Fri 22 Jan 2021
A Movie Review by David Vineyard: OSS 117: MISSION FOR A KILLER (1965).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Suspense & espionage films[11] Comments
OSS 117: MISSION FOR A KILLER. Valoria Films, France/Italy, 1965. Embassy Pictures, US, 1966. Originally released as Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117. Frederick Stafford (Hubert Bonnisseur de la Bath, alias OSS 117), Mylene Demeonget, Raymond Pellegrin. Based on the novel Dernier quart d’heure by Jean Bruce, his 44th OSS 117 book, published in English in 1965 under the title Live Wire (UK) and The Last Quarter Hour (USA). Directed by Arthur Hunnebelle.
This third outing in the series of OSS 117 films in the Sixies features Frederick Stafford (Topaz, 1969) as Hubert Bonisoir de la Bath, OSS 117, the American CIA agent created by popular French journalist and former Resistance fighter and FFI agent Jean Bruce.
Unlike most of the briefly popular Eurospy genre that followed in the wake of the James Bond craze, the OSS 117 films were mostly expensive productions in the Bond mode, this one filmed on location in Brazil and with some sets and big action scenes rivaling a James Bond film of the era.
Hubert (Frederick Stafford) has been called off his vacation because of a series of terrorists acts in South America. A journalist in Rio de Janero has information leading to a mysterious group that is using some unknown drug to turn innocents into deadly killers, and it is the job of OSS 117 to contact him and follow the clues to the plans of these dangerous assassins.
The usual beautiful women and dangerous games follow, handsomely shot in Eastmancolor with fine cinematography in Francoscope, the French equivalent of Cinemascope and thanks to the Bruce novel, the story is loosely based on a more cogent plot than most Eurospy films could manage. The budgets and production values far exceed the George Nader / Jerry Cotton films or the Joe Walker / Kommisar X films, much less the various films starring Roger Hanin, Ken Clark, German Cobos, Ray Danton, Gordon Scott, Brett Halsey, or Anthony Eisley to name a few.
Stafford, who was wooden in Alfred Hitchcock’s Topaz, is relaxed and playful in his first outing as Bruce’s dashing agent who had previously been played in two films with Kerwin Matthews and would be played one more time by Stafford before a final outing with John Gavin in the role.
Of course when OSS 117 reemerged in the 21rst Century it would be in the person of Jean Dujardin in two brilliant spy comedies that recreated the look and feel of the original films, but with Hubert something of a sexist dunce whose 1950’s early 1960’s Playboy lifestyle sensibility is clashing with a changing world. In addition the two Dujardin films turned Hubert into a French spy, rather than the Louisiana-born Creole aristocrat CIA agent of the books.
Aside from the novels by Jean Bruce, OSS 117 was successful in comics and other mediums in his long run though the books never did well here (two were published by Fawcett Crest in the Sixties). There were more published in England, but still Hubert never saw anything like the same success in English as he had on the Continent.
It should be pointed out that however much this series of films was influenced by the success of the Bond films, OSS 117 himself was created in 1948, and had a five year run before 007 made his debut in Casino Royale in 1953. In addition the first OSS 117 movie appeared in 1957 well before Dr. No in 1962.
Desmond Cory’s Johnny Fedora also beat Ian Fleming and Bond into print by five years, as did several other post war spies including Burke Wilkinson’s Geoffrey Mildmay (Proceed at Will, Run Mongoose) and Sea Lion’s Desmond Drake (Damn Desmond Drake), the influence for all for all but Wilkinson being Peter Cheyney’s well received “Dark” series of spy novels written during the war and even praised by Anthony Boucher, who wrote the introduction to the omnibus edition of the books.
It was simply an idea whose time had come and Fleming was best positioned with a mix of style, panache, war time experience, and luck to cash in. He was of course a better writer than all but Cory (Shaun McCarthy), and a more serious one than him, plus Fleming kept an eye out for the American market from the start even if it took time to crack it.
The parallels between Fleming and Bruce are still notable both in the numeric identification of their heroes, their war time intelligence ties, both men being journalists, their legendary drinking and womanizing, and both dying in 1964 at relatively young ages (Fleming of a heart attack, Bruce in a wreck in his beloved sports car). And like Bond, Bruce’s creation lived on as a sort of family cottage industry.
Arthur Hunnebelle (Fantomas) directed this one which finds Hubert teaming with beautiful Mylene Demeonget and hostage of a supervillain who plans nothing less than taking over all of South America by assassinating the current leaders and creating a new super power and world order dedicated to harmony and peace, and if murder and torture are what it takes to achieve that end,..
