Sun 11 Oct 2020
A Movie Review by David Vineyard: DUFFY (1968).
Posted by Steve under Crime Films , Films: Comedy/Musicals , Reviews[17] Comments
DUFFY. (Columbia Pictures, 1968. James Coburn, James Mason, James Fox, Susannah York, John Alderton. Screenplay: Donald Cammell and Harry Joe Brown Jr., both of whom are credited with the story along with Pierre La Salle. Directed by Robert Parrish.
Nothing ages worse than old hipster unless it is old hipster comedy, dripping with pretension as only hipsters could drip pretension, and imagining mostly overage pre-hippy/Eurotrash types planning a big caper.
Luckily for everyone involved this one has James Coburn and Susannah York (“I may be a hooker, but I am absolutely not a slut.â€) to deliver actual cool and real sensuality to what would be without them as painful to watch as John Alderton’s rather thick English twit performance here.
Coburn is Duffy, a former con man and smuggler recruited by half brothers Stefane and Antony (James Fox and John Alderton) and Stefane’s girl Segolene’s (York) plot to play pirate robbing the ship the Osiris out of Tangiers carrying a fortune belonging to their cynical and cruel father J. C. Calvert (James Mason).
It would help if Mason’s character was at least nasty. As is his greatest sin seems to be rightly thinking his sons are useless and a dunce, and he isn’t far off.
And I would point out that since this is an English film with English characters it would help if the characters weren’t given silly names like Stefane, Antony, and Segolene with no explanation.
The boys remember Duffy who was a mate on their father’s yacht when Stefane and Segolene come up with the idea and convince the retired crook to go into the caper with them despite his reservations. While they stay in Tangier at Duffy’s place (decorated in porn chic for lack of any other description to fit the absolutely tasteless decor), York and Duffy become involved as the time for the shipment grows closer and their plans go into effect.
Among the better things about this are the location shooting and gorgeous cinematography, if only someone had told Cammell and Brown (whose career is as spotty as Cammell’s) they weren’t actually the least bit hip, and Parrish had not let himself be convinced they were this might have been a pretty good caper film, but as it is the heist itself is anti-climactic and boring.
As it stands everyone is too old and stuck with terrible dialogue:
“I hope Stefane is okay. I hope Stephane hopes I’m okay.â€
“It has occurred to me I’m getting used to you finally, and I probably love you in the worst possible way, I guess.â€
It’s no “We’ll always have Paris.â€
Cammell did somewhat better with his own film Performance (still pretentious, but interesting) and Demon Seed (which he hated and tried to make into a comedy), but basically this film is as problematic as his career. Even Coburn stumbles over some of the dialogue that sounds as if it was written as a Mad Magazine parody of Jack Kerouac.
But Coburn can’t help but be Coburn and even here is ultra cool, while York is incredibly sexy despite it all, those icy eyes fascinating, though she and Coburn both scored better in the altogether more satisfying Sky Riders.
James Mason is James Mason no matter what he is in, and that is always a bonus.
There is a twist if you make it that long, but it really isn’t enough to lift this above the level of interesting. And honestly, if you didn’t guess the twist from the start, you weren’t paying attention.
But I will give it that the end and Coburn being Coburn plus Lou Rawls singing “I’m Satisfied†end it better than the rest of the movie deserves.
Arguably this might have been better seen in a theater in 1968 when I was 18, but I don’t think so. I didn’t take drugs then either, and only that could help this.
What a huge waste of talent and beautiful scenery.
October 11th, 2020 at 7:27 pm
I saw it in a second-run theater when it came out. I was very high on grass–pot as we then called it.
You nailed it. York and especially Coburn were terrific. And so was the scenery.
I’ve seen it since completely sober and except for Coburn and York it hasn’t aged well.
October 11th, 2020 at 7:30 pm
I can’t believe I typed reserves instead of reservations. Maybe this film warped my thinking.
October 11th, 2020 at 8:13 pm
I read right over that several times as well, David. Easily fixed, though!
