Hot Enough for June

Last updated

Hot Enough for June
Hotenough.jpg
Original film poster by Renato Fratini
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Screenplay by Lukas Heller
Based on The Night of Wenceslas
by Lionel Davidson
Produced by Betty E. Box
Starring Dirk Bogarde
Sylva Koscina
Robert Morley
Leo McKern
Cinematography Ernest Steward
Edited by Alfred Roome
Music by Angelo Lavagnino
Production
company
Distributed by Rank Film Distributors
Release date
  • 10 March 1964 (1964-03-10)
Running time
98 min.
CountryUnited Kingdom

Hot Enough for June is a 1964 British spy comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas, and starring Dirk Bogarde with Sylva Koscina in her English film debut, [1] Robert Morley and Leo McKern. It is based on the 1960 novel The Night of Wenceslas by Lionel Davidson. The film was cut by twenty minutes and retitled Agent 8+3⁄4 for the US release by the American distributor Continental Distributing. [2]

Contents

Plot

Roger Allsop (John Le Mesurier) turns over some belongings to a clerk, who stows them in a drawer marked 007 before turning the identifying card over to read "deceased". Allsop and his superior, Colonel Cunliffe (Robert Morley), then discuss the necessity to send someone to pick up something behind the Iron Curtain.

Unemployed British writer Nicholas Whistler (Dirk Bogarde) is sent by the employment exchange to be interviewed by Cunliffe, supposedly for a job as a trainee executive for a glass company. Cunliffe discovers Whistler speaks Czech, and offers him an exorbitant salary, plus expenses.

Whistler is given puzzling instructions to meet someone who will respond to his remark, "Hot enough for June", by stating he should have been there in September, before being sent that very day to Prague on a "business" trip. On his arrival, he is assigned a beautiful driver and guide, Vlasta (Sylva Koscina). She drives him to inspect a glass factory, where he finally discovers the washroom attendant is his man. However, he has to come back another day to make contact without arousing suspicion.

That night, he takes Vlasta to dinner. Unbeknownst to him, she is an agent of the secret police. The communists know (though he himself does not yet realise it) that he is actually working for British intelligence, and keep him under surveillance. He and Vlasta spend the next day together as well. They are attracted to each other, and she invites him to stay the night at her surprisingly luxurious home.

When Whistler revisits the factory, the attendant gives him a piece of paper and informs him they're both spies. Vlasta arranges to meet him secretly that night; she warns him to return to England immediately. However, when he returns to the hotel, Simenova (Leo McKern), the head of the secret police, is waiting. He presents Whistler with a stark choice: sign a confession or suffer a fatal accidental fall. Whistler manages to escape.

Evading a manhunt, he turns to the only person who might be willing to help him: Vlasta. When he reaches her house in the morning, however, he is shocked to find her seeing her father, Simenova, off to work. After Simenova leaves, Whistler confronts Vlasta. She offers to help him reach the British embassy, despite a cordon of communist agents. To demonstrate his good faith, he burns the slip of paper so that neither side can have it. Her plan almost succeeds, but by sheer bad luck, Simenova is leaving the embassy as Whistler approaches and recognises him, forcing him to flee once more. Finally, he reaches the embassy by knocking out a milkman and taking his place.

Cunliffe informs him that he is being exchanged for a spy the British have caught. At the airport, he is pleasantly surprised to find that Vlasta has been assigned to the trade mission in London and is departing on the same airliner.

Cast

Production

Part of a trend of spy films in the wake of the success of the James Bond series, its art director was Syd Cain, who had the same job on the first two Bond films. As a result, in addition to the allusion to "007" in the opening scene, the offices of Cunliffe's glass company are (deliberately) almost an exact match to the outer waiting room and offices of "M" in the early James Bond films. Another more oblique tie to the series is that Koscina herself had been considered for the role of Tatiana Romanova in From Russia with Love .

