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Product Description
Straight from the pages of Peter O'Donnell's newspaper comic strip, Monica Vitti is Modesty Blaise - the world's deadliest female agent! With her outlandish James Bond-style weapons and ever-changing hair colour, international super-spy Modesty Blaise and her faithful sidekick Willie Garvin (Terence Stamp) battle villains the world over. Modesty and Willie become embroiled in a government conspiracy involving diamonds, a Middle Eastern sheik and a heist plot by arch-villain Gabriel, played in high camp by Dirk Bogarde in a wig and sinister glasses. Josephy Losey directs this psychedelic adventure straight from the swinging sixties, where the jokes come thick and fast, the violence is outlandish and the action never stops.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Anamorphic Widescreen, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: A popular British comic strip series served as inspiration for this light-hearted espionage adventure, which if nothing else certainly shows the marks of its origins in the mid-1960s. A large departure for director Joseph Losey, better known for brooding interpretations of Harold Pinter works (The Servant, Accident), the film is emphatically bright and colorful, taking on at times a nearly psychedelic feel. The strangeness is emphasized by the unusual casting, including Italian star Monica Vitti in her first English-speaking role as the title character and Dirk Bogarde, playing against type as her arch-nemesis. Essentially everything is played for its camp value, including the rather convoluted, James Bond-like plot, which concerns the hijacking of a shipment of diamonds heading for the Middle East. Like its mod-era sets and costumes, this unusual, inconsistent effort is certainly intriguing and attractive, but might seem rather dated to some. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, Cannes Film Festival, ...Modesty Blaise
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I saw "Modesty Blaise" in the cinema when it was first released in 1966. At that time I had already read the book, which I loved, and I came away from the cinema thinking that this travesty, this blasphemy of a movie was total trash.
Peter O'Donnell, the author of the book and the comic strip that inspired the movie, went on to write a whole series of books about Modesty Blaise, and I loved them all, especially the first five - six of them, after which the series declined somewhat. I became a greater and greater fan of Modesty Blaise, and my memory of this movie remained completely negative.
Why this negativity? Because the movie does not follow the true concept of Modesty at all. The Modesty books are intelligent and exciting and character-driven, with a touch of humor. In particular, the characters of Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin (Modesty's loyal side-kick) and their unusual relationship are key factors in the books.
This movie, on the other hand, is just plain silly. It's "campy", with all of the characters acting strangely and with everything that is done being exaggerated. Modesty and Willie, who are both poorly cast relative to their appearance and physique as described in the books, even break into song a couple of times!
So as a movie depicting the "true Modesty Blaise" this movie deserves one star, even though the script does actually follow the first book to a large extent, although everything is modified a bit one way or another.
Now I've watched the movie again on DVD, and my opinion is less harsh.
If you take the point of view that this isn't a Modesty Blaise movie, but a Joseph Losey movie, then it isn't all that bad. Joseph Losey (the director) did have a specific idea of what kind of (campy) movie he wanted to make, and by gum, he did make it.
"Modesty Blaise" (the movie) lasts all of two hours, and the style is consistent and sure. Everyone acts consistently silly, the plot is silly, the action is silly and even the theme song (although catchy) is silly. So if you're in the mood for a silly, campy movie, you've come to the right place.
In fact, if I was a fan of campy movies then I might be giving this movie four or five stars. But I'm not, so I'll leave it at three stars. But it does deserve that simply for the consistent weirdness and for the song "Ice is Nice", sung by Bob Breen. (There's actually a sound track CD available!)
Incidentally, there is no extra material on the DVD, although it does include sound tracks in English, French and Spanish.
Over the years there was often talk of a new Modesty movie, and finally in 2003 "My Name is Modesty" was made and released directly to DVD. Comparing this movie with "My Name is Modesty" (which I also give three stars) I can say that the big difference is in the intention.
"Modesty Blaise" (the movie) was not intended to be a true Modesty movie, so it fails if that is what one is looking for. But it succeeds fairly well in what it was attempting to be, namely a campy movie.
"My Name is Modesty", on the other hand, really was trying to be a true Modesty movie, so it simply fails.
We true blue Modesty fans are still waiting for a good Modesty movie.
Rennie Petersen
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Probably no film screams "swinging sixties" at you as much as Modesty Blaise does with its bright colours and pop art and op art designs, a musical score that is a blend of jazz and pop (courtesy of the late great Johnny Dankworth), a script that seems determined not to make sense, a campy collection of character actors, and direction that seems to be anything but direction. And yet despite all of this - or more probably because of it - the film remains oddly entertaining. And it is definitely a reflection of the era in which it was made. Some of us may watch it with twinges of nostalgia mixed with embarrassment. To say the style of the film is dated is to state the blindingly obvious. But that's part of its charm.
