Brilliant and stylist film of an even better and more ground-breaking book.
Interesting you mention Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was of course written by Ian Fleming. But the clash of cultures is fascinating. It’s revealing that in Goldfinger (1964) the suave, stylish, enviable James Bond says “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!” That was the same year a third of the population of the United States watched the Fab Four on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Yes! Like Bond, Harry Palmer evolves with the film series. I'm fascinated by Chitty, as it is really another Bond film, all but in name. Eon productions, Truly Scrumptious (a Bond girl's name if ever there was), an appearance by Q in the scrapyard, Gert Frobe as Blofeld aka Baron Bomburst- with a large dose of Roald Dahl's chocolate factory. It's never entirely clear how much of the script was written by Dahl. That remains an enigma, I need to get my teeth into.
Apart from the cooking, isn’t Caine’s Palmer reminiscent of his Alfie? An eye for the birds, and a sense of ‘I’ll do whatever I want to do…and stuff class boundaries’? Or maybe it’s just Caine being Caine…ha-ha?
It’s a terrific film of a fantastic book, and given it almost sinks Bond in some respects, it’s a refreshing view of perhaps the real hackneyed Swinging London.
And Sue Lloyd…who would go onto bigger and better things at the Crossroads Motel with Meg, Sandy, and Benny!
A terrific journey back into the past, Luke, which is better than any Time Machine.
and p.s. 'Swinging London' is hackneyed. You are right. But it DID happen. It was real- to some extent. Even if only for a very small and rather privileged section of society. But I can remember my late Great Uncle, a Bentley driving Captain of Industry lecturing me at boarding school: 'a little bit of privilege never did anybody any harm.' LOL.
As ever, thank you for your kind comments. Yep. Harry Palmer. Caine plays him like Alfie. That's such a great film, which we need to cover at some point. There's this cheeky insouciance, a disregard for the establishment and the old school tie. Sinks Bond? Not sure, exactly? I think they're too very different beasts, altho' I fell into the trap of doing a side by side comparison. Sexy Sue Lloyd? She's great. She's in all those ITC series. Remember The Baron? The antique dealer? Right up my street. I might even do a post? Altho' have no idea how well it will go down? But I can wax lyrical about the antiques market in the 1960s. Splendidly arcane. For a select audience.
Sinking as in making Bond seem ridiculously fantastic, with no grounding in reality. But it is that fabulous fantasy that won out in the end, because the people have repeatedly shown they prefer fantasy to reality…and who can blame them?
Yes, the Baron, with Steve Forrest, of course I remember it. And all the rest of those great Lew Grade ITC shows like The Champions, Man In A Suitcase and, the Big Daddy of them all, The Saint. A great time for British television.
I have a theory about this- that commercial television, actually, produced the more creative, stylish- and snappy- dramas at the expense of the mumsie, tea and crumpets play it safe BBC: Danger UXB, Brideshead, Upstairs Downstairs, London's Burning, The Jewel in the Crown, Reilly Ace of Spies, the Avengers and the Professionals - and as you quite rightly point out, all those fabulous ITC shows. Remember 'Father Dear Father'? with the urbane Patrick Cargill and his plummy dollybird King's Road daughters? That was VERY ITV. No way would that have happened on the BBC. It was like the difference between Blue Peter and Magpie (I know that's a cliche, but it's true), the posho Tory MP's model daughter, (she did stuff for my father, for his Old Spice ad) and the permed bits o' rough.
I can’t much disagree with your thesis, Luke. But who is the Tory MP’s model daughter? Not Susan Stranks or Jenny Hanley…so who are you referring to here? After all, I don’t know everything…ha-ha!
Jenny Hanley! Gerrards Cross dwelling- apologies, I made a mistake - SISTER of Tory MP, Sir Jeremy Hanley, and daughter of Dinah Sheridan. But isn't it like comparing Anna Ford (ITN) with Angela Rippers? (BBC). A Dry Martini vs the Echo Hostess Trolley?
Quite. Says it all. ITV vs BBC. I'm an ITV man. Especially in the days when it was divided up into all those splendid regional companies: Thames, Granada, Southern, ATV and the rest.