Film rights to Lionel Davidson's novel were originally bought by American producer Hal Wallis, who wanted to make the film with Laurence Harvey. However, Wallis and Harvey had a falling out and the rights went instead to Rank and producer Betty E. Box. [3]

Dirk Bogarde was cast in the lead. However he then decided he did not want to, as he had just made The Servant (1963). Box and director Ralph Thomas who had directed Bogarde in the "Doctor" film series were not unduly concerned as they did not feel Bogarde was ideal casting anyway, and approached Tom Courtenay instead. Courtenay agreed, but then Bogarde changed his mind again after his manager told him he needed the money. [4]

Shooting took place in Padua, representing Prague. [5]

Ralph Thomas later said he made the film "because I thought the script was quite funny and I loved working with Dirk. It was still during the period when he was doing those sort of roles very well." [6]

Reception

Howard Thompson of The New York Times was unimpressed, calling it "a slick, bland shuffling of drollery and suspense, not especially new, at least by now, nor really funny." [7] He singled out one performance for praise: "Most of the real fun comes from the mouth of Robert Morley ..." [7]

Kinematograph Weekly called the film a "money maker" at the British box office for 1964. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirk Bogarde</span> English actor (1921–1999)

Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as Doctor in the House (1954) for the Rank Organisation, he later acted in art house films, evolving from "heartthrob to icon of edginess".

<i>Ill Met by Moonlight</i> (film) 1957 British film by Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger

Ill Met by Moonlight (1957), released in the USA as Night Ambush, is a film by the British writer-director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and the last movie they made together through their production company "The Archers". The film, which stars Dirk Bogarde and features Marius Goring, David Oxley, and Cyril Cusack, is based on the 1950 book Ill Met by Moonlight: The Abduction of General Kreipe by W. Stanley Moss, which is an account of events during the author's service on Crete during World War II as an agent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE). The title is a quotation from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the book features the young agents' capture and evacuation of the German general Heinrich Kreipe.

<i>Some Girls Do</i> 1969 British film

Some Girls Do is a 1969 British comedy spy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was the second of the revamped Bulldog Drummond films starring Richard Johnson as Drummond, made following the success of the James Bond films of the 1960s. Some Girls Do even featured a white Aston Martin DB5, the same marque used by Bond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Box</span> British film producer

Betty Evelyn Box was a prolific British film producer, usually credited as Betty E. Box.

<i>Doctor in the House</i> (film) 1954 British film by Ralph Thomas

Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Kenneth More, Donald Sinden, Donald Houston and James Robertson Justice. It was produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.

<i>The Password Is Courage</i> 1962 British film by Andrew L. Stone

The Password Is Courage is a 1962 British comedy-drama war film written, produced, and directed by Andrew L. Stone and starring Dirk Bogarde, Maria Perschy, and Alfred Lynch. It was based on the 1954 World War II biography of the same name of Sergeant-Major Charles Coward by Ronald Payne and John Williams Garrod. It was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylva Koscina</span> Italian actress and model (1933–1994)

Sylva Koscina was a Yugoslav-born Italian actress, maybe best remembered for her role as Iole, the bride of Hercules in Hercules (1958) and Hercules Unchained (1960). She also played Paul Newman's romantic interest in The Secret War of Harry Frigg (1968).

Cast a Dark Shadow is a 1955 British suspense film noir directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by John Cresswell, based on the 1952 play Murder Mistaken by Janet Green. It stars Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh, Kathleen Harrison and Robert Flemyng. The film released on 20 September 1955, distributed by Eros Films Ltd. in the United Kingdom and Distributors Corporation of America in the United States. The story concerns a husband who murders his wife.

<i>The Night of Wenceslas</i> 1960 thriller novel by Lionel Davidson

The Night of Wenceslas is the debut novel of British thriller and crime writer Lionel Davidson. This Bildungsroman describes the reluctant adventures of Nicolas Whistler, a dissolute young man of mixed English and Czech parentage who finds himself caught up against his will in Cold War espionage. The novel won the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger Award in 1960, and the Author's Club First Novel Award. It was filmed in 1964 under the title Hot Enough for June.

<i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> (1958 film) 1958 film

A Tale of Two Cities is a 1958 British film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde and Dorothy Tutin. It is a period drama based on parts of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859).

<i>Sebastian</i> (1968 film) 1968 British film directed by David Greene

Sebastian is a 1968 British spy film directed by David Greene, produced by Michael Powell, Herbert Brodkin and Gerry Fisher, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a story by Leo Marks, and Gerald Vaughan-Hughes wrote the screenplay.