Eggs cracked and all that.
The finale is a battle with Hubert and a handful of allies and natives who the madman has enslaved and experimented on shooting it out in a jungle mountain fortress before the arrival of the Brazillian army by parachute (in a scene mindful of the similar arrival of the cavalry in Thunderball) and a final confrontation between the fleeing villain and Hubert over a vast waterfall as he rescues Demeonget.
It’s all nonsense, but by the standards of the Eurospy genre as spectacular as the then contemporary Bond films if lacking some of the narrative drive and those pulsing John Barry scores — and of course, Sean Connery.
The five Sixties films are worth seeing still (available in a boxed set on DVD), and by all means the wonderful Jean Dujardin films, OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies, and OSS 11:7 Lost in Rio (DVD and Blue Ray). The 1957 film is available in French on YouTube, OSS 117 is not Dead with Ivan Desny. A couple of other non-OSS 117 Jean Bruce books into films are also out there and available on YouTube including Mission to Venice with Sean Flynn and ex-OSS 117 star Kerwin Matthews as The Viscount, a suave insurance investigator.
Filmography:
OSS 117 is not Dead (1957) Ivan Desny (B&W)
OSS 117 is Unleashed (1963) Kerwin Matthews (B&W)
OSS 117 Panic in Bangkok (1964) Kerwin Matthews
OSS 117 Mission for a Killer (1965) Frederick Stafford
OSS 117 Mission to Tokyo (1966) Frederick Stafford
OSS 117 Double Agent (1968) John Gavin
OSS 117 Cairo Nest of Spies (2006) Jean Dujardin
OSS 117 Lost in Rio (2009) Jean Dujardin
January 23rd, 2021 at 1:47 am
The first Bruce novel was ’49 not ’48 as I stated, ’48 is the correct date for Cory and Johnny Fedora though.
Bruce had served in FFI, Free French Intelligence, during the War, and like Fleming had a penchant for fast cars and beautiful women.
The OSS 117 series was continued for some time after Bruce’s death by his family.
The OSS 117 series was popular enough in Europe it produced its own imitators including the OSS 77 films with Ken Clark and others. Paul Kenny’s Francis Coplan also got his own film series though nothing as elaborate as the OSS 117 series, and of course the West German Jerry Cotton series written by Otto John and the Bert F. Island Kommissar X series both reached the screen too. The most competitive with Bruce, and even exceeding him eventually is sales was the Gerard de Villier’s SAS Malko Linge series about an Austrian Prince who works as an assassin for the CIA to pay for renovations to his ancestral home, that had far greater success here in this country.
January 23rd, 2021 at 8:43 am
Very good review.
January 23rd, 2021 at 9:11 am
Jean Bruce titles translated into English (very few published in the US)
BRUCE, JEAN; pseudonym of Jean Alexandre Brochet, (1921-1963)
* *A Coffin for Isa (Paris: City Press, 1954, hc)
* *Cold Spell (Corgi, 1967, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Singapore] Translation of “Cinq Gars pour Singapore.†Paris, 1957. Film: Numbre One, 1967, as Cinq Gars pour Singapore (Five Ashore for Singapore; Singapore) (scw: Bernard T. Michel, Pierre Kalfon; dir: Michel).
* *Corpses Galore (Archer, 1951, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath (?)] Translation of “Cadavre au Detail.†Paris, 1950.
* *Dead Silence (Corgi, 1967, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Lisbon, Portugal]
* *Deep Freeze (Cassell, 1963, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Russia] Translation of “Tactique Artique.†Paris, 1960.
* *Double Take (Cassell, 1964, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath] Translation of “Rentre dans la Dans.†Paris, 1961.
* *Flash Point (Cassell, 1965, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Moscow] Translation of “Moche Coup a Moscou.†Paris, 1958.
* *High Treason (Corgi, 1967, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath] Translation of “Trahison.†Paris, 1965.
* *Hot Line (Corgi, 1966, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Tokyo] Translation of “A Tout Coeur a Tokie.†Paris, 1958. U.S. title: Trouble in Tokyo. Crest, 1965. Film: Valoria, 1966, as A Tout Coeur a Tokyo pour OSS 177 (Heart Trump for OSS 117 in Tokyo) (scw: Pierre Foucaud, Terence Young, Marcel Mithois; dir: Michel Boisrond).
