MODESTY BLAISE and OUR MAN FLINT!
07-15-02 | 08:57 PM
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From: Olympia, WA
MODESTY BLAISE and OUR MAN FLINT!
On Saturday, I watched Our Man Flint and MODESTY BLAISE back to back, and of the two, I found Modesty Blaise to be the more compelling film. Besides the cool cool James Coburn, and Jerry Goldsmith score, I found Our Man Flint to be badly dated.
On the other hand, even though it's really hard to follow the "plot" in Modesty Blaise, perhaps a second viewing will help, the cast, including Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp, Dirk Bogarde, Harry Andrews, Rossella Falk and Clive Revill, is excellent. You've also got great characters including a man with a tattoed face who shows up in about every other scene, a blonde haired boytoy who's the gigolo of Mrs. Fothergill, a sadist who may or may not be the wife (I doubt it) of the evil Gabriel, portrayed with over the top foppishness by Dirk Bogarde. There's also a murdered mime, an anal Scottish accountant, not to mention strippers and spys, magicians and sheiks. What more could you want? Friars? Monks? got them too?
The cinematography and editing, the location shooting in Amsterdam and on the Italian Mediterranian, the (pop)art direction and costumes, and the jazzy score and the goofy yet endearing duets between Vitti and Stamp with the most wakadoo lyrics ("we'll have a donkey in the stable, and take peaceful donkey rides"), all are reminiscent of the vibe one gets from viewing THE 10th VICTIM.
Dirk Bogarde as the evil villain Gabriel, with his peroxided locks, razor-thin gold sunglasses, and his over-the-top stem ware, rules his wicked and depraved kingdom from a clifftop op-art villa overlooking an azure Mediterranian Sea. Compare that to Our Man Flint's boring blue blazered villain Malcolm Rodney (think of a contestant in Monty Python's twit of the year contest), portrayed by Edward Mulhare, and you have an idea of the difference in tone between the two films.
cheers, Tony Block
P.S. Modest Blaise is presented with a nice eyepopping 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and either dolby stereo or mono.
ALSO HELP: did I hear Terence Stamp playing something off of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (All Blues? help?) in the film?
On the other hand, even though it's really hard to follow the "plot" in Modesty Blaise, perhaps a second viewing will help, the cast, including Monica Vitti, Terence Stamp, Dirk Bogarde, Harry Andrews, Rossella Falk and Clive Revill, is excellent. You've also got great characters including a man with a tattoed face who shows up in about every other scene, a blonde haired boytoy who's the gigolo of Mrs. Fothergill, a sadist who may or may not be the wife (I doubt it) of the evil Gabriel, portrayed with over the top foppishness by Dirk Bogarde. There's also a murdered mime, an anal Scottish accountant, not to mention strippers and spys, magicians and sheiks. What more could you want? Friars? Monks? got them too?
The cinematography and editing, the location shooting in Amsterdam and on the Italian Mediterranian, the (pop)art direction and costumes, and the jazzy score and the goofy yet endearing duets between Vitti and Stamp with the most wakadoo lyrics ("we'll have a donkey in the stable, and take peaceful donkey rides"), all are reminiscent of the vibe one gets from viewing THE 10th VICTIM.
Dirk Bogarde as the evil villain Gabriel, with his peroxided locks, razor-thin gold sunglasses, and his over-the-top stem ware, rules his wicked and depraved kingdom from a clifftop op-art villa overlooking an azure Mediterranian Sea. Compare that to Our Man Flint's boring blue blazered villain Malcolm Rodney (think of a contestant in Monty Python's twit of the year contest), portrayed by Edward Mulhare, and you have an idea of the difference in tone between the two films.
cheers, Tony Block
P.S. Modest Blaise is presented with a nice eyepopping 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer and either dolby stereo or mono.
ALSO HELP: did I hear Terence Stamp playing something off of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (All Blues? help?) in the film?
Last edited by Tony Block; 07-15-02 at 09:00 PM.
07-26-02 | 10:24 AM
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From: Olympia, WA
08-05-02 | 01:31 PM
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Modesty Blaise is an absolute Hoot! I got a whole group of friends together to watch Fathom (which everyone liked - a perky, fun film) but they loved Modesty ... whom we all just got a kick out of. Too bad Fox didn't put any extras on the DVD, however...real shame. The quality was great, though...just as colorful as all get-out.
In the same veign, I wish someone would put out a pristine copy of DIABOLIK on DVD. Those '60's spy thriller/comedies are addicting.
In the same veign, I wish someone would put out a pristine copy of DIABOLIK on DVD. Those '60's spy thriller/comedies are addicting.
08-06-02 | 06:05 PM
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From: Marblehead, MA
Modesty Blaise: http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s538blaise.html
In Like Filnt:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s537like.html
In Like Filnt:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s537like.html
02-03-09 | 04:47 AM
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Re: MODESTY BLAISE and OUR MAN FLINT!
I was actually kinda disapointed with the Modesty Blaise movie.
Im a huge fan of the comic. And I was expecting more like the cartoon.
But maybe in the next one? I think i heard some place that there is going to be more than this made? anyone have any info on this?
Cant wait to get to see more.
Im a huge fan of the comic. And I was expecting more like the cartoon.
But maybe in the next one? I think i heard some place that there is going to be more than this made? anyone have any info on this?
Cant wait to get to see more.
