Hot Enough for June (1964)

Director:

Ralph Thomas

Writers:

Lionel Davidson (novel)
Lukas Heller (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 September 1964 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

The Funniest Agent of the Year!

Plot:

Unemployed Czech-speaking writer Nicholas Whistler thinks he's got a job visiting Prague for a bit of industrial espionage...

Plot Keywords:

Secret Agent | James Bond Spoof | Comic | Spy Hero | Parody

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Nicholas Whistler
Sylva Koscina	...	Vlasta Simoneva
Robert Morley	...	Colonel Cunliffe
Leo McKern	...	Simoneva
Roger Delgado	...	Josef
Derek Fowlds	...	Sun Bathing Man
Amanda Grinling	...	Cunliffe's secretary
Noel Harrison	...	Johnnie
Philo Hauser	...	Vlcek
John Junkin	...	Clerk in Opening Scene
Gertan Klauber	...	Technician in Czech Glass Factory
John Le Mesurier	...	Roger Allsop
Jill Melford	...	Lorna
Derek Nimmo	...	Fred
Richard Pasco	...	Plakov

Also Known As:

Agent 008 3/4 (USA) (promotional title)
Agent 8 3/4 (USA)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A | Australia:G (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Padua, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

Dirk Bogarde was cast at the 11th hour.

Slight Supposed Spy Spoof

"Hot Enough For June" tries to be both a James Bond spoof AND a serious spy thriller, but in truth it contains very little humor and very little action. What it does have is a lot of cold war espionage - it certainly feels more like a real spy movie than any Bond film of the period, with the notable exception of "From Russia With Love". At the end, the real aim of the film seems to be to reveal the pointlessness and futility of the typical spy games. But since what we just watched WAS a typical spy game, the film ends up feeling pointless and futile itself! Dirk Bogarde is fine as the reluctant spy, Robert Morley is fun as essentially an "M" figure, and the unspeakably gorgeous Sylva Koscina, who starred in several spy movies of this period, reminds us once again what a shame it was that she never got to be a real Bond girl - she would have easily ranked among the Top 3. (**)