HOT ENOUGH FOR JUNE
UK, 1964, 98 minutes, Colour.
Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley, Leo Mc Kern, Derek Fowlds, John Junkin, John Le Mesurier. Derek Nimmo.
Directed by Ralph Thomas.
Hot Enough For June was promoted as 008¾. It was made at the time of Thunderball and so the James Bond saga had begun. There were many spoofs of James Bond including the Flint films with James Coburn. This is a modest British version.
Dirk Bogarde appears as a writer who goes to the Czech Republic and becomes involved in spying. Sylva Koscina is the Russian. Robert Morley the British colonel.
The film was directed by Ralph Thomas, a prolific director of many kinds of films but especially comedies. He worked constantly with Dirk Bogarde in Doctor in the House, Doctor at Sea, Doctor at Large, Campbell’s Kingdom, A Tale of Two Cities, The Wind Cannot Read, Doctor in Love as well as Doctor in Distress at this time as well as The High Bright Sun. Dirk Bogarde was beginning to change gear at this stage of his career, from the matinee idol, to a performer in serious films like Victim and The Servant.
1. How enjoyable a spy film was this? How seriously was it meant to be taken? How comic was it?
2. How much did it echo the atmosphere of 1960's films? The James Bond fashions? The satire on James Bond? The low key spying, the spy not knowing that he was a spy? How effective was the satire, how clever? Why is satire like this enjoyable?
3. How much of the satire was on Britain and its secret service? The ignorance of the heads, their off?handed and pompous manner of working? The comic styles of John Le Mesurier and Robert Morley? The style of their talk, their casual approach, the map, the password etc?
4. How comic was the pesentation of officialdom? using people without their consent? putting them in danger?
5, Comment on the picture of Czechoslovakia in the mid 60s, the Communist overtones, the secret police etc? Yet the interaction with Britain and the similarities with the British? How much satire on Britain was made by this point?
6. How interesting a character was Nicholas? Dirk Bogarde, his personality and style? The pleasure of this way of life as a writer, as ideal?
7. The way that he went into the job? His discovery of what he had to do? His visiting the factory and being hailed as a celebrated British visitor? The ironic comment on Britain?
8. How enjoyable were the scenes of his attempting to work, using of the password, testing hie connections? How serious the police work? The details of the copying?
9. How inevitable was the heroine? How attractive was she? An innocent type Communist? Melting in love with an Englishman? The conflict of ideals and love? Was this presented originally, or was it rather conventional, even cliche?
10. How enjoyable were Nicholas' adventures? His ingenuity in eluding his pursuers? His attempts to enter the British embassy?
11. The ironic tone of entering the British Embassy disguised as a milkman? The contrast with the glamorous spies?
12. How appropriate and enjoyable was the ending? Nicholas escaping, his fiancee going to England? The collaboration of British and Czech,spies and their mutual pickpocketing?
13. The value of making this kind of film? Mere enjoyment, the spoof, the values that are implied in spying and in human life and survival? a successful spy spoof?
