About a week ago i was perusing ebay listings and came across a late1950s magazine that had only a photo of the cover, and said dirk bogarde cover and feature his life story in pictures and also in comic strip. He was one of three children, with sister elizabeth and younger brother gareth. Jun 26, 2010 a tribute to dirk bogarde s performance in the 1966 film modesty blaise. The strangeness is emphasized by the unusual casting, including italian star monica vitti in her first englishspeaking role as the title character and dirk bogarde, playing against type as her archnemesis. He cant make blaise a good film, but he and the visuals are far and away the high points. Sep 24, 2018 modesty blaise dirk bogarde 1966 skip navigation sign in. A spy spoof in the 1960s tradition, featuring the comic book heroine modesty blaise monica. Modesty blaise, a secret agent whose hair color, hair style, and mod clothing change at a snap of her fingers is being used by the british government as a decoy in an effort to thwart a diamond heist. Henry longman dirk bogarde, accident, modesty blaise suspects that the death may have been the result of brainwashing, he decides to prove his theory by subjecting himself to sensory deprivation. Assisted by the only man who can truly satisfy her, willie garvin terence stamp, modesty battles the evil gabriel dirk bogarde and mrs.
Dirk bogarde, hamming it up in modesty blaise mr dirk bogarde taking a narrow view of the chair in modesty blaise the bad guy. Dirk bogarde and terrance stamp both autographed this blackandwhite 8x120 from the film modesty blaise. Essentially everything is played for its camp value, including the rather convoluted, james bondlike plot, which concerns the hijacking. Critics liked dirk s quirky, overthetop, camp performance in this highgloss caper based on the cartoon character an unusual departure for losey and for his star, who disliked the white wig he had to wear for the role and. In a second career, he wrote seven bestselling volumes of memoirs, six novels and a volume of collected journalism, mainly from articles in the. Dirk bogarde superbly captures the pensive professors torment, with able support from jacqueline sassard and michael york as the younger couple. This book was a critical and sales success, resulting in odonnell alternating between writing novels and writing the comic strip for the next 30 years. Terence stamp comes along as her too freely enterprising lover. With monica vitti, terence stamp, dirk bogarde, harry andrews. Modesty blaise is a british comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author peter odonnell and illustrator jim holdaway in 1963. Odonnells version of the screenplay was also used as the basis for a late1990s modesty blaise graphic novel published by dc comics.
The film also stars dirk bogarde, harry andrews, michael craig, alexander knox, and rossella falk. Sir dirk bogarde matinee idol, great screen actor, writer, artist the many careers of an honorable and brave original. Modesty blaise original photograph from the 1966 film by losey. Modesty blaise is a 1966 british comic spyfi film directed by joseph losey, produced by. Modesty blaise dirk bogarde 1966 skip navigation sign in. Meanwhile, at his island hideaway, gabriel, the diamond. Modesty blaise is one of the nuttiest, screwiest pictures ever made. Based on a comic book, the movie is strong on psychedelic art direction, long on camp especially dirk bogarde s aristocratic, whitehaired villain, and thin on plotand what plot there is cannot possibly be deciphered. Modesty blaise gabriel 1966 darling robert gold 1965.
Take a trip into the world of espionage in the sixties psychedelic style. A t his peak and with directors he trusted joseph losey, luchino visconti and alain resnais dirk bogarde, who has died of a heart attack at 78, was probably the finest, most complete, actor on. It took a rare potential and twentyodd years of hard conditioning to do that. Terence stamp is fun as her verycockney sidekick, but dirk bogarde is the one who really makes an impact, playing an outrageously swishy villain who provides all the best moments in the film. A spy spoof in the 1960s tradition, featuring the comic book heroine modesty blaise monica vitti set in the italian mediterranean. Dirk bogarde as gabriel, another criminal mastermind and modestys equal, defined by. Hello people, im back again as always with a decent selection of old films, lots of dirk bogarde i hope you will enjoy.
Books by dirk bogarde author of a postillion struck by. Losey and bogarde worked on them for love and little more than lunch money. Dirk bogarde is also very good as the suave, jamesbond type villain. Based on a comic book, the movie is strong on psychedelic art direction, long on camp especially dirk bogardes aristocratic, whitehaired villain, and thin on plotand what plot there is cannot possibly be deciphered. May 17, 2019 the film also stars dirk bogarde, harry andrews, michael craig, alexander knox, and rossella falk. Modesty blaise, by peter odonnell fawcett crest, peter odonnell modesty blaise crest edition first published by souvenir press hardback in this paperback edition published by fawcett crest in march cover art by robert mcginnis. Modesty blaise joseph losey, 1966 dirk bogarde, clive. Stamp is the cockney catburglar partner to monica vittis titular spy seductress and jewel thief in loseys oneofakind, eyepopping pop art comedythriller, which pits our sleek twosome against camp criminal genius dirk bogarde, with tina aumont in on the action and outlandish ultramodern sets in deluxe colorjust in case there wasnt already quite enough decorative decadence. It was adapted into films in 1966, 1982, and 2003, and from 1965 onwards eleven novels and two. Modesty blaise project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. It was loosely based upon the popular comic strip modesty blaise by peter odonnell, who cowrote the original story upon which evan jones based his screenplay.
