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Ghost Canyon

'Cold War Thrillers' [2-Disc DVD]
(Glenn Ford, Edward R. Murrow, Lowell Thomas, John Wayne, et al / 2-Disc DVD / NR / 2019 / Mill Creek Entertainment)

Overview: 'Cold War Thrillers' includes six films about the period and is out now from Mill Creek Entertainment.

DVD Verdict: 'Man On A String' (1960, NR). Starring Ernest Borgnine, Kerwin Mathews, Alexander Scourby; Directed by Andre De Toth (House of Wax).

A US secret agent is sent to Berlin to pretend to be a spy for the USSR.

Based on the real life story of Boris Morros who was a musician instead of a film producer, 'Man on a String' comes at the tale end of the Cold War espionage thrillers where there was absolutely no doubt as to who the good guys and bad guys were on the screen.

I can understand the reason for renaming the lead character that Ernest Borgnine plays Boris Mitrov and changing his occupation even, for dramatic purposes to give the character more scope.

But for the life of me was anyone fooled when the agency he worked for was renamed the Central Bureau of Intelligence?!

'The Deadly Affair' (1966, NR). Starring James Mason, Maximillian Schell, Simone Signoret; Directed by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon) with score by Quincy Jones.

A British agent sets out to uncover the hidden facts behind a British government employee's suicide. The movie is suspenseful, the action is good for its time, and the acting is excellent.

Some may find it too slow for today's tastes, but action, spectacle and a really fast pace don't help a movie if there's not an interesting plot and story, with well developed characters. If you watch the movie with that proviso, you should enjoy it.

'Otley' (1968, PG). Starring Tom Courtenay, Romy Schneider; Directed by Dick Clement.

Gerald Otley, wannabe antiques dealer, is kicked out of his flat for failing to pay rent, sleeps at a friend's home for the night, wakes up two days later in an airport field, and finds himself entangled in international espionage.

For my money, 'Otley' is a defining film of its time, showing swinging '60s London and presenting Tom Courtenay in one of his defining but less-known roles; as someone who wants to be a spy but wonders what he's got into when he gets his wish.

Otley is an inept spy, and was probably an even more inept drifter. Full of color with a great score, and many fruity cameos, this film should be better known as it is a lot of fun. Emblazoned with a great central performance and the chance to get really engrossed in the period, this film is my personal pick of the sextet here.

'A Dandy in Aspic' (1968, R). Starring Mia Farrow, Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay; Directed by Anthony Mann (El Cid) and with a score by Quincy Jones.

During the Cold War, the British and Soviet intelligence services attempt to out-fox one another using the homesick double-agent Krasnevin as pawn in the complex spy-game.

This is the last film directed by Anthony Mann, whose 'Raw Deal' (1948) was the perfect noir film, and who was a man of immense talent. But he died while shooting this, and Larry Harvey finished the job. This resulted in an imbalance and a lack of conception and tone.

Mia Farrow is excellent as the ditsy, naive "bird" who takes a fancy to LH's counterpoint character. But the real kudos go to Peter Cook, the mod devil-may-care chap who supplies to LH all the pertinent spy goings-on with a mordant, off-color humorous style.

'Hammerhead' - (1968, R). Starring Peter Vaughan, Vince Edwards, Diana Dors; Directed by David Miller (Lonely Are the Brave).

An American agent has tracked down the stronghold of an evil criminal mastermind, determined to take over the world.

American agent Charles Hood needs to stop international criminal Hammerhead from stealing a secret report on nuclear defense. This British production has cheeky asides and a bouncy score from David Whitaker - as well as a curious obsession with erotic art - but is so mild it barely makes an impression; sorry!

'The Executioner' (1970, PG). Starring George Peppard, Joan Collins, Oscar Homolka, Judy Geeson; Directed by Sam Wanamaker (Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger).

A British intelligence agent must track down a fellow spy suspected of being a double agent.

'The Executioner' is, sadly, a dour little spy thriller which acts as a corrective to the James Bond school of spy movies and benefits from an excellent performance by George Peppard as an exhausted, stressed out Ango-US agent searching for a mole in British Intelligence.

The atmosphere of post-swinging London is interesting from a modern standpoint, as is the unusual flashback plot structure. These are all Full Screen Presentations (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

www.MillCreekEnt.com





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