Spy Games: Dirk Bogarde – The Reluctant International Man of Mystery

Posted by Kimberly Lindbergs on May 31, 2012

British actor Dirk Bogarde never played James Bond but he did appear in a handful of interesting spy films made during the ‘60s and ‘70s. He may not have resembled the tough, no-nonsense brute that many associate with 007 but Bogarde’s devilish charm, quick wit, understated elegance and roguish good looks made him a good candidate for playing the British secret service agent or his evil nemesis. For my latest installment of Spy Games I thought I’d take a look at the various spy spoofs and espionage thrillers that Bogarde appeared in and discuss their questionable merits. While some might find Bogarde’s contributions to the spy genre unimpressive, I think the following films are indispensable fun and fascinating footnotes in the actor’s long and impressive career although Bogarde himself would probably disagree with me.

Most of the spy films Bogarde appeared in weren’t particularly successful at the box office and critics rarely gave them the time of day. In numerous letters and books that the actor published he openly admits that he often took these roles to pay the bills. There was little motivation to make these movies besides a paycheck but today they’re testaments to Bogarde’s incredible professionalism, renowned talent and passion for his craft, which is apparent in every one of these movies. No matter how flimsy the script was or how disengaged his fellow cast members became, Bogarde proves himself to be a consummate professional. He’s an actor’s actor if there ever was one.

HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE aka AGENT 8 ¾ (1964) – Dirk Bogarde made his first spy film just a few short years following the release of the first James Bond film, DR. NO (1962). In HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE Bogarde plays a struggling writer who unknowingly accepts a job with the government as Bond’s replacement following 007’s apparent demise. The film doesn’t verbally link Bond with Bogarde’s character but observant viewers will spot some telling visual clues that connect this spy spoof with its hugely successful predecessor. This lighthearted film isn’t laugh out loud funny but it’s loaded with charming quips and Bogarde’s talented supporting cast includes Robert Morley, Leo McKern and the lovely Sylva Koscina who help keep things interesting. But the star of HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE is Bogarde and he’s exceptional as a reluctant spy who finds himself unwittingly trading government secrets. He effortlessly exchanges funny barbs with his superiors, romances the film’s femme fatale and easily outsmarts enemy agents that get in his way. The film was directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty E. Box who followed this up with other notable spy spoofs including DEADLIER THAN THE MALE (1967) and its sequel, SOME GIRLS DO (1969). They also previously worked with Bogarde on films such as DOCTOR AT LARGE (1957) and A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1958). The film provides Bogarde fans with an opportunity to imagine the actor in the role of James Bond and that’s worth the price of admission.

MODESTY BLAISE (1966) – A lot has been written about Joseph Losey’s MODESTY BLAISE, a tongue-and-cheek musical adaptation of Peter O’Donnell’s beloved comic strip featuring a beautiful female secret agent named Modesty (Monica Vitti) and her partner (Terence Stamp). Most critics dismiss the film and find it impossible to enjoy, which baffles me. The film’s pop art inspired mise-en-scène and eye-catching visual cues deserve more respect, as does Losey’s attempt to deconstruct an increasingly uninspired genre that was already losing steam in 1966. One of the film’s greatest assets is Dirk Bogarde in his over-the-top turn as the effeminate villain of the film, a master criminal named Gabriel. Losey gave Bogard creative license with his character and the actor willing accepted the challenge. He bought himself a mod white wig that contrasted with is naturally dark good looks and gave him an unusual appearance. Bogarde also created a background story for his character that involved him being, “The black-sheep son of a dowager Scots countess who wrote detective stories, hunted stags and gave her boy psychoses about violence and power.” Whatever failings the film may have it’s hard to forget Bogarde’s campy scene stealing moments as the film’s devilish Gabriel.

SEBASTIAN (1968) – SEBASTIAN might just be my favorite Bogarde spy spoof. This surprisingly smart and engaging film boasts a stand out supporting cast (Susannah York, John Gielgud, Lilli Palmer, Janet Munro and Nigel Davenport) along with an excellent score by composer Jerry Goldsmith that includes other noteworthy musical talents like Tristram Cary, Jimmy A. Hassell and Anita Harris. David Greene (THE SHUTTERED ROOM, I START COUNTING, GODSPELL, etc.) directed SEBASTIAN and it was produced by Michael Powell (THE RED SHOES, BLACK NARCISSUS, PEEPING TOM, etc.) who had intended on making the film himself but ended up as one of the film’s producers instead. Bogarde stars as a brilliant mathematician working as a counter-intelligence agent. He crack codes and deciphers messages sent by enemy agents with help from an army of beautiful women and the latest technology until his heart is captured by Rebecca Howard (Susannah York). The film was written by Powell’s frequent collaborator, Leo Marks, who was an actual cryptographer and wrote a memoir detailing his experiences during WW2 titled, Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker’s War 1941-1945. Like Powell’s previous films, SEBASTIAN contains an element of magical realism and seems eager to dissolve into a romantic comedy at times. But I think the film’s loose structure works in its favor and presents viewers with a unique look at the technical aspects of international espionage.

