{"id":6273,"date":"2013-03-14T14:14:12","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T18:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=6273"},"modified":"2014-09-28T13:31:22","modified_gmt":"2014-09-28T17:31:22","slug":"br-our-man-flint-1966","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=6273","title":{"rendered":"BR: Our Man Flint (1966)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Film: Excellent\/ BR Transfer: Excellent\/ BR Extras: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label: Twilight Time\/ Region: All \/\u00a0Released: January 8, 2013<\/p>\n

Genre: Comedy \/ Satire \/ Spy-spoof \/ Action<\/p>\n

Synopsis: Global security organization Z.O.W.I.E. reluctantly engages Derek Flint to stop a band of eggheads from controlling the world’s weather systems.<\/p>\n

Special Features: \u00a02006 Audio commentary track by Cinema Retro\u2019s Lee Pfeiffer and film historian Eddy Friedfeld \/ 7 featurettes (2006 \/ 2009): \u201cDerek Flint: A Spy is Born\u201d + \u201cDirecting Flint: Daniel Mann\u201d + \u201cSpy-er-ama\u201d + \u201cSpy Style\u201d + \u201cFlint vs. Kael\u201d + \u201cA Gentleman\u2019s Game\u201d + \u201cPerfect Boulaabaisse\u201d \/ 2 vintage screen tests \/ 3 Storyboard Sequences \/ Theatrical Trailer \/ 2013 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo \/ 2013 Isolated Stereo Music track \/ Limited to 3000 copies \/ Available exclusively from\u00a0from Screen Archives Entertainment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Review:<\/p>\n

Satire has always been a healthy creative reaction by filmmakers against a genre that\u2019s become voguish, if one that\u2019s devolved into an unintentional parody of itself, and the spy genre during the sixties remains perhaps the most globally imitated, in terms of variants, knock-offs, rip-offs, and comedies.<\/p>\n

Refined and transformed into a global hit, the character of James Bond went from a known government hitman in Dr. No<\/strong> (1962) to an action figure in Thunderball<\/strong> (1965) before quite bizarrely, he was directly spoofed in the bloated (yet guilty pleasure) mess that was Casino Royale<\/a><\/strong> (1967) \u2013 a parody of Bond based on the first Bond novel by creator Ian Fleming.<\/p>\n

The French started their own variant under the OSS 117<\/a> series (recently revived with actor Jean Dujardin), whereas the Italians not only spoofed Bond in their Secret Agent 077<\/a> series, but cast former Bond thespians in a few of the films. TV distilled the spy into singular and team protectors of global peace and harmony, and the genre eventually withered into the only area not tackled by neither Bond nor its imitators and competitors: grim, nihilistic dramas where the world is governed by selfish shits and we all die ignominiously (as in John Huston\u2019s beautifully depressing The Kremlin Letter<\/a><\/strong> [M<\/a>] and The MacKintosh Man<\/a><\/strong> [M<\/a>]).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an unusually long arc for the super-spy since Dr. No<\/strong>, but rather healthy, since the variety of spy dramas made for the small and big screen is sufficiently wide to accommodate any palette, and within the spoofs, satires, and parodies of the sixties is Fox\u2019 Derek Flint series, created by Hal Fimberg, a longtime veteran of radio and TV whose own comedic timing was perfect for a genre in need of a campy send-ups. The script by Fimberg and re-writer Ben Starr also re-rendered some of Bond\u2019s most beloved elements \u2013 the babes, the gadgets, the bald villains, Bond\u2019s brilliant skill set and his occasional impertinence towards his superiors \u2013 into richer and more ridiculous levels.<\/p>\n

The basic plot of three eggheads using a climate controlling gizmo on a volcanic island (where else?) to force world powers into a permanent state of disarmament is irrelevant; the real joy is the intro scenes of Derek Flint (toothy, lithe, and ever-confident James Coburn), hired by his reluctant and almost adversarial ex-box to essentially save the world. Flint accomplishes the task using a crazy quilt of his<\/em> own<\/em> gizmos<\/em> \u2013 they\u2019re actually better<\/em> than the government\u2019s standard issue trick briefcase, guns, etc. \u2013 and a quartet of hot babes who function as personal attendants rather than skilled, mentally agile aides.<\/p>\n

He globe-trots from the U.S. to Italy (the Fox backlot) to find the link between the climate control freaks and cold cream, and pretty much allows himself to become kidnapped by their chief henchman + woman \u2013 a wealthy snot named Malcolm Rodney (ever reliable Edward Mulhare), and the babe-heavy Gila (pretty but limited Gila Golan). Once on the volcanic home base, he avoids termination, rescues the babe, and flees just as the evil isle goes kablooey in a finale borrowed from Dr. No<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little doubt Mike Myers\u2019 Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery<\/strong> (1997) was a direct upgrade of the Flint films with Bondian homages, but Fox\u2019 production still holds up very well largely because the Bond films have stayed with the same formulaic configurations: a villain capable of impacting a greater swathe of innocents must be stopped by a rebellious yet highly skilled spy whose loyalty to country and a black & white morality are almost genetically implanted.<\/p>\n

No matter how cartoonish the Bond films devolved in the seventies, the hero \/ nemesis \/ babes \/ global danger were ever-present because it\u2019s what audiences expected, and the retention of these elemental conflicts ensures pretty much all spy spoofs should retain strong continuity with any generation exposed to any group of Bond films. That may ensure the ongoing relevance of the spoofs, but Flint<\/strong> is able to hover close to the top because the films remain immensely fun, and their quality wasn\u2019t able to diminish as fast as the Matt Helm series because Derek Flint only had two cinematic adventures; Fox apparently had little interest in a third entry, perhaps because the studio sensed the genre\u2019s popularity was stabilizing, and there were a finite amount of conventions, and the success of any jokes relied on their freshness.<\/p>\n

