The Silver Screen Oasis

I've been plugging through a DVD set (The Grindhouse Experience Volume 2) which has included a couple of Eurospy films that caught my interest. I was (and am) a huge Bond fan, but there are many other spy films and series that have sprung up over the years as a result of Bondmania. The Flint films and the Matt Helm series come quickly to mind.

Are there any spy films, actors or series that are particularly memorable for you?

Always loved The Man From U.N.C.L.E I really like to watch NCIS, just to see Ilya Kuryakin (sure that's not the spelling, but you know I mean David McCallum.)

Last year or the year before, someone asked Gibbs what Ducky looked like when he was younger, and Gibbs replied "Ilya Kuryakin".

Cary Grant in Charade, IMO the best spy movie of the 60s

war-time agents Anna Neagle in Odette and Virginia McKenna in Carve Her Name With Pride

Edward Woodward as Callan, a tv series and feature film about goverment assassin with a consience.

Woodward again as Robert McColl, a retired agent helping out New York citizens in distress. it could well be Callan in middle age.

Man In A Suitcase, a UK adventure series starring American actor Richard Bradford as McGill. while working for American Intelligence McGill is ordered to allow someone to defect to Russia, but he can't prove it so he resigns in disgrace, accussed of treason. he then bounty hunts mainly in the UK, but also in Europe for $300s a week plus expenses

Jack Ryan in Hunt For Red October and Patriot Games and other films, played by Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford. unlike Bond he's a family man.

John Mills in The Thirty Nine Steps with Robert Powell as civilian Richard Hanny, who's drawn into the spy world after Mills is murdered.

Leo G Carrol in North By Northwest playing a character not to different to his Alexander Waverly in The Man From UNCLE

Patrick Magoohan as John Drake in Dangerman (Secret Agent in U.S) No-6 in The Prisoner and Jones in Ice Station Zebra

Robert Wagner as Al Mundy in It Takes A Thief

Roger Moore as Gavin Stewart in The Sea Wolves

Cary Grant in Charade
Omar Sharif in The Tamarind Seed
Frank Sintatra in The Manchurian Candidate and, forced to work for spies in The Naked Runner.

Oooh,. Ms G, where did you find Tamarind Seed?? I would dearly love to see this movie, since Omar makes my heart beat faster....

knitwit45 wrote:Oooh,. Ms G, where did you find Tamarind Seed?? I would dearly love to see this movie, since Omar makes my heart beat faster....

Hi!

Well, after much searching, first I found the vhs tape on Ebay and bought that, then I found the dvd on Region 2 so I have that as well (it's restored and widescreen which is nice, but it's R2 so the sound is not so nice). It's unfortunately not yet out on Region 1 dvd.

I'm heading to Ebay!!! Thanks

I always loved the spy shenanigans on Mission Impossible (plus, who wouldn't love that groovy theme music). It was especially good the years that Martin Landau (1966-69) was the man of many faces. An inventive and entertaining series for its entire seven year run.

Warren William and Ricardo Cortez were entertaining in their spy films.

Cary Grant in Charade. I love that movie, I wish the DVD release was better quality.

If television spy shows can be counted, "The Avengers" gets my vote.

Well, my favourite spy is grittier: Richard Burton in The Spy Who came in from the Cold. This adaptation from John Le Carré offers a very believable image of spying during the cold war. A brilliant picture!

I've never liked Charade that much. Donen is trying to be Hitchcockian with moderate success IMO.

it was intertesting to see the beautiful Claire Bloom as what i think was a naive communist in The Spy Who Came Out From The Cold.

After WW2 in the UK we had a revelutionary Socialist Labour Goverment, who Nationalised everything of importance to the public, like coal and steel. it wasn't until Margaret Thatcher came along that this situation was reversed. however, there were a few who thought Socialism by itself was not enough in the late 40s to the mid 70s and communism was the answer to a better life. giving them credit i'm sure they had genunine ideals, but didn't realise that their view of comumism was different to that of those in power behind the iron curtain. that's where i think Bloom was at fault and she paid for it with her life as she was shot trying to escape back to the west by climbing the Berlin Wall

Mike,
Television can definitely be counted. The Avengers are a fantastic choice. I've always been an Emma Peel man, but how about you? Have you had a chance to see the earlier episodes with Honor Blackman?