Sir dirk bogarde, distinguished film actor and writer, was born derek jules gaspard ulric niven van. Monica vitti, terence stamp, dirk bogarde starring. Evan jones, based on evening standard comic strip created by peter odonnell role. Critics liked dirks quirky, overthetop, camp performance in this highgloss caper based on the cartoon character an unusual departure for losey and for his star, who disliked the white wig he had to wear for the role and, in time, the. Leclisse is considered to be her overall best film, but 1 it is in bw, and 2 it is not currently available on dvd. I recommend this film because it is a true cult classic that gets better with age. Not merely a spy spoof, based on a book and a comic strip about a femme james bond. Meanwhile, at his island hideaway, gabriel, the diamond thief. The strip follows modesty blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick willie garvin. Modesty blaise 1966 monica vitti, terence stamp, dirk.
Dirk bogarde is superb as the camp, arch villain gabriel. He is also an avid autographer and has a massive collection of minnesota twins autographs. Part of a monthlong celebration of robert mcginnis book covers. Played by monica vitti, the gallic comic stripper, modesty blaise is a liberated james bond cum sherlock holmes engaged by the government to track down an effete, effeminate archcriminal genius played by dirk bogarde, with his boffo, psychopathic minions. A popular british comic strip series served as inspiration for this lighthearted espionage adventure, which if nothing else certainly shows the marks. Dirk bogarde has 28 books on goodreads with 2715 ratings. Although sir dirk bogarde gabriel was very complimentary about monica vitti modesty blaise when this movie was being made, he also claimed, in a radio interview of twentyfive years or so later, that she was the only one of his leading ladies whom he. Based on the novel and the comic book created by peter odonnell. Can the doctor resist the experiments sadistic side effects or will he fall under the control of the mind benders. Monica vitti costars with dirk bogarde imported farrago has flashes of humor by bosley crowther aug. A popart explosion that makes austin powers look demure, modesty blaise is a bizarre relic from the heyday of swinging london. Blaise of no glory modesty blaise and my name is modesty. Modesty blaise is a 1966 british comedy spyfi film directed by joseph losey.
All you need to know about dirk bogarde readers digest. Monica vitti is excellent as modesty, the iconic terence stamp at the height of his fame in the sixties is brilliant and funny as the charming cockney agent, willie garvin. Those films attracted very different audiences to bogardes earlier work, an audience that included the european film. Critics liked dirk s quirky, overthetop, camp performance in this highgloss caper based on the cartoon character an unusual departure for losey and for his star, who disliked the white wig he had to wear for the role and, in time, the. Accident by joseph losey dirk bogarde, stanley baker. A t his peak and with directors he trusted joseph losey, luchino visconti and alain resnais dirk bogarde, who has died of a heart attack at 78, was probably the. For bogarde, interesting film offers from britain were becoming rarer. The music is the instrumental version of the modesty blaise theme song, by john dankworth. The films music composed by johnny dankworth and the theme song, modesty, sung by david and jonathan. In europe and, to an extent, america, he was accorded more. A popular british comic strip series served as inspiration for this lighthearted espionage adventure, which if nothing else certainly shows the marks of its origins in the mid1960s. Director joseph losey captures on film the essence of modesty blaise in this film adaptation. Monica vitti as modesty blaise, terence stamp as willie garvin, dirk bogarde as gabriel, harry andrews as sir gerald tarrant released.
Prior to the release of the film, odonnell novelised his version of the screenplay as a novel titled modesty blaise. Based on a comic book, the movie is strong on psychedelic art direction, long on. Modesty blaise is in gorgeous color and is very well transferred to dvd. She is being set up by the feds but is wise to the plot and calls in sidekick willie garvin and a few other friends to outsmart them. Not merely a spy spoof, based on a book and a comic strip about a femme. Modesty blaise is loosely based on a comicbook superheroine and played by monica vitti. Dirk bogarde was one of the most important stars of 20th century british cinema. Modesty blaise is loosely based on a comicbook superheroine and played by. May 10, 1999 sir dirk bogarde, who has died aged 78, was the outstanding british cinema actor of his generation, and latterly achieved a considerable reputation as an author.
The humor is very droll, yet needlesharp in its mockery of the amorality of empire and espionage, and in its parody of the conventions of the actionhero movie, its madcamp villain, its tools, its blue waters. Fothergill rosella falk, along with numerous other villains, in this adaptation of the comic book by jim holdaway and peter odonnell. Modesty blaise by joseph losey joseph losey, monica vitti. Jan 18, 2011 this is by far my favorite dirk bogarde find.