This is How Movies Should Be Made

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Sadly Over-hyped

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This is a bit of a dog's breakfast all round. Clearly intended as a spoof on the James Bond franchise which was just establishing itself it trails a bad nowhere to the likes of Derek Flint (James Coburn) and Matt Helm (Dean Martin) who quickly joined the bandwagon although even highly polished, sophisticated spoofs such as these came and went within a decade proving there was little mileage in the genre. The plot - and I use the word loosely - requires Dirk Bogarde to portray a layabout content to live on the dole whilst masquerading as a writer who is gullible enough to believe he is trainee executive material on the strength of a ten minute 'interview' and a Swiss cheese where a CV should be. Nor does he find too much wrong with being whisked to Prague within hours of starting his new job. Best of the support comes from Robert Morley as an M-wannabee who makes it as far as about F whilst Richard Pascoe ensures the mahogany content is in the high nineties. It's all pretty harmless and mildly diverting but if they churned out something like this with lottery money today they'd risk being lynched.

I recorded this years ago on the UK TV during a "Dirk Bogarde Double Bill" together with the "Blue Lamp". Whilst the latter has since been issued on DVD ( Many of Bogarde's films fortunately have been ), someone, somewhere has forgotten this one. As it is so entertaining and colourful, I just cannot understand why. This is exactly the sort of film you need on a rainy miserable Sunday Afternoon to cheer you up. It blends Light Comedy, Fairly Exotic Sets, Sexy Ladies, Across-The-Iron-Curtain spy capers and features among others the great RObert Morley ( always irresistible ) and Leo McKern. The plot is original and unexpected. There is a fair amount of suspense and memorable scenes. My copy is getting slightly worn out and I should dearly like to find it on DVD. The UK is probably the only place it will be issued if ever. The title refers to the password that Bogarde must use to make contact with a spy in a Czekoslovak glass factory.

"Hot Enough For June" tries to be both a James Bond spoof AND a serious spy thriller, but in truth it contains very little humor and very little action. What it does have is a lot of cold war espionage - it certainly feels more like a real spy movie than any Bond film of the period, with the notable exception of "From Russia With Love". At the end, the real aim of the film seems to be to reveal the pointlessness and futility of the typical spy games. But since what we just watched WAS a typical spy game, the film ends up feeling pointless and futile itself! Dirk Bogarde is fine as the reluctant spy, Robert Morley is fun as essentially an "M" figure, and the unspeakably gorgeous Sylva Koscina, who starred in several spy movies of this period, reminds us once again what a shame it was that she never got to be a real Bond girl - she would have easily ranked among the Top 3. (**)

I remember this film used to be shone on PBS, now and again, and I always looked forward to watching it.(this was before VCRs, so I caught it when it braodcasted) It was one of the better low key spy films to come out during the James Bond phenomena of the mid 60's, a light comedic film that turned into a good suspense thriller by the end. I hope somebody acquires a good print and puts it out on DVD.