Features every bit of trickery that annoyed us in The Sins of the Fathers but there's two big differences: 1. it's 1966, the age of psychedelia and experimentation, 2. it's done fantastically well - the tilts (optician scene), reflections (Loren reflected in numerous camera lenses, for example), editing (particularly in scene where Peck is off his head on the motorway), zooming, filming up through glass tables etc. all very stylish, especially when mixed with Loren's costumes and Mancini's score. It's one of Christopher Challis's best pictures.
There are though rather too many people in dark make-up for its own good. Also scene involving wrecking ball is silly - could have done with some humour to make it self-referentially funny.
Story-wise it's Charade + Hitchcock on the run + Bond.
"He neglected to mention that part of his job description was to be murdered."
Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren, Alan Badel, Kieron Moore (achingly bad 'groovy daddy-o' character), Carl Duering (rather good as Arab prince), George Coulouris (fleetingly).
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| Maurice Binder designed credits scene |
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| Good one for the film quiz |
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