If you are willing to dispense with logic and enter into the spirit of the film, the experience can be quite good fun. Based on a popular comic strip and released at a time when every other film was about spies, Modesty Blaise refuses to take itself, or anything else, seriously. Monica Vitti - always a strange choice for the role - is seldom made up to look like the character she is portraying. Terence Stamp, as her sidekick Willie Garvin, seems to be having a great time. Other British stalwarts such as Clive Revill and Harry Andrews happily do their bits. But it falls to Dirk Bogarde and Rosella Falk to go as far over the top as the film's mood and style requires. Falk in particular seems to have realised exactly what was called for by director Joseph Losey.
But it is Dirk Bogarde as the villain who carries things along and whose performance will be most remembered. It is a performance for which the word "camp" might have been invented. With hair, makeup, costume and body language suitably outlandish, he wisely counterpoints them by dryly delivering his dialogue with his trademark underplaying. Only Bogarde could be staked out in a desert and desperately call out: "Champagne...champagne..."
In the end, you almost wonder why Borgarde and Losey made this film, which is such a distinct change of pace from their earlier collaborations. Some of the sequences are brilliantly shot, especially the more realistic Amsterdam scenes early in the film. But having Vitti and Stamp bursting into song was a huge mistake.
Like most cult films, Modesty Blaise is an acquired taste and will not appeal to everyone. Fans of sixties excess will love it and admirers of Dirk Bogarde will be amazed by it. Anyone watching it for the first time are advised to keep an open mind.
If you are willing to dispense with logic and enter into the spirit of the film, the experience can be quite good fun. Based on a popular comic strip and released at a time when every other film was about spies, Modesty Blaise refuses to take itself, or anything else, seriously. Monica Vitti - always a strange choice for the role - is seldom made up to look like the character she is portraying. Terence Stamp, as her sidekick Willie Garvin, seems to be having a great time. Other British stalwarts such as Clive Revill and Harry Andrews happily do their bits. But it falls to Dirk Bogarde and Rosella Falk to go as far over the top as the film's mood and style requires. Falk in particular seems to have realised exactly what was called for by director Joseph Losey.
But it is Dirk Bogarde as the villain who carries things along and whose performance will be most remembered. It is a performance for which the word "camp" might have been invented. With hair, makeup, costume and body language suitably outlandish, he wisely counterpoints them by dryly delivering his dialogue with his trademark underplaying. Only Bogarde could be staked out in a desert and desperately call out: "Champagne...champagne..."
In the end, you almost wonder why Borgarde and Losey made this film, which is such a distinct change of pace from their earlier collaborations. Some of the sequences are brilliantly shot, especially the more realistic Amsterdam scenes early in the film. But having Vitti and Stamp bursting into song was a huge mistake.
Like most cult films, Modesty Blaise is an acquired taste and will not appeal to everyone. Fans of sixties excess will love it and admirers of Dirk Bogarde will be amazed by it. Anyone watching it for the first time are advised to keep an open mind.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This movies adaption of the popular 60's comic book ticks nearly all the boxes of fan's of the comic and books series (over 90 published)
Terence Stamp is great as Willie Garvin and Dirk Bogarde equally good as the villian Gabriel.
Excellent British support cast with Harry Andrew's and Michael Craig and Clive Revill as McWhirter the "accountant"
Color,fashion and verve of the 60's is well captured.
If you want a "taste" of the 60's this movie deliver's that experience.
Terence Stamp is great as Willie Garvin and Dirk Bogarde equally good as the villian Gabriel.
Excellent British support cast with Harry Andrew's and Michael Craig and Clive Revill as McWhirter the "accountant"
Color,fashion and verve of the 60's is well captured.
If you want a "taste" of the 60's this movie deliver's that experience.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Highly Stylised & Surreal
Blaise is a 1966 comedic spy-fi film It is loosely based upon the popular comic strip Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Grahame
Modesty Blaise is an excellent DVD.
Modesty Blaise is an excellent DVD. Monica Vitti is brilliant in her role as Modesty Blaise. I recommend this DVD to everybody.
Published 13 months ago by Robert Green
ielgh, guh guh guh (and other gagging sounds)
I'm collecting comicbookfilms so this one couldn't be missing from the collection. If there ever was any appealing bits in the movie, it faded with time. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Ph Nijman
Not as bad as all that??
Yes, this is an appalling travesty, if you wanted a genuine "Modesty". Losey obviously never intended it to be faithfull to O'Donnell's wonderful creation and he succeeds. Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. W. Wilson
So essentially sixties!
The essence of the sixties. It is, of course, a James Bond parody, repeating all the clichés.
The interior decoration merits the closest attention.
The interior decoration merits the closest attention.
Published 17 months ago by Laurence
modesty blaise
a film exercising the stamina of the wardrobe department. although very 'cheesy' i enjoy this 'type' of film.
Published 19 months ago by Mr. D. Perrin
"What's that? Looks like a fish!" Modesty will live forever, despite...
Monica Vitti as Modesty Blaise has such a thick Italian accent and such minimal acting skills you're never sure if she's inviting you to her bed or telling you she wants another... Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2009 by C. O. DeRiemer
Who ordered this?
I must echo the sentiments of m'colleague Mr. Petersen. This is not the sort of Modesty Blaise film you want to take home and show your mum, the Modesty fan. Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2008 by C. Davis
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