* _The Last Quarter Hour (Crest, 1965, hc) See: Live Wire (Corgi 1965).
* *Live Wire (Corgi, 1965, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Buenos Aires, Argentina] Translation of “Le Dernier Quart d’Heure.†Paris, 1955. U.S. title: The Last Quarter Hour. Crest, 1965. Film: PAC-DA-MA, 1966, as OSS 117-Mission for a Killer (scw: Jean Halain, Pierre Foucaud, Andre Hunebelle; dir: Hunebelle).
* *Photo Finish (Corgi, 1965, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath] Translation of “O.S.S.177 a l’Ecole.†Paris, 1961.
* *Pole Reaction (Cassell, 1965, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Greenland] Translation of “O.S.S.177 Repond Toujours.†Paris, 1953.
* *Shock Tactics (Cassell, 1965, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath] Translation of “Ombres sur la Bosphore.†Paris, 1954.
* *Short Wave (Cassell, 1964, hc) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; Poland] Translation of “Affaire No. 1.†Paris, 1954.
* *Soft Sell (Corgi, 1965, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath] Translation of “Plans de Bataille pour O.S.S. 117.†Paris, 1957.
* *Strip Tease (Corgi, 1968, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath] Translation of “Strip Tease pour O.S.S. 117.†Paris, 1962.
* *Top Secret (Corgi, 1967, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath]
* *Treason (London: Ace, 1957, pb) [Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath; England] Series character de la Bath here has first name Pierre.
* _Trouble in Tokyo (Crest, 1965, hc) See: Hot Line (Corgi 1966).
And for comparison, the Malko stories:
DE VILLIERS, GERARD (1929- )
* *The Angel of Vengeance (Pinnacle, 1974, pb) [Malko Linge; Uruguay] Translation of “L’Ange de Montevideo.†Paris, 1973.
* *The Belfast Connection (Pinnacle, 1976, pb) [Malko Linge; Belfast, Ireland] Translation of (?): “Furie a Belfast.†Paris, 1974.
* *Black Magic in New York (NEL, 1970, pb) [Malko Linge; New York City, NY] U.S. title: Operation New York. Pinnacle, 1973. Translation of “Magie Noire a New York.†Paris, 1967.
* *Checkpoint Charlie (Pinnacle, 1975, pb) [Malko Linge; Berlin] Translation of “Berlin: Check-Point Charlie.†Paris, 1973.
* *The Countess and the Spy (Pinnacle, 1974, pb) [Malko Linge; Austria; Hungary] Translation of “Le Bol de la Comtesse Adler.†Paris, 1971.
* *Death in Santiago (Pinnacle, 1976, pb) [Malko Linge; Chile] Translation of “L’Ordre Regne a Santiago.†Paris, 1975.
* *Death on the River Kwai (Pinnacle, 1975, pb) [Malko Linge; Thailand] Translation of “L’Or de la Riviere Kwai.†Paris, 1968.
* *A Game of Eyes Only (Medallion, 1986, hc) [Malko Linge; El Salvador] Translation of “Terreur au San Salvador.†Paris, 1981. Film: UGC, 1982, as S.A.S. San Salvator (scw: Gerard De Villiers; dir: Raoul Coutard).
* *Hostage in Tokyo (Pinnacle, 1976, pb) [Malko Linge; Tokyo] Translation of “Les Ostages de Tokyo.†Paris, 1975.
* *Kill Kissinger (Pinnacle, 1974, pb) [Malko Linge; Kuwait] Translation of “Kill Kissinger.†Paris, 1974.
* *The Man from Kabul (Pinnacle, 1973, pb) [Malko Linge; Afghanistan] Translation of “L’Homme de Kabul.†Paris, 1971.
* *Operation Apocalypse (NEL, 1970, pb) [Malko Linge] Translation of “Operation Apocalypse.†Paris, 1970.
* _Operation New York (Pinnacle, 1973, pb) See: Black Magic in New York (NEL 1970).
* *The Portuguese Defection (Pinnacle, 1976, pb) [Malko Linge; Portugal] Translation of “Les Sorcies du Trage.†Paris, 1975.
* *Que Viva Guevara (Pinnacle, 1975, pb) [Malko Linge; Venezuela] Translation of “Que Viva Guevara.†Paris, 1970.
* *Versus the C.I.A. (NEL, 1969, pb) [Malko Linge; Iran] Pinnacle, 1974. Translation of “Contra C.I.A.†Paris, 1965.