THE SERPENT aka Night Flight from Moscow (1973) – Bogarde’s previous spy films were all spoofs that often relied on humor to engage audiences but THE SERPENT is a deadly serious affair that represents a tonal change in Hollywood’s approach to the increasingly murky world of espionage. The movie was written and directed by Henri Verneuil who’s probably best remembered for his French crime thrillers such as ANY NUMBER CAN WIN, THE SICILIAN CLAN, THE BURGLARS and I AS IN ICARUS. Verneuli had the ability to manifest genuine tension on screen and THE SERPENT is a great example of the director’s talent for making thoughtful and suspenseful thrillers. The film was based on an espionage novel Le 13e suicidé (aka The Thirteenth Who Committed Suicide) written by a retired French spy, Pierre Nord. Verneuil was probably also inspired by the work of John le Carré and the film adaptations of his novels such as THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (1965) and THE LOOKING GLASS WAR (1969) but his creative direction combined with Claude Renoir’s cinematography and Pierre Gillette’s editing make THE SERPENT a distinct viewing experience that fans of Tomas Alfredson’s TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (2011) should appreciate. This interesting docudrama is notably ahead of its time in the way it uses video footage and audio to tell its story and it also features a moody and minimalist score by composer Ennio Morricone. With an exceptional cast that includes Henry Fonda, Yul Brynner, Farley Granger and Philippe Noiret it’s easy to assume that Bogarde’s role as a conniving double agent named Philip Boyle (based on Kim Philby who was part of a notorious ring of real British spies known as the ‘Cambridge Five’) is overshadowed by these talents but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Bogarde not only holds his own in THE SERPENT but he delivers the best performance in this notable spy picture.

PERMISSION TO KILL aka The Executioner (1975)
This is my least favorite of Dirk Bogarde’s various espionage outings but it’s still worth noting. In the film Bogarde stars as the mysterious head of ‘Western Intelligence’ who goes by the name of Alan Curtis. His character aggressively gathers a team of political radicals and freedom fighters together (including Ava Gardner, Frederic Forrest, Nicole Calfan and onetime Bond, Timothy Dalton) so they’ll help him stop their friend, lover and leader (Bekim Fehmiu) from overthrowing a small-unnamed government. The convoluted plot isn’t helped by Cyril Frankel’s uneven direction or Freddie Young’s surprisingly bland cinematography but PERMISSION TO KILL does benefit from some good performances. The cast is memorable but as expected, it’s Bogarde who steals the show as the smart and cunning Curtis. The film is also successful at showing us a glimpse of the dark and dirty aspects of the spy game where agents are forced to hide in the shadows and can trust no one but themselves.

Some of these films are available on DVD and video but others might be trickier to track down. TCM occasionally airs them so check the schedule and sign-up for updates if you’re eager to see Dirk Bogarde play a reluctant international man of mystery.

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20 Responses Spy Games: Dirk Bogarde – The Reluctant International Man of Mystery

Posted By DBenson : May 31, 2012 7:55 pm

My complaint with Losey’s “Modesty Blaise” is that it’s not really an adaptation or even a satire of the strip. It’s a broad sendup of Bond and caper films in general, with a bucket of 60s hip for good measure, and very little of the strip beyond the character names — a strange choice when you’re adapting what was then a high-profile property.

The 60′s “Batman” show was equal parts camp and sitcom, but they knew their source material well enough to mock it specifically and wickedly (DC comics of that era could be bogglingly silly and stodgy at the same time). “Modesty Blaise”, in contrast, seemed to assume nobody out there read the strip at all and casually turned the heroine from an exotic female Bond to a bubbly playgirl.

I suppose your enjoyment is inversely proportional to your familiarity with the source. I’ve picked up reprints of the strip over the years and enjoyed them greatly; occasionally musing on how fantastic a “straight” movie would have been. To view it from another angle, I also greatly enjoy the Miss Marple comedies with Margaret Rutherford — and I suspect it’s precisely because I never read Christie’s original stories.

Posted By Kimberly Lindbergs : May 31, 2012 8:10 pm

I enjoy Peter O’Donnell’s original comic strip and Losey’s film but they’re two different animals. As I said above in my post, Losey was interested in deconstructing the entire spy genre as well as Monica Vitti’s persona. MODESTY BLAISE was merely a platform for him to explore his ideas. But as a pop art (aka comic book) extravaganza the film totally works for me. Your own millage will vary of course.