October 11th, 2020 at 8:10 pm
Not aging well only means it is product of its time, and how could it be otherwise. The director, Robert Parrish won an Acadmey award for editing Body and Soul, and the co-writer, Harry Joe Brown,Jr. had deep roots in the business. Sr. produced dozens of successful films, not only the Randolph Scott westerns, with and without Budd Boetticher. His mother was the lovely actress, Sally Eilers. Does any this mean something? Well to me it does.
October 11th, 2020 at 9:46 pm
It’s a bad film. It is a bad film because it is pretentious, and while I am well aware of Harry Joe Brown’s father and the fine films he made it doesn’t excuse a bad movie by the son.
I’m not attacking anyone’s legacy here. I’m saying two young screenwriters weren’t half as clever as they thought they were and a lot of actors and a good director got caught in the crossfire as a result.
I’m sure this looked good on paper. I’m sure everyone thought they were making a timely hip film. It wasn’t then and isn’t now.
Parrish did better work, but this isn’t it. Alderton, who I take to task here, was good on a British television series I liked and in other things. James Fox has been fine in many things. He’s not bad here, just wasted.
The film is a tribute to Coburn and York that for moments parts of it work at all. Sadly that isn’t enough.
CASABLANCA is a product of its time and and timeless. Product of its time is no excuse for a bad film. The fact that some of these people have family history doesn’t make this a good film. It is no excuse for a bad film, nor is it an attack on their legacy.
I merely said Cammell and Brown had spotty careers. That is far from an attack. I said hipster pretentions make for bad movies, and from much that came out in the late fifties, sixties, and seventies I think that is a fairly honest appraisal.
This is diffuse, not half as funny as it thinks it is, there is no suspense, the caper would be clever if it was not so flat footed. It has a splendid cast and a name director so people will want to see it. I think they need to be warned, and honestly, about how bad it is.
And no, no one’s parents give them the absolute right to be immune from bad reviews for bad movies.
I didn’t mention Brown’s father because I don’t think his work is relevant or should be reflected on by his son’s work. I’m sorry, but I can’t see how pointing out this film is bad reflects in any way on Brown Sr. or Sally Eilers careers. At no point did I suggest that or that Brown’s career was somehow dependent on them. At some point even the children of famous people have to stand on their own.
What means something to me is that readers of a review get an honest assessment of my experience of that work. I don’t do Pollyanna reviews because I think that is pointless.
I don’t assume others will feel the same as I do about any film. All I can do is express my experience of the work, and why I think it succeeds or fails.
Donald Cammell and Harry Joe Brown Jr. had spotty careers by any definition, I focused on them because this film is more reflective of their work than of the director, studio, or stars, leading me to assume much of the problem lay with their script, though God knows screenwriters seldom are responsible for all of a films flaws, and more often than not themselves victims.
There is a set decorator for this film that needed serious therapy for that porno serial killer decoration of Coburn’s home, he or she didn’t seem worth looking up or blaming for the entire film either. Even for 1968 that was over the top.
This film is obscure for a reason. Despite the names involved with it is hard to find on VHS and as far as I know never on DVD. The fact it is almost completely forgotten despite everything going for it seems to reflect it is one of those films best forgotten, but people are going to see those credits and be curious, and I think it is fair game to warn them what they will find.
I cannot imagine any retrospective of the work of Harry Joe Brown Sr. or Sally Eilers would mention their son was responsible for a bad film. I don’t blame Edwin or Junius Booth for John Wilkes either.
October 12th, 2020 at 7:04 am
Nice review. Like Rick Libott, I did see it in the theater when it came out. (I was 19.) My wife and I were dating then, and we pretty much went to the movies every Friday or Saturday night, usually to see a double feature (or a feature with a “sneak preview” of a forthcoming movie). So, we were not that discriminating in what we saw (perhaps that is an understatement). We definitely saw this one, as I was (and remain) a huge Coburn fan (ever since THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN). Even then, the only thing it had going for it was Coburn and York and the scenery. But those years we saw a lot of other crap, like MORE (remember Mimsy Farmer, shooting heroin under her tongue? I do) or SOL MADRID (David McCallum! Telly Savalas!) or the terribly named THE SECRET WAR OF HARRY FRIGG (Paul Newman; we saw this at Radio City MUsic Hall). Yes, there were good movies released in 1968, but these weren’t among them.
