29 June, 2009

THE EUROSPY FILES: Did you check out Agent O77 on Cine Polar?

Agent 077 operation Jamaique

Mardi 16 juin à 21h00

Film policier espagnol 1965
Réalisateur : Jesus Franco
Avec : Conrado San Martin, Danik Patisson
Durée : 1h30
Interdit en salles -16ans
Vogel, un trafiquant notoire, a dénoncé deux de ses complices, Castro et Smith. Le premier a été tué par la police, le second emprisonné ... Quinze ans plus tard, Vogel a pris une autre identité et vit retiré à la Jamaïque avec son épouse Linda. Mais Vogel est retrouvé, en plein carnaval, par son gang ...

PHOTOTHEQUE




 




I missed it myself. This was on www.cinepolar.com, a site readers may want to investigate further. This is, of course, the French Eurospy version of Jess Franco's LA MUERTE SILBA UN BLUES (1962), a Wellesian thriller/policier/noir in which Agent Jao (Conrado San Martin, billed on the French print as "Sean Martin") is actually 069! At least that's what he calls himself on the French track, but it may have been too risque even for Eurocine to go with that for the main title. I'd like to see the original 94m Spanish version. The French version I have runs under 80m. See Jess Franco play a hot sax solo with the Whisky Jazz Club Band.

This is one of Franco's more interesting early films. The story of corruption and mise en scene were clearly influenced by TOUCH OF EVIL. The moody b&w cinematography was by Juan Marine (PIECES), whom Franco told me was one of his favorite DPs. Excellent performances by Georges Rollin, Perla Cristal. This really needs to get released on a superior DVD.

There's also reportedly a version titled 077-OPERATION SEXY. The 1973 color remake, KISS ME KILLER, is not as impressive, being both unnecessary and overlong.

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