<i>The Sleeping Tiger</i> 1954 film by Joseph Losey

The Sleeping Tiger is a 1954 British film noir directed by Joseph Losey and starring Alexis Smith, Dirk Bogarde and Alexander Knox. It was Losey's first British feature, which he directed under the pseudonym of Victor Hanbury due to being blacklisted in the McCarthy Era. It was shot at Walton Studios and on location in London. The film's sets were designed by the art director John Stoll. It was released by Anglo-Amalgamated while in America it was distributed by Astor Pictures.

<i>The Spanish Gardener</i> (film) 1956 British film

The Spanish Gardener is a 1956 VistaVision and Technicolor film based on the 1950 eponymous novel by A. J. Cronin. The film, which stars Dirk Bogarde and Jon Whiteley, was directed by Philip Leacock.

<i>Campbells Kingdom</i> 1957 British film by Ralph Thomas

Campbell's Kingdom is a 1957 British adventure film directed by Ralph Thomas, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Hammond Innes. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, with Michael Craig, Barbara Murray, James Robertson Justice and Sid James in support. The story is set in Alberta, Canada, and largely follows the principles of the Northwestern genre of film-making.

<i>The Captains Table</i> 1959 British film by Jack Lee

The Captain's Table is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Jack Lee and starring John Gregson, Donald Sinden, Peggy Cummins and Nadia Gray. The film is based on the 1954 novel of the same title by Richard Gordon, later adapted into the 1971 German film The Captain starring Heinz Rühmann.

<i>Doctor in Distress</i> (film) 1963 British film by Ralph Thomas

Doctor in Distress is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, James Robertson Justice, and Samantha Eggar. It is the fifth of the seven films in the Doctor series. After a one-film absence, it was the final return to the role of Simon Sparrow by Dirk Bogarde, and also the return of Donald Houston. The film uses some of the characters in Richard Gordon's Doctor novels, but is not based on any of them.

<i>The Doctors Dilemma</i> (film) 1959 British film by Anthony Asquith

The Doctor's Dilemma is a 1958 British comedy-drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Leslie Caron, Dirk Bogarde, Alastair Sim, and Robert Morley. It is based on the 1906 play The Doctor's Dilemma by George Bernard Shaw. A satire on the pretensions of the medical profession and their concentration on treating patients who can pay well, it contrasts their world of imperfect science, always bumping up against unknowns, with the boundless spheres of love and beauty.

<i>Doctor in Love</i> 1960 British film by Ralph Thomas

Doctor in Love is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth of the seven films in the Doctor series, directed by Ralph Thomas and starring James Robertson Justice and Michael Craig. It was the first film in the series not to feature Dirk Bogarde, although he did return for the next film in the series Doctor in Distress. It was loosely based on the 1957 novel of the same title by Richard Gordon.

<i>The Wind Cannot Read</i> 1958 British film by Ralph Thomas

The Wind Cannot Read is a 1958 British drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, Yoko Tani, Ronald Lewis and John Fraser. It was based on the 1946 novel by Richard Mason, who also wrote the screenplay.

<i>The High Bright Sun</i> 1964 British action film

The High Bright Sun is a 1964 British action film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Dirk Bogarde, George Chakiris and Susan Strasberg. It is set in Cyprus during the EOKA uprising against British rule in the 1950s. It was based on a 1962 novel by Ian Stuart Black.

References

  1. ↑ "Sylva Koscina's Interview". Archived from the original on 14 April 2008.
  2. ↑ Hal Erickson. "Agent 8 3/4 (1963)". AllRovi . Archived from the original on 16 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Box p 227
  4. ↑ Bogarde p 229-230
  5. ↑ Box, Betty Evelyn Lifting the Lid: The Autobiography of Film Producer, Betty Box, OBE Book Guild 2000 p 227-237
  6. ↑ Collected Interviews: Voices from Twentieth-century Cinema by Wheeler W. Dixon, SIU Press, 2001 p112
  7. 1 2 Howard Thompson (14 October 1965). "'Agent 8 3/4' and 'Underworld Informers' Shown Together". The New York Times.
  8. ↑ Altria, Bill (17 December 1964). "British Films Romp Home - Fill First Five Places". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.