Always loved the Harry Palmer series, next stop is Funeral in Berlin - coffins! drag queens! Col. Stok! The third is Uncle Ken's attempt at a popcorn movie, Billion Dollar Brain, with the haunting Francoise Dorleac and the double piano score by Richard Rodney Bennett.
I had never really thought of the Harry Palmer films being as consumerist as the Bond films but you are, of course, absolutely right! This is consumerism at a more accessible level and Michael Caine is perfect casting too; the perfect aspirational, classless/ out-of-class new man for the sixties. It is he who makes it all seem gritty and real when, just like Bond, it's really fantastic escapism.
Incidentally I'm sure that electric coffee grinder at the start is the one I've got, along with several Len Deighton strip cartoon cookbooks...
Good point- yes they are consumerist in their own way- the idea that the 'ordinary man' might collect Deutsche Grammophon LPs, or stock up on expensive coffee and tinned l'escargot in the deli. A bit Conran, don't you think? And of course, it's all about FRENCH cuisine. The- now defunct- idea of the connoisseur.
So interesting -- and taken as advice to young men, the Ipcress File sounds to have been miles ahead of gurus like Andrew Tate. Being a good cook actually is irresistible to women!
Great post Luke, but can I just disagree with you about Hamilton Terrace. It depends which part you’re talking about I guess. My uncle was rector of St Marks and lived in a very nice rectory there. It was very upmarket in that neck of the woods. The film of TIF is one of my favourites although as a friend of mine commented the other day, the recent ITV adaptation was more faithful to the book. It just didn’t have Michael Caine in it!
Thanks. But have you see Hamilton Terrace in the Ipcress File (1965)? It’s really squalid- or at least the two or three houses in the location shot. All I can say is that this section of the road was really run down in 1965. It was the same in nearby Little Venice where my parents lived at that time. It belonged to the Church Commissioners- despite that, very run down (by today’s standards) and a Red Light area.
I need to watch the film again! It must have gone downhill very fast after my uncle moved on to what always seemed to me the most unproductive of Christian missions - to ‘the Jews’ in Israel. 😂 St Marks burned to the ground not long ago. I don’t think the two events were related.
That was further down the street. I have a feeling that the location was down the other end? I suspect it was probably a bit of a mixed bag, don't you? Run down derelict houses next to some nice ones. I know that my godfather bought a massive house in Little Venice for peanuts- now worth many millions.
and p.s. When I first saw it, I thought it was Stockwell Park Crescent, or similar. Apparently not. All the location websites say Hamilton Terrace, with 'then' and 'now' photographs. If you've got the time have a look- it's incredibly different from today. Extraordinary.
One of my very favourite films. Such good dialogue, very pared back and such great locations. Especially like the bandstand scene- tell me who wins, Sir. I quite like LD's other books too. You are right, completely the opposite of James Bond.
It’s a must. ‘Ou est le Garlic?’ and various others. Cookstrips for us Neanderthal men, like a Haynes DIY car repair manual. Visual instructions, easy to follow.
Brilliant and stylist film of an even better and more ground-breaking book.
Interesting you mention Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which was of course written by Ian Fleming. But the clash of cultures is fascinating. It’s revealing that in Goldfinger (1964) the suave, stylish, enviable James Bond says “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done, such as drinking Dom Perignon '53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!” That was the same year a third of the population of the United States watched the Fab Four on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Yes! Like Bond, Harry Palmer evolves with the film series. I'm fascinated by Chitty, as it is really another Bond film, all but in name. Eon productions, Truly Scrumptious (a Bond girl's name if ever there was), an appearance by Q in the scrapyard, Gert Frobe as Blofeld aka Baron Bomburst- with a large dose of Roald Dahl's chocolate factory. It's never entirely clear how much of the script was written by Dahl. That remains an enigma, I need to get my teeth into.
Apart from the cooking, isn’t Caine’s Palmer reminiscent of his Alfie? An eye for the birds, and a sense of ‘I’ll do whatever I want to do…and stuