Modesty Blaise (1966)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Brilliant and touching

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This is a parody is based on a British comic strip, and the film came off as another one of the James Bond spoofs that littered the screen in the 1960's (The Matt Helm series, the Dr. Goldfoot series, etc).The movie is about superspy Modesty Blaise (Vitti), who can change her appearance just by snapping her fingers. She is hired by the British government to protect a shipment of diamonds, which international thief Gabriel (Bogarde) is after. Blaise only accepts the job if Willie Garvin (Stamp) is allowed to work with her. Film goes on its way from there.Script is infuriating because it misses opportunity after opportunity for satire. It assumes that just because Blaise is a woman superspy, that alone is hilarious. Vitti does her best, and sounds like a smoky voiced Garbo, but the script leaves her high and dry. She gets most of her laughs from intonation, sight gags, and the glint in her eyes. Stamp is on the sidelines, although his appearance changes at will also. Bogarde as Gabriel is the funniest person in the film, whether he's refusing an egg because it's overcooked or reminding a potential killer that it's rude to point.This one does have Bogarde, and Blaises' changes are spectacular, and so are the sets. There are setpieces that are homages to famous directors, which I found amusing. However, it just goes on too long for what little it is trying to do, there are too many dry spells without laughs, and Bogarde and company are off-screen for too long. Still worth a watch--maybe.

Obviously this was intended as an over-the-top spoof of extravagant 1960's crime and spy thrillers. As some reviewers have noted, if you watch it in isolation and forget the excellent source material it can be enjoyed on that level. Even so, a spoof does not have to be one long joke. There was room for some genuine suspense here, particularly at the climax, where Modesty and Willie escape from their cells and set out to foil arch-villain Gabriel. This would have given the film a sharp edge after all the camp hamming that went before.One of the problems seems to have been that (according to Terence Stamp's autobiography) Monica Vitti was totally lacking in physical co-ordination and just could not handle action scenes. This makes what should be her climactic confrontation with Mrs Fothergill a really limp effort - shot from above to allow a stunt double to do the work with awkward close-up inserts of Vitti and no true physical contact at all.Still, I always relish the sight of Dirk Bogarde pegged out in the desert calling out for "Champagne!" and squealing as the loyal McWhirter comes to the rescue: "I thought you were mother!" Good fun, but it could and should have been better

"Modesty Blaise" was worth watching for me for the eye candy of Dirk Bogarde and Terence Stamp. This type of glamorous, pop art spy film was all the fashion in the '60s, and I guess it's not surprising that Joseph Losey, unlikely a director as he may be for a film like this, got funding to do it.Modesty (Monica Vitti) is asked by the British government to go after some diamonds, which she agrees to do, with the help of her partner, Willie Garvin (Mr. Stamp of the dazzling blue eyes). They need to keep the evil Gabriel (Bogarde), previously believed dead, from stealing them.The film leaves one feeling flat, but it's not all bad. Other than a divine figure, it's unclear to me how Monica Vitti played as many starring roles as she did. She doesn't register much in the way of presence, no matter how many wigs and outfits she dons. And we're talking a lot of wigs and outfits. (She told Tony Curtis when they made a film, "I get top billing in Italy.") Clive Revill and Bogarde give very good performances, Bogarde donning a white wig. He loved working with Losey, and gave himself a strong back story for the part. Bogarde could be quite mannered, and it works well here. He's evil, warped, and silly as Gabriel.The other part of the film that I liked was the little song that Stamp and Vitti sang at different points in the film. It cracked me up. In the midst of imprisonment, escape, stealing, they're singing "The End (We Should Have)" and it's actually quite clever and funny.Other than that, there's not much to recommend "Modesty Blaise." It's pretty on the outside, empty on the inside.

Fox pinned hopes on 'Modesty' becoming a franchise to rival Bond, but these were cruelly dashed as Joseph Losey's film played to mostly empty theatres in the U.K. and U.S.A. ( it did rather better on the Continent ). Taken on its own terms, its not too bad. Jack Shampan's production design is superb, as is John Dankworth's music, there are a couple of decent performances ( Clive Revill, Harry Andrews, and a wonderfully camp turn from Dirk Bogarde ) and some good moments such as Modesty finding herself trapped in an op art cell. But as an adaptation of Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway's comic-strip, its a non-starter. Monica Vitti fails to project warmth and charm as Modesty, while Terence Stamp sounds like Michael Caine on an off-day. The scene where they sing a romantic duet whilst under fire is just painful. Losey was clearly not the right director for this project. Fox made a rather more successful 'girl power' Bond thriller a year later - 'Fathom', starring Raquel Welch.