My dear, dear, darling Niv. I can only hope he had a wonderful time filming and letting his hair down with his frequent costar Deborah Kerr, and that he got a very nice salary, and that audiences in 1967 enjoyed this madcap comedy. It certainly doesn't stand the test of time.
David Niven, Ian Fleming's original choice to play James Bond, had to suffer the terribly insulting Hollywood insult of being called too old and replaced by a younger actor, finally got his revenge by starring as the famous spy in a spoof of the early Bond films. I'd describe the plot, but there doesn't seem to be a cohesive storyline. Just when you think you know what's going on, it feels like there's a shift and everything starts from scratch. Then, you remind yourself that the opening credits displayed four different directors, so it makes sense that the movie doesn't have one complete vision. For example, the beginning plot is a plot by James Bond's enemies to tarnish his reputation by sending beautiful female agents to seduce him. Then, when that doesn't work, Joanna Pettet is randomly introduced as his daughter and goes on her own spy mission in Berlin. Then, Peter Sellers is recruited in the agency, and he gets bombarded by Ursula Andress and Jacqueline Bisset while he tries to prepare for a card game with Orson Welles. Meanwhile, I'm left groaning in front of the tv with the fast-forward button at the ready, wondering when David Niven will come back on the screen.
Hopefully 1967 audiences were rolling in the aisles at the screwball action scenes, ridiculous Burt Bacharach music, and spoofs of the "typical bad guys" in spy movies. Modern audiences will mostly laugh at the similarities between this film and the Austin Powers franchise, including the x-ray glasses that can see the cards at the gambling table, robotic women with machine guns, and bagpipes that release sleeping gas.
The first vignette-the important one, with David Niven, Deborah Kerr, and cameos by William Holden, John Huston, Charles Boyer, and Kurt Kasznar-is enjoyable and funny, because it doesn't include any of the silly 1960s antics. Sure, there are some sex jokes that every '60s flick snuck in to celebrate the demise of the Hays Code, but they are pretty funny. Since The Niv was a renowned playboy, it's funny to see him resisting the female agents who try to seduce him: one girl undresses him and spends an inordinate amount of time undoing his boxers, another hops in the bathtub with him and scrubs his back, and Deborah Kerr even starts a striptease!
The rest of the over-two-hour-long movie is terrible. It's so awful, it will make you never want to watch another 1960s movie again. If you love James Bond spoofs, just stick with Austin Powers, and if you love Peter Sellers, stick with The Pink Panther, and if you love David Niven, check out the hilarious comedy he made the following year instead: The Impossible Years.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. It will make you sick. There are several sequences that will make you sick with various tactics, including strobe lights, tilted camera angles, whirpool set designs, and spinning shots. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
David Niven, Ian Fleming's original choice to play James Bond, had to suffer the terribly insulting Hollywood insult of being called too old and replaced by a younger actor, finally got his revenge by starring as the famous spy in a spoof of the early Bond films. I'd describe the plot, but there doesn't seem to be a cohesive storyline. Just when you think you know what's going on, it feels like there's a shift and everything starts from scratch. Then, you remind yourself that the opening credits displayed four different directors, so it makes sense that the movie doesn't have one complete vision. For example, the beginning plot is a plot by James Bond's enemies to tarnish his reputation by sending beautiful female agents to seduce him. Then, when that doesn't work, Joanna Pettet is randomly introduced as his daughter and goes on her own spy mission in Berlin. Then, Peter Sellers is recruited in the agency, and he gets bombarded by Ursula Andress and Jacqueline Bisset while he tries to prepare for a card game with Orson Welles. Meanwhile, I'm left groaning in front of the tv with the fast-forward button at the ready, wondering when David Niven will come back on the screen.
Hopefully 1967 audiences were rolling in the aisles at the screwball action scenes, ridiculous Burt Bacharach music, and spoofs of the "typical bad guys" in spy movies. Modern audiences will mostly laugh at the similarities between this film and the Austin Powers franchise, including the x-ray glasses that can see the cards at the gambling table, robotic women with machine guns, and bagpipes that release sleeping gas.
The first vignette-the important one, with David Niven, Deborah Kerr, and cameos by William Holden, John Huston, Charles Boyer, and Kurt Kasznar-is enjoyable and funny, because it doesn't include any of the silly 1960s antics. Sure, there are some sex jokes that every '60s flick snuck in to celebrate the demise of the Hays Code, but they are pretty funny. Since The Niv was a renowned playboy, it's funny to see him resisting the female agents who try to seduce him: one girl undresses him and spends an inordinate amount of time undoing his boxers, another hops in the bathtub with him and scrubs his back, and Deborah Kerr even starts a striptease!
The rest of the over-two-hour-long movie is terrible. It's so awful, it will make you never want to watch another 1960s movie again. If you love James Bond spoofs, just stick with Austin Powers, and if you love Peter Sellers, stick with The Pink Panther, and if you love David Niven, check out the hilarious comedy he made the following year instead: The Impossible Years.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie is not your friend. It will make you sick. There are several sequences that will make you sick with various tactics, including strobe lights, tilted camera angles, whirpool set designs, and spinning shots. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"