* *West of Jerusalem (NEL, 1969, pb) [Malko Linge; Italy] Pinnacle, 1973. Translation of “A L’Ouest de Jerusalem.†Paris, 1967.
Taken of course from Al Hubin’s CRIME FICTION IV.
January 23rd, 2021 at 12:51 pm
Wikipedia says Mylene Demeonget has had a career spanning six decades, appearing in 72 films since 1953.
That most of these were French productions may explain why I’ve never seen her in any of them. I did not know what I was missing.
January 23rd, 2021 at 4:34 pm
Great review and I am still amazed at the information and knowledge the reviewers and contributors have on this blog. Pretty much every day something is posted that I want to learn more about, whether it is an author, actor, movie, etc.
Thank you to all that post or contribute, it is greatly appreciated.
De Villiers wrote a total of close to 300 books, of which only the handful you listed were published in English. I had heard there were rumors he had inside government information as several of his books supposedly forecast different attacks.
January 23rd, 2021 at 6:11 pm
Quite remarkably, and wow do I love coincidences like this, George Kelley has just reviewed a De Villiers novel over at his blog. Here’s the link:
http://georgekelley.org/surface-to-air-by-gerard-de-villiers/
January 23rd, 2021 at 6:39 pm
Prior to this review I was only familiar with De Villiers. Yep –always said to be the rival of Fleming; and always said to be privy to ‘inside information’ in the formulation of his plots. However, I’ve never heard anyone yet who can give a recommendation on his prose skills. Lacking such, I can’t comment.
But his “Malko Linge” –who works to pay for his opulent home — strikes me as a possible inspiration for Trevanian’s “Jonathan Hemlock”. Just a thought.
January 23rd, 2021 at 7:10 pm
Add-on: it’s true that this particular website and all it’s ‘regular contributors’ are distinct and unusual, as far as I’ve ever seen. All the frequent reviewers and commentators here exhibit an astounding devotion to their pet-passions, display an honest erudition, and write about their favorite subjects in a style which passes that devotion on to the rest of us. It’s really something.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:45 pm
For what it is worth (not much) Harold Robbins blurbed the de Villiers novels when they were published here. He may have responded to the factors that were close to his heart, graphic sex, over the top exotic violence, and exotic settings.
They have die hard fans, and the ones I have read were well written, tough, and a bit darker than most of the Bond imitators. They fall somewhere between an American Men’s Action series and the Bond imitators, probably closer to the Death Merchant or Mack Bolan than Matt Helm in that Linge isn’t a terribly likable protagonist in my opinion. In fact in some of the books it is hard to find anyone to root for since everyone is double crossing everyone else and Linge pretty cold blooded.
I think the series is available in e-book translation unlike the Bruce books that are only available in French on Kindle.
The one film with Miles O’Keefe as Linge, SAS SAN SALVADOR, opens well, but then turns into a rather tiresome South American adventure.
There was also a Malko Linge SAS comic for a while, but the only issues I ever saw were Scandanavian, I’m not sure it was even published in France.
I’m not sure, but I think de Villiers was also a former journalist, and if he worked the international beat at all it isn’t hard to have “inside information”. It’s surprising how much most spy novelists pick up just reading the right reports, magazines, journals, and listening to the right public information, and often flattered intelligence types pass on information they want disseminated just as detective story writers often get background from policemen.
January 23rd, 2021 at 10:48 pm
Re FIVE ASHORE IN SINGAPORE, though based on an OSS 117 book he doesn’t appear in the film. Sean Flynn stars, but is never identified as de la Bath in the English dubbed version I saw.
January 23rd, 2021 at 11:08 pm
Steve,
Relatively little European material is ever translated and reprinted in English here or in the UK. Only six or seven of the San Antonio books were published here (luckily San Antonio creator Frederic Dard’s critically acclaimed suspense novels are available in English on Kindle), probably only ten in the UK (the puns and word play on French argot was almost impossible to reproduce and the French sense of humor much different than ours — even the movies and comics aren’t translated).
None of the Francis Coplan series or the juvenile Nick Jordan spy tales and none of the Jerry Cotton and Kommissar X from Germany were translated either despite the movies. For that matter though the animated series was dubbed in English none of the long running juvenile Bob Moraine adventure novels ever made it into print in this country. An oddity too since the heroes of all those mentioned series are Americans.
It’s a shame because there are some entertaining and well written books out there like a Finnish series about an ex KGB agent turned freelance secret agent not to mention numerous British and Australian writers virtually unkonwn here.