To Catch a Spy
| To Catch a Spy | |
|---|---|
Rank Film Distributors | |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom France United States |
| Language | English |
To Catch a Spy is a 1971 comedy spy film directed by Dick Clement and starring Kirk Douglas, Marlène Jobert, Trevor Howard, Richard Pearson, Garfield Morgan, Angharad Rees and Robert Raglan.[1] It was written by Clement and Ian La Frenais. The story is based on the 1969 novel Catch Me a Spy by George Marton and Tibor Méray.
It was a
Plot
Fabienne, a young French-born British
Back in London she lobbies her uncle, the
and drowns.As the British now have nobody to exchange for her husband, Fabienne sets out to capture an enemy agent on her own initiative. She manages to trap a man in a
Because the Soviets want to get their hands on him, they plant evidence in his hotel room indicating that he is one of their spies.
Cast
- Kirk Douglas as Andrej
- Marlène Jobert as Fabienne
- Trevor Howard as Sir Trevor Dawson
- Tom Courtenay as Baxter Clarke
- Patrick Mower as James Fenton
- Bernadette Lafont as Simone
- Bernard Blier as Webb
- Sacha Pitoëff as Stefan
- Richard Pearson as Haldane
- Wilfrid Brambell as Beech
- Garfield Morgan as The Husband
- Angharad Rees as Victoria
- Isabel Dean as Celia
- Jonathan Cecil as British Attaché
- Robin Parkinson as British Officer
- Jean Gilpin as Ground Stewardess
- Robert Raglan as Ambassador
- Bridget Turner as Woman in Plane
- Trevor Peacock as Man in Plane
- Clive Cazes as Rumanian in Plane
- Ashley Knight as 1st Schoolboy
- Philip DaCosta as 2nd Schoolboy
- Robert Gillespie as Man in Elevator
- Sheila Steafel as Woman in lift
- Bunny May as Lift Operator
- Fiona Moore as Russian Girl
- Bernice Stegers as Russian Girl
- Dinny Powell as 1st Heavy
- Del Baker as 2nd Heavy
- Ishaq Bux as Arab at Party
- Cheryl Hall as Clarke's Girlfriend
Production
It was shot at
The "gunboats" in the film were:- Lalage, a 70 ft WW2 Fairmile harbor defense launch, the East German boat, and the Calshot Salar, a 60 ft WW2 Royal Air Force "three leg" pinnace, the British boat.
Lalage was owned and operated by Captain Jack Glover of Dumbarton, who in addition was an extra in the film, as was his brother Hans Glover. Tragically, Captain Glover drowned in 1982 while undertaking a boat salvage operation in the river Leven. Lalage eventually foundered off the Little Cubrae island after striking rocks during a severe storm and became a total loss.[5]
Calshot Salar, was owned by Dr W."Bill" Souter and operated during filming by a Canadian, Captain Robin Blair-Crawford,[6] who also had a position as an actor[7] in the movie and in addition was the lead safety diver at Loch Etive. At the insistence of her owner Calshot Salar had her original RAF number painted on the hull for the movie. After numerous adventures in both home and overseas waters Calshot Salar was sold and eventually became a houseboat at Shoreham.[8]
Critical reception
TV Guide wrote the film "features a good cast, an exciting speedboat chase, a few chuckles, and every spy cliche in the book";[9] and Radio Times noted "a sometimes clever and witty script by the ace TV team of Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. However, it's rather let down by Clement's uncertain direction. Another problem is that, as a Bucharest waiter who is actually a spy, Kirk Douglas's peculiar intensity isn't best suited to a comedy. Trevor Howard and Tom Courtenay seem more at home with the spy spoof material."[10]
See also
References
- ^ "Keep Your Fingers Crossed". 3 September 1971 – via IMDb.
- ^ "To Catch a Spy - Scotland the Movie Location Guide". www.scotlandthemovie.com.
- ^ "Catch Me a Spy (1972)". Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
- ^ James p.99
- ^ Heaney, Bill (22 January 2017). "Memory Lane: Star spotting on Dumbarton Quay". Daily Record.
- ^ "Member Profile: Robin Blair-Crawford - Find A Grave". www.findagrave.com.
- user-generated source]
- ^ "Calshot Salar". BMPT Forum.
- ^ "Catch Me a Spy". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "Catch Me a Spy (1971)". Radio Times.
Bibliography
- Simon James. London Film Location Guide. Anova Books, 2007.
External links
- To Catch a Spy at IMDb
