CATCH ME A SPY

UK, 1971, 94 minutes, Colour.
Kirk Douglas, Marlene Jobert, Tom Courtenay, Trevor Howard, Bernadette Lafont, Patrick Mower, Sheila Staefel.
Directed by Dick Clement.

Catch Me a Spy is a slight spy thriller from the early 70s, the period of many espionage films in eastern Europe (The Quiller Memorandum, The Criminal Letter). This film was written by Dick Clement who worked frequently with writer Ian La Frenais.

The film has a Romanian setting, double agents, British Secret Service, Russian spies. The strong cast give the film much more impact than it might have had with Kirk Douglas as the double spy, Marlene Jobert as the bewildered wife who tries to trap Douglas into helping her to find her abducted but falling in love with him, Trevor Howard as the uncle, Tom Courtenay as the head of the Secret Service.

1. Was this a good spy adventure? How much of the usual ingredients did it have? Were they used well and excitingly? The investigation, chase?

2. The film was filled with British irony. How effective and entertaining was this? In situation and dialogue?

3. Did the film contain real people and situations? or did it rely on pat figures and situations? If the latter, does this matter for this kind of film? Why?

4. How was Fabienne the central character of the film? How was the audience meant to identity with her? As the victim of the Russians? As the one who was in the dark? As the character who had to cope with the crises? How interesting and effective a heroine was Fabienne?

5. Comment on the way Fabienne was used for spy purposes? Even in her emotions and motives? How was her life changed by her being victimized?

6. Comment on the film’s view of international politics? Its picture of the British, especially with Dawson and the ministry and Clarke and the Secret Service? Britain’s willingness to exchange spies? Russia as the villain as manoeuvring to get prisoners back by false means? Of playing with people's emotions?

7. How interesting a character was John? The intricacy of his double game? His playing with Fabienne's affections? The irony of the exchange with the Russian spy (was this too ironic?) His final exposure and Fabienne’s wanting him and then discovering the truth?

8. Was Andrej an interesting character? Was he too enigmatic at the beginning? The fact that Kirk Douglas was playing him in his usual style? His menacing of Fabienne? Her managing to catch him as a spy for exchange? The gradual encounter with one another and its mysterious, ironical tone? Did his character develop or did he merely remain a stereotype? The relationship of the two, especially in the dangers and the chase? Their future together?

9. What did Clarke add to the film? The humour and jokes at the expense of the English? His emotional life? Fabienne's relationship with him?

10. How effective were the chases, especially the motor boat chases at the end?

11. Is it too pretentious to be seeking values in films like this? Are they merely entertaining? Or do spy adventures and comedies presuppose values in an audience: about life and death, truth and falsity, of using people for political ends?