brynner. It came on a VHS rental of You Only Live Twice. My local video store did not have a copy of the film, so I never managed to actually see it. Then came 1992 and I happened to find a copy in a local rental store. This was before the big revolution of the net -where all of a sudden everything became semi-available. I immediately asked if I could purchase the copy. They declined -but I rented it and finally got to view it. I absolutely loved it. I did consider keeping it and just paying the fine.

How did you become a collector of EuroSpy films? Well many years went by where I repeatedly watched the relatively few spy movies that I had. I searched the net a lot for info about spy films. Then on Youtube I happened to stumble upon OurManInHavana and his great clips from Eurospy films. A comment spoke about a book called The Eurospy Guide. I rushed and bought a copy and a whole new world opened up for me when I got the book and read it. There were hundreds of spy films out there that I had not know existed. I made list after list and piece-by-piece tracked down all the films that I just had to own. I prefer the real thing. So while a grey market copy will have to do in some instances, I still try and track down the VHS if at all possible.

I see your channel on Youtube, which offers 262 movie clips, has had over 27,000 views. Most of the films remain unreleased and your archive is one of the only ways people can get a taste of them. Do you see your channel as a kind of preservation/library for the genre? I try to get out there what I would have appreciated were available. I mean the pleasure and experience I got from the clips on Our ManInHavana's channel was life changing. I hope in a small way I can do the same for another person.

What ingredients make a great EuroSpy film? Style, plot and preferably a noir touch. I like them talky.

What are your top five favorite spy movies and why? Quiller Memorandum – just the best. So nicely made and a wonderful soundtrack by John Barry. George Segal portrays the coolest spy ever. The Double Man -Maybe because I longed to see it for years. I like the plot and the “Dan Slater never loved a damn thing in his life” ending. Yul is one of my all time favorite actors. The Naked Runner -Frank Sinatra in this movie plays great. Though a bit silly they couldn't find a better way to shoot the traitor. Still one of the films I can watch over and over. Mission Bloody Mary -All the films with Ken Clark rate highly in my universe. Severely underrated I wish somebody would let Clark know how much somebody out there appreciates his films now. The Invisible Dr. Mabuse -Saw this one the first time on a vacation in France. Alone 2 o'clock in the morning on a laptop computer. I got the DVD in the post just before we left from Denmark. One of the best nights of my life. I enjoyed it tremendously. Especially the repetition effect in the plot -like in The Quiller Memorandum. Leaving out The Groundstar Conspiracy, Danger Route, Passport to Hell, The Devils Agent, Desperate Mission, Upperseven the Man to Kill etc. feels like a sin.

What are your favorite spy movie settings? Berlin, any snow-clad or rainy European, winter setting, trains with sleeping cars, cable cars, and rooftop action. If you were a super villain, what would you choose as your evil lair? Villefranche de Conflent and a ride in the Yellow Train for my great battle with the super spy.

You mention an unusual interest in Diving Watches from the 1960s. Is that interest inspired by James Bond’s Thunderball? No actually not – though I have freeze-framed Thunderball just to get a look at that watch a few times. My interest in watches stems from Clive Cussler and his fictional hero Dirk Pitt. Pitt always wears a "Orange dial Doxa." I tried for many years just to track down a picture of that watch -sometimes even believing that it was invented by the author. Again success came with the Internet and early eBay. I found the watch and wanted it so badly. I bid on the auction but lost in the end, so it took me 2 years before I landed one to wear. Then I went a bit berserk and now own some 30 diving watches. 7 of these are Doxa's. I am still trying to find a rare Favre Leuba black dial with orange bezel but that will be the last -I promise.

What are your other design passions? I love the “space age” things that were done during the sixties and seventies. When you look at those things they look from the future even today, like Dante N Bini:

Computers: I have a basement full of old home computers (ZX Spectrum, Enterprise 64 and so forth) so naturally something should be included here. The ultimate computer design is the PDP 8/e, Some regulatory authority should have stepped in after the release and said: "Since the final computer has been designed - let it be known that henceforth all computers should look like this." The PDP 1 was also a cool unit.

Bikes: The Raleigh Chopper MK 2 was a brilliant design by Ogle. I used to love that bike in the seventies.

Furniture: The Ovalia is just crazy. Probably not practical at all but the nuttiness makes it a sure pick.

Boats: I have owned a couple of powerboats, but the Riva will always be the only "real" boat that you can truly cruise the waters in style.

I see you list Renault and Lotus in your auto collection. Was that a childhood dream come true to see them in your garage? Well as a child I dreamed mostly of new cars. I hankered after my father owning very nice and expensive cars -though he drove mostly pretty basic Renaults and Citroens.

Did The Spy Who Loved Me inspire your passion for Lotus cars? Yes, for sure. As most owners of the classic shape Esprit it started that way. Seeing that white beauty and Bond getting into it on Sardinia just started a fire that could only be put out one way.

My passion for the Lotus marque was firmly embedded when I got a Lotus Elite (red Corgi model) as a child. I always found great pleasure in building huge sand castles -that I would play I inhabited- and then building a garage facility for my Lotus.

