Summary
The Spy with a Cold Nose is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Laurence Harvey, Daliah Lavi, Lionel Jeffries, Denholm Elliott, and Colin Blakely.[1] It was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
| The Spy with a Cold Nose | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Daniel Petrie |
| Written by | Ray Galton Alan Simpson |
| Produced by | Joseph E. Levine Leonard Lightstone |
| Starring | Laurence Harvey Daliah Lavi Lionel Jeffries Pickles (dog) |
| Cinematography | Kenneth Higgins |
| Edited by | Jack Slade |
| Music by | Riz Ortolani |
Production company | Associated London Films |
| Distributed by | Paramount British Pictures (UK) AVCO Embassy Pictures (US) |
Release date | 19 December 1966 |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot edit
A dog has a covert listening device implanted before being presented as a gift to the Russian leader. Spies recruit a veterinarian, to retrieve the transmitter before the Russians find it.
Cast edit
- Laurence Harvey as Dr. Francis Trevelyan
- Daliah Lavi as Princess Natasha Romanova
- Lionel Jeffries as Stanley Farquhar
- Eric Sykes as Wrigley
- Eric Portman as British Ambassador
- Denholm Elliott as Pond-Jones
- Colin Blakely as Russian Premier
- June Whitfield as Elsie Farquhar
- Robert Flemyng as Chief M.I.5
- Bernard Archard as Russian Intelligence Officer
- Robin Bailey as man with Aston Martin
- Genevieve as nightclub hostess
- Nai Bonet as belly Dancer
- Paul Ford as American General
- Michael Trubshawe as Braithwaite
- Bruce Carstairs as Butler
- Glen Mason as 'Ark' assistant
- Norma Foster as 'Ark' nurse
- Gillian Lewis as Lady Warburton
- Wanda Ventham as Mrs. Winters
- Amy Dalby as Miss Marchbanks
- Tricia De Dulin as air hostess
- Virginia Lyon as lift attendant
- Julian Orchard as policeman
- Jack Woolgar as zoo keeper (uncredited)
- John Forbes-Robertson as M.I.5 Workshop Director
- Arnold Diamond as agent in water wagon
- Pickles the dog as himself
Critical reception edit
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Broad, thoroughly British farce, developed along totally predictable lines but partly saved by a script which at least has the virtue of keeping things on the move, and by a zany and superbly timed performance from Lionel Jeffries. There is good support from Colin Blakely as the dog-loving Russian Premier and from Eric Portman as the British Ambassador who holds private meetings in a sound-proof glass bowl. The dogs have thankfully little to say for themselves."[2]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Ace sitcom writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson here offer their contribution to the spy boom that was dominating popular cinema in the 1960s. Their sub-Bondian farce stars Laurence Harvey and fine comedy actor Lionel Jeffries in a story of Cold War espionage which features a bulldog with a listening bug grafted to its insides for spying on the Russians. The script was held up as a model of its type but the genius of the words lost a little something in translation, but much mirth remains."[3]
Film critic Leslie Halliwell said: "Rather painful, overacted and overwritten farce full of obvious jokes masquarading as satire."[4]
Accolades edit
The film was nominated for the 1967 Golden Globe Awards in the Best English-Language Foreign Film category, and Lionel Jeffries in the Best Performance in a Comedy or Musical category.[5]
References edit
- ^ "The Spy with a Cold Nose". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ "The Spy with a Cold Nose". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 34 (396): 79. 1 January 1967 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 870. ISBN 9780992936440.
- ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 953. ISBN 0586088946.
- ^ "The Spy With A Cold Nose". BAFTA. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
External links edit
- The Spy with a Cold Nose at IMDb
- The Spy with a Cold Nose at the TCM Movie Database
- The Spy with a Cold Nose then-and-now location photographs at ReelStreets
