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A Dandy in Aspic is a 1968 neo-noir[1] Technicolor and Panavision British spy film, directed by Anthony Mann, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Derek Marlowe and starring Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay, and Mia Farrow. Costumes by Pierre Cardin. It was Mann's final film.
| A Dandy in Aspic | |
|---|---|
 French DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Anthony Mann Laurence Harvey (uncredited) |
| Written by | Derek Marlowe |
| Based on | A Dandy in Aspic 1966 novel by Derek Marlowe |
| Produced by | Anthony Mann |
| Starring | Laurence Harvey Tom Courtenay Mia Farrow Peter Cook Harry Andrews |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis Austin Dempster |
| Edited by | Thelma Connell |
| Music by | Quincy Jones |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates | April 1968 (UK) 2 April 1968 |
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Set against the backdrop of 1960's Cold War Europe, it is the story of a spy known to his superiors in British Intelligence by his code name, "Eberlin" (Laurence Harvey).
Plot
Eberlin (Laurence Harvey), a Cold-War British intelligence operative, has a problem. His superiors have ordered him to find and assassinate a KGB agent named Krasnevin, believed to be responsible for the recent murders of British agents. Summoned to a meeting at a country estate, he is presented with film footage of the suspected Krasnevin. He turns out to be Eberlin's go-between with Russian double agents.
To accomplish his assignment, Eberlin is partnered with a ruthless, cynical, and sociopathic British agent, Gatiss (Tom Courtenay), who openly distrusts and dislikes him. Mia Farrow plays a London-based photographer with whom Eberlin has an affair. Much of the film takes place in West Berlin, where Eberlin, as part of his mission, attempts to cross the Berlin Wall to the East. His attempts are frustrated by his partnership with Gatiss and by the Soviet authorities, who are keen to retain the identity of the assassin.
Cast
- Laurence Harvey as Eberlin
- Tom Courtenay as Gatiss
- Mia Farrow as Caroline
- Harry Andrews as Fraser
- Peter Cook as Prentiss
- Lionel Stander as Sobakevich
- Per Oscarsson as Pavel
- Barbara Murray as Miss Vogler
- John Bird as Henderson
- Norman Bird as Copperfield
- Geoffrey Bayldon as Lake
- Calvin Lockhart as Brogue
- James Cossins as Heston-Stevas
- Michael Trubshawe as Flowers
- Geoffrey Lumsden as Ridley
- Elspeth March as Lady Hetherington
- Richard O'Sullivan as Nevil
- Mike Pratt as Greff
- George Murcell as Sergeant Harris
- Vernon Dobtcheff as Stein
Production
Largely filmed on location in London and Berlin, this was Anthony Mann's final film; he died of a heart attack before it was finished. Its direction was completed by Harvey. The film also features Peter Cook, at a time when his TV career was at a peak, in a minor role as the foppish but libidinous British agent Prentiss.
Music
Personnel
- Unidentified orchestra arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones including
- Carol Kaye – electric bass[2]
- Earl Palmer – drums[3]
Reception
Reviews of the film were largely unfavourable. The New York Times described it as "a very wobbly spy movie...slow, blank, decorous and completely devoid of suspense."[4] Variety dismissed the film as a "routine, poorly-titled espionage meller loaded with uninteresting, cardboard characters."[5] Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide rates the film 2 out of 4 stars and describes it as a "wooden spy melodrama in which principals keep switching sides so rapidly it becomes impossible to follow."[6] Among the more positive reviews, Time Out says "the film is strong on Cold War atmospherics and notable for its superior cast."[7]
Home media
A Dandy in Aspic was released to DVD on 1 August 2011 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as a DVD-on-demand title available through Amazon. A limited edition blu-ray disc with extensive bonus materials was released in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2019. In 2020, it became available for streaming on The Criterion Channel.
References
- Spicer, Andrew (2010). Historical Dictionary of Film Noir. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-8108-5960-9.
- "A Dandy In Aspic". Library of Congress.
- "A Dandy In Aspic". Library of Congress.
- Adler, Renata. "Screen: Harvey Plays a Deadpan 'Dandy in Aspic'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Variety staff. "A Dandy in Aspic". Variety. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Maltin, Leonard (2015). Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (2015 ed.). New York: Penguin Random House. p. 316. ISBN 9780451468499.
- "A Dandy in Aspic". Time Out. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
External links
- A Dandy in Aspic at IMDb
- A Dandy in Aspic at AllMovie
- A Dandy in Aspic at the TCM Movie Database
- A Dandy in Aspic at the American Film Institute Catalog
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