A more interesting examination of family might stem from Edward Fox. He and his brother James are still active, have done things like Midsomer Murders and Lewis (James’s son Laurence was the co-star). Fox’s wife Joanna David has been in those shows as well. His former son in law Jared Harris was in Mad Men and Chernobyl. Laurence’s ex-wife is actress Billie Piper, and there are other acting Foxes.
October 12th, 2020 at 8:41 am
TRIVIA TIME:
Can you name two movies in which the three top-billed male actors had the same first name?
!!!CASH PRIZES!!!
(I’m sure Steve will offer some)
October 12th, 2020 at 8:53 am
Were the three Georges ever in the same movie together? Probably not.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:52 am
I’ve been in countless situations where everyone seemed to be named Mike.
It’s a common name.
Robert Parrish is often seen as an exceptionally uneven director, with both good and bad works to his credit.
I’ve never seen Duffy – and barely heard of it.
But I did like his:
Cry Danger
The Purple Plain.
Also an episode of the private eye TV series Johnny Staccato:
The Poet’s Touch.
October 12th, 2020 at 11:19 am
One of the movies in Dan’s Question is CROSSFIRE with Roberts Young, Mitchum and Ryan.
October 12th, 2020 at 3:08 pm
That ought to get you a prize of some kind, Ray. I confess, though, Dan kind of took me by surprise on this.
October 13th, 2020 at 3:18 pm
CRY DANGER and THE PURPLE PLAIN are both favorites of mine which was another reason I went easy on Parrish here, he had done so much better.
October 13th, 2020 at 4:48 pm
I’m surprised no one has mentioned THE WONDERFUL COUNTRY, one of the finest Westerns ever made, and in opinion Parrish’s masterpiece.
October 13th, 2020 at 6:25 pm
Some years back, Robert Parrish wrote a memoir, Growing Up In Hollywood, one of the best such books I’ve ever read.
Track down a copy, if you can.
December 22nd, 2020 at 10:22 pm
I’ve actually seen this strange film. On a local late-night, Late Movie slot.
There’s little about it I would want to remember but I agree that the location shots and the photography makes it persist in the mind long after it has any reason to.
In jumbled fashion, I can recall bits of the sequence in which Coburn’s character is introduced to the viewer: he’s lounging around his Berber digs in a robe (burnoose?) and somehow the two Brits have lured him out across town with some ploy, to come meet them. So there’s an extended shot of Coburn stomping across town, pissed off, causing a commotion in all the shops because he’s jostling everyone. It seemed extraordinarily tedious and over-long. Kept my eyes on it though, because it was Coburn.
James Fox has some entirely sheepish and hangdog role, but I gave him a glance too, for nothing else except to remember with pleasure, his similar assignment in ‘King Rat’.
But yes, the flick illustrates how crucial a strong screenplay is. If Coburn is gonna walk across the length and breadth of Tangier he needs something ripping to say when he arrives.
In sum: I’ll gladly support everything stated in the excellent review above, except for a minor quibble re: Donald Cammell.
Certainly Cammell wrought upon himself a wretched and misbegotten career in cinema. But I confess to admiring the sheer persistence with which he kept failing. I admire his weird position in his timeperiod and in that era’s cinema. So I can’t agree that he wasn’t ‘hip’. Maybe the term itself is too ambiguous for dissection as to what it means exactly. Acknowledging that Cammell was clumsy and maybe even a bit crazy, he’s ‘hip’ to me; if we allow that ‘hip’ includes someone massively unique, someone ‘off to one side of everyone else’ and someone ‘doing his own thing’.
Ha! He wanted ‘Demon Seed’ to be a comedy? Augh…thankfully THAT did not happen.
December 22nd, 2020 at 10:49 pm
Now that’s what I call a comment. Thank you, LG!
August 27th, 2022 at 10:27 am
I just adored this adorable movie! Forget the caper, it’s a romp.A good one.Very tongue-in-cheek dialogue probably shouldn’t be mind boggling either, as that would lend too much sophistication to a perfectly set,zany,silly diversion of reality. The age of characters in film in no way detracted from admiring their beauty.Lots of eye candy. I had fun viewing it and without having to overthink anything, just went for the ride.