What's it like to drive a Lotus Esprit? We all want to come over and take it for a spin! Even greater than I can describe. A new Audi A8 4,2 Quattro and I tried to outrun each other on the second day I owned the Esprit -and believe me the owner of that car got a bit of a surprise. Though slower on paper, that Esprit really moves if you know what you are doing. It is a real joke that Bond struggles to lose that Ford loaded with baddies. My 79 Eclat and 79 Esprit in my driveway:

Have you been to see the James Bond Museum and 007 vehicle collection in the UK? Nope -but it is on my “playlist.”

Thanks again to Thomas for sharing his love of spy movies and great design with us! I encourage Spy Vibers to visit his library of Eurospy clips. See the Spy Vibe website for video clips of Pedersen's top Spy picks.

ROGER LANGLEY: OUR MAN IN ENGLAND

GUEST SET LISTS
Spy Vibe continues its series on Spy TV/film production design and the influence of Art and design movements, Playboy, Hugh Hefner, adventure story conventions, and the Space Race.

Guest Set Lists: Lee Pfeiffer, Jeremy Duns, Armstrong Sabian, Steve Bissette, Roger Langley, Matthew Bradford, Wesley Britton, David Foster, Matt Kindt.

Spy Vibe's Set For Adventure here, Set Countdown #10, #9, #8 ,#7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1.

ROGER LANGLEY: OUR MAN IN ENGLAND
Spy Vibe continues to celebrate great spy production design with a Guest Set List from author and Six of One/Prisoner Appreciation Society's "number one," Roger Langley! Roger Langley is author of the biography “Patrick McGoohan: Danger Man or Prisoner?” which is available from Amazon, major booksellers, and direct from the publisher. Roger also has currently a book of fiction “The Prisoner Trilogy” available here. Radio interviews with Roger can be heard at www.patrickmcgoohan.org.uk and he, along with his wife Karen - who he met in Portmeirion, the Prisoner filming location - assists with the appreciation society based around the series, called Six of One, which you can join online. Six of One’s annual convention takes place in Portmeirion over the weekend of 27-29 March 2009 (next is 16-18 April, 2010). More information at Roger’s convention site. *links fixed 3/30 -Jason

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1. The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - only full CinemaScope viewing properly presents this stylish film, benefiting from John Barry’s underlying score. This is especially so with the scene set inside the enormous stadium built by Hitler for the 1936 Olympics. Quiller is a sharp-looking sixties’ movie, using Berlin to good effect. The city is bustling and clean cut by day, with sinister events at night, literally revealing its dark Neo-Nazi element. George Segal is perfect in the lead. His style in the movie is mirrored on TV by Richard Bradford as McGill, in the series “Man in a Suitcase”. Add in Alec Guinness, Max von Sydow, Senta Berger and George Sanders, to make up a cast as good as the beautifully filmed surroundings and locations.


2. The Ipcress File (1965) - this groundbreaking movie has plenty of London locations: St. James's Park, Marble Arch, Whitehall, Westminster, Royal Albert Hall, Scotland Yard, Trafalgar Square, to name just some of them. A few have appearances in common with TV’s “The Prisoner”, including the underground car park (along with Guy Doleman as the spy boss in the film, who was also No. 2 ‘in the Village’). A strong cast is assembled with Michael Caine excellent in the lead, Nigel Green, Sue Lloyd and Gordon Jackson.


3. From Russia With Love (1963) - the train sequences on the Orient Express, take us from Istanbul to Venice. Robert Shaw is aboard as the menacing Red Grant. The moving setting provides tight and restricted surroundings, offering a backdrop - along with exterior views through carriage windows - for some excellent, action-packed scenes. As with Quiller, mentioned above, the ‘Cold War’ atmosphere is conveyed well. Shaw is perfect as the trained, icy assassin, enjoying curt exchanges with James Bond (Sean Connery).


4. The Deadly Affair (1966) - the cast of James Mason, Simone Signoret, Maximillian Schell, Harry Andrews, Kenneth Haigh and others bring class to this yet one more ‘Cold War’ drama. The film received several BAFTA nominations and the cast is top notch. London places again make up the ‘set’ and there are Chelsea and Clapham locations, as well as central St. James’s Park. The spy genre seems to allow any slowness of plot to build up suspense and everyday locations provide realism, as well as allowing us to identify with the characters, as we also recognize familiar streets and buildings.


5. The Tamarind Seed (1974) - this underrated movie - again with a John Barry score - holds attention until the very end, in order to find out whether Omar Sharif is a double agent. Shooting took place in Barbados and also Paris, but the London locations provide the perfect background for anonymous characters and the promise of action in far more exotic locations. In one scene, the camera is pointed at a tiger in a cage in the park and as the animal walks round it neatly reveals Julie Andrews and Anthony Quayle. The following airport scenes are exciting and throughout the film the contrast of the big cities with the tropical island provide excellent visual contrasts. Sylvia Syms, Oskar Homolka (his last film) and Bryan Marshall make up a strong cast and Les Crawford, a KGB agent, was always Roger Moore’s double in the days of TV’s “The Saint”.

A heartfelt Thank You to Roger for sharing his list. Roger is currently in Portmeirion, where The Prisoner was filmed. Check out his websites for more information about how to join him on a tour in the future.

Spy Vibers, what are your most memorable sets from Spy Film/Tv?