There's been an increasing clamour in recent years for making James Bond a woman; which makes Joseph Losey's dereliction of duty in failing to do it properly when he had the chance more than half a century ago even more culpable.
A monstrous travesty of the original that confirms that Losey sorely needed Harold Pinter to supply him with a sense of humour. The stills of Monica Vitti briefly attired as the authentic Modesty serve simply as further evidence of what a wasted opportunity this folly was.
As with many other spy movies it's saving grace is the villains; and when Rossella Falk (who replaced Annette Carell) is onscreen as "rampaging psychopath" Clara Fothergill one fleetingly forgets that the film has denied her an adversary worthy of her.
A monstrous travesty of the original that confirms that Losey sorely needed Harold Pinter to supply him with a sense of humour. The stills of Monica Vitti briefly attired as the authentic Modesty serve simply as further evidence of what a wasted opportunity this folly was.
As with many other spy movies it's saving grace is the villains; and when Rossella Falk (who replaced Annette Carell) is onscreen as "rampaging psychopath" Clara Fothergill one fleetingly forgets that the film has denied her an adversary worthy of her.