A Dandy in Aspic
| A Dandy in Aspic | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by |
Anthony Mann Laurence Harvey (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Anthony Mann |
| Written by | Derek Marlowe |
| Based on |
A Dandy in Aspic 1966 novel by Derek Marlowe |
| Starring |
Laurence Harvey Tom Courtenay Mia Farrow Peter Cook Harry Andrews |
| Music by | Quincy Jones |
| Cinematography |
Christopher Challis Austin Dempster |
| Edited by | Thelma Connell |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
April 1968 (UK) April 2, 1968 |
|
Running time
|
107 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
A Dandy in Aspic is a 1968 Technicolor and Panavision British spy film, directed by Anthony Mann, based on the novel of the same name by Derek Marlowe and starring Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay and Mia Farrow. It was Mann's final film.
Essentially a Cold War thriller, it is the story of a Russian counter-espionage agent, known as Eberlin (Laurence Harvey) to his employers in British Intelligence, where he is working undercover for Moscow as a double agent.
Eberlin's (Laurence Harvey) superiors in Britain instruct him to find and assassinate a KGB agent named Krasnevin, believed to have killed a number of British agents. This presents a problem for Eberlin, as he is Krasnevin. Summoned to a meeting at a country house, he is presented with a photograph of the suspected Krasnevin. It turns out to be his handler and go-between with Moscow.
He is partnered with a ruthless, cynical and sociopathic British agent Gatiss (Tom Courtenay), who openly distrusts and dislikes him. Mia Farrow plays a London-based photographer with whom Eberlin has an affair. Much of the film takes place in West Berlin, where Eberlin tackles the dilemma posed by his mission by attempting to escape across the Berlin Wall to the East. His attempts are frustrated by his partnership with Gatiss, and by the Soviet authorities, who are keen to retain one of their top agents in British intelligence.
Largely filmed on location in London and Berlin, this was Anthony Mann's final film; he died of a heart attack before it was finished. Its direction was completed by Harvey.
The film also features Peter Cook, at a time when his TV career was at a peak, in a minor role as the foppish but libidinous British agent, Prentiss.
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