That being said, picking apart one film wasn’t really my intention with this piece, which is about Bogarde and his career in spy films. Any opinions about the other four films I wrote about? How about Bogarde in general? He’s one of my favorite actors.

Posted By Susan Doll : May 31, 2012 11:30 pm

I have to say I loved MODESTY BLAISE when I was a teenager, not because of Dirk Bogarde but I though Monica Vitti was the coolest. I was not familiar with the comic strip so I was free to accept the film as is.

Have you ever seen the Czech film WHO WANTS TO KILL JESSIE? It is a spoof of a comic strip heroine coming to life because of some strange science experiment. It’s from the 1960s — a part of the Czech New Wave. One of my favorite films that I helped release on DVD through Facets.

Posted By Kimberly Lindbergs : May 31, 2012 11:57 pm

I think Monica Vitti is fabulous too! I’ve never seen or even heard of WHO WANTS TO KILL JESSIE but you’ve got me utterly intrigued, Susan.

The Czech New Wave is still relatively new to me and I’ve only seen a couple of films from that period. I’ll have to track that movie down ASAP. Your description has totally intrigued me!

Posted By Jenni : June 1, 2012 1:03 pm

They all sound great and great casts too. Wanting to seek them out-Thanks for this post as I had no idea Bogarde had been in any spy genre flicks.

Posted By Juana Maria : June 1, 2012 4:09 pm

My mom always says tha Dirk Bogarde looks like Ricky Ricardo(Desi Arnez) from “I LOVE LUCY” and she’s right. I have seen Bogarde in a version of “Tale of Two Cities”,and a war movie or two, and some film where he kills an old lady. That last movie really creeper me out,especially the scene wher he keeps rocking the empty rocking chair. Creepy. No,certainly not my favorite actor. However, the photo of James Bond,I mean Timothy Dalton is nice. I wonder if I could send it to my sister who is a Bond fan? Kimberly gave me permission to her photo of the gorgeous Sean Connery, so I thought you might too. Thanks.

Posted By Kingrat : June 1, 2012 4:19 pm

Thanks so much for this post, Kimberly. Dirk Bogarde is one of my favorites. I’ve only seen parts of MODESTY BLAISE, but cherish the moment when Gabriel is tortured by beig forced to listen to pop music and whimpers, “Champagne!” I do have fond memories of SEBASTIAN and can still hum Jerry Goldsmith’s perky main theme. This would be a great series for TCM, wouldn’t it? Or at least a double feature for TCM Underground?

Posted By Fred : June 1, 2012 5:31 pm

Another excellent article on one of my favorite actors. It’s interesting that you focused on his roles in spy spoofs (as opposed to his more famous roles in art house films and the Doctor series), but I think it makes sense. Dirk was one of those rare actors who could lift any film he appeared in despite the material. I remember watching Modesty Blaise on television with my father one afternoon. He said the movie was supposed to be awful, but we’d give it a shot. I don’t know if it was our diminished expectations, but we really enjoyed the film, especially Dirk’s very drole and amusing Gabriel. Here was a role that other actors may have gone completely over-the-top with, but Dirk succeeded in underplaying it to perfection, with the right amount of camp and a knowing wink of the eye.

When you look at Dirk’s career, one word that stands out is courage. At the height of his popularity, he decided to turn away from the Doctor series which made him a star, and instead starred in Victim, the first film to deal with gay rights and the unfair ways that homosexuals were treated at the time. It was all the more risky, since Bogarde was a gay man who risked his career by taking this film. Other standout performances were in The Damned, Death in Venice, the Night Porter and the Servant, all of them roles which other actors may have shunned since they dealt with topics that were not commercial (Nazism, homosexuality, sado-masocism, etc). He even added a great sense of drama to a glorified cameo in A Bridge Too Far.

Thanks for giving due attention to a great actor who I feel deserves more credit.

Posted By Juana Maria : June 2, 2012 9:38 am

Fred:Thanks! That’s the war movie I saw him in! Do you by any chance know the title of the movie I described earlier? The one where Bogarde kills an old woman for her money,goes crazy and keeps her rocking chair rocking just like the old woman is still there. Oh that was a creppy picture! It reminds me of “Night Must Fall” but that has Rosalind Russell and Robert Montgomery,I don’t remember the name of the old lady. Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks and Adios.

Posted By swac44 : June 3, 2012 11:42 pm

Wow, do I ever need to see Sebastian. Too bad it was released by the studio with the worst track record with making its back catalogue available, Paramount.