When originally released on DVD in 2002, Fox released Our Man Flint<\/strong> and its sequel, In Like Flint<\/a><\/strong> [M<\/a>] (1967) as part of a four-film spy wave (which included 1966\u2019s Modesty Blase<\/a><\/strong> and 1967\u2019s Fathom<\/a><\/strong>), but the Flint films were reissued in 2006 a 3-disc Ultimate Flint special edition box with audio commentaries for each film, plus a third DVD with assorted featurettes and ephemera, and the long-unavailable TV movie Our Man Flint: Dead on Target<\/a> <\/strong>[M<\/a>] <\/strong>(1976).<\/p>\n

Twilight Time\u2019s essentially taken a gorgeous HD transfer and reorganized the extras (some of which seem to be HD versions with 2009 copyrights) between their two Flint<\/strong> Blu-rays. (Note: the teleplay remains exclusive to the Fox boxed set, so fans of Cancon will be a little disappointed this poorly conceived effort to re-launch the franchise isn\u2019t on BR. Among the Vancouver talent are Ritual<\/strong>\u2019s Lawrence Dane, Da Vinci\u2019s Inquest<\/strong>\u2019s Donnelly Rhodes, The Stalost<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Gay Rowan, The Trouble with Tracy<\/strong>\u2019s Franz Russell, and a bit part featuring Kim Catrall.)<\/p>\n

The first batch of featurettes are fairly fluffy sound-bites blended with clips from both films, whereas near the end we get some meatier material, especially in \u201cDirecting Derek Flint: Daniel Mann,\u201d a really well-made portrait of an underrated and arguably forgotten director, given similar namesakes Delbert Mann (Marty<\/strong>) and especially Anthony Mann (El Cid<\/a> <\/strong>[M<\/a>]) were involved in more iconic productions. Other featurettes address spy gear, the creation of the character (with specific requests from James Coburn), and the amusing tiff between critic Pauline Kael and producer Saul David.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a recipe for \u2018perfect bouillabaisse,\u2019 comparative storyboard montages, and separate screen tests featuring Coburn and Gila Golan, and Coburn and Raquel Welsh (who was re-directed as the female hottie in Fantastic Voyage<\/strong> by Fox). The new bonus is a stereo isolated score track of Jerry Goldsmith\u2019s score (which is in mono in the final film mix), and booklet liner notes by Julie Kirgo.<\/p>\n

The commentary featuring Lee Pfeiffer and Eddy Friedfeld is a straightford geekfest, with the team armed with facts and comparative details between the final film and the shooting script. There\u2019s also a short bit on the equally tongue-in-cheek novelization of the longer script, and plenty of production and cast details.<\/p>\n

Like Kirgo, the pair also address the film\u2019s highly un-P.C. attitude towards women (Flint requires three babes \u2013 including luscious Helen Funai and Shelby Grant – to help shave every morning), where even assertive Gila, after falling out of favour with the ruling eggheads, chooses to become a bikini-clad \u201cpleasure unit\u201d for the male members on the isle \u2013 a process that mandates a trippy inculcation session, and branding. There\u2019s also the main titles which may spoof Maurice Binder\u2019s shadowy naked women Bond titles: a well-endowed silhouette in pasties jiggles when standing, or in one outrageous sequence, licks an ice cream at a fellatative angle before the cone dissolves to a spinning watery mass.<\/p>\n

The only area within the commentary that\u2019s sure to irk some listeners is the frankly ludicrous viewpoint by Cinema Retro\u2019s Lee Pfeiffer that there\u2019s little or no good film music nor scoring talent around nowadays. It\u2019s a narrow-minded stance that\u2019s falls plainly into cranky old fart terrain, and ignores the inherent flaws in Goldsmith\u2019s score: while lush, it\u2019s an old-fashioned construct that repeats the same theme ad nauseam in straight renditions, up-tempo, slow, romantic, and cha-cha arrangements. The chase music in the end is a little more diverse because of the instrumentation, but Goldsmith \u2013 presumably due to producers wanting a hit single \u2013 never strays far from his original theme arrangement.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Quick Postscript<\/strong><\/p>\n

Former Miss Israel (1961) Gila Golan appeared in a few TV series and feature films \u2013 Ship of Fools<\/strong> (1965), Three on a Couch<\/strong> (1966), Catch as Catch Can <\/strong>\/ Lo scatenato<\/strong> (1968), and The Valley of Gwangi<\/strong> (1969) \u2013 before retiring from acting.<\/p>\n

Director Daniel Mann bounced between various genres, including the classic killer rat film Willard<\/strong> (1971) and the 1975 remake of Journey Into Fear<\/strong>, whereas screenwriter Hal Filmberg retired while co-writer Be Starr became a prolific writer for TV (All in the Family<\/strong>, Diff\u2019rent Strokes<\/strong>, Silver Spoons<\/strong>, and The Facts of Life<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2013 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>— Soundtrack Album<\/a> — Composer Filmography<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amazon Search Links:<\/em><\/p>\n

Amazon.ca<\/a>\"\" \"\" —<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" \"\" —<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a>\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Film: Excellent\/ BR Transfer: Excellent\/ BR Extras: Excellent Label: Twilight Time\/ Region: All \/\u00a0Released: January 8, 2013 Genre: Comedy \/ Satire \/ Spy-spoof \/ Action Synopsis: Global security organization Z.O.W.I.E. reluctantly engages Derek Flint to stop a band of eggheads from controlling the world’s weather systems. Special Features: \u00a02006 Audio commentary track by Cinema Retro\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[1928,1925,1927,545,1926],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-1Db","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6273"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9769,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6273\/revisions\/9769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}