Posted By Cary Watson : June 4, 2012 7:07 pm

I love Dirk Bogarde as an actor, but he may not have been such a great person. I was flipping through a book of his collected correspondence and found a letter in which he refers to William Goldman as “a Brooklyn jew.” He wrote it while shooting A Bridge Too Far, and apparently he wasn’t happy with director Attenborough or the screenplay by Goldman.

Posted By Kimberly Lindbergs : June 5, 2012 2:44 pm

Thanks for all the comments! It’s nice to see so many fans of Bogarde taking the time to share their thoughts. I hope SEBASTIAN gets a DVD release soon because it’s hard to see but you can currently enjoy some clips from the movie on Youtube.

Juana – Please feel free to share any pictures I post at the Morlocks with family & friends. They’re simply used for review and discussion purposes and I don’t own the rights to them. As for the Bogarde film you’re thinking of, I believe it’s the excellent British thriller, CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955) and the woman he strangles is actress Mona Washbourne. Great film & very creepy! I’d like to write it up soon. May have to pull out my video copy since I don’t think it’s available on DVD yet.

Kingrat – Love your idea of TCM showing a batch of Bogarde’s spy films one day. Hope the powers that be are reading this.

Fred – This post was written for my ongoing series, SPY GAMES which is in the title and that’s why I focused on the espionage films he made. Love the art films he appeared in as well. Particularly those he made with Losey, Visconti, Fassbinder and Liliana Cavani. He was a very daring and versatile actor and he appeared in some incredibly challenging films.

Cary – I recommend reading more about all the nastiness that went on behind-the-scenes of the making of A BRIDGE TOO FAR. Unfortunately the behavior of many involved with the film was rather abhorrent, Bogarde included. He dealt with some extreme homophobia during the making of the movie, wasn’t paid as well as other actors, etc. It was ugly and unfortunately Bogarde’s behavior turned ugly as well. I’m not making any excuses for him! Just trying to shed some light on a rather complicated situation that left many with “dirt on their faces” as they say.

Posted By Andrew Monroe : June 5, 2012 2:52 pm

Juana, I think the film you are asking about is CAST A DARK SHADOW. Bogarde is typically excellent as a murderous gigolo, and Margaret Lockwood holds her own in the role of his latest victim. I recorded it off TCM many years ago, it’s overdue for another broadcast.

I enjoyed your article, Kimberly. Boagarde is one of my favorite actors…and I’m a Monica Vitti admirer as well! The epitome of 1960s cool as far as I’m concerned.

Posted By Andrew Monroe : June 5, 2012 2:53 pm

Oops, I missed Kimberly’s comment while I was writing my own.

Posted By Juana Maria : June 5, 2012 4:05 pm

Kimberly Lindbergs & Andrew Monroe:Thanks for answering my question! It has been bugging me for awhile that I couldn’t remember the title,so I had no idea how to find it again on TV. I think it is over due for TCM to play it again. Thanks everybody for your comments,I’ve enjoyed them a lot!!

Posted By Fred : June 6, 2012 2:44 pm

Kimberly, I think I should remember to read the title of your post before posting my comment. My bad.

Juana, I’m glad I reminded you of A Bridge Too Far. I didn’t know about the behind-the-scenes issues with the cast, and am sorry to hear about it since it featured practically every actor (Bogarde, Olivier, Schell, Hopkins, Caine, Connery, Redford, Caan, Fox, Hackman) and one actress (Liv Ullmann) that I loved in the 70s.

Posted By Juana Maria : June 7, 2012 7:46 pm

You know my twin sister and I had to watch “A Bridge Too Far” when we found out that Sean Connery was in it! We love him so.

Posted By Rosamond Tifft : June 24, 2012 2:53 pm

Wonderfully thought out article and gives fresh views to some of Dirk Bogarde’s lesser thought of films, not all, but some. I feel Sir Dirk would be pleased by your thinking. I am a huge fan of his. I think he was one of the finest actors on the planet. You did a good job of bringing out the best in each of these spy films. And you are indeed correct, Bogarde is great in each of them.

Posted By Maureen Whittaker : June 26, 2012 9:18 am

A huge thank you for the detailed and balanced view of these films, all of them highly treasured by Bogarde fans. He was indeed an actor’s actor and always gave a performance which was original and frequently outshone others with whom he shared screen time. I particularly appreciate his Gabriel in MODESTY BLAISE, a unique creation full of irony and icy wit. But then, Sebastian is another favourite and in this film he is so very different. Dirk was, and is, a superb actor whose films never disappoint.

Posted By Maureen Whittaker : June 26, 2012 9:23 am

I was amazed to discover that TCM do not have any of Dirk Bogarde films available for screening in the United Kingdom. What a waste of an opportunity to share some of these great screen moments especially as many of his best films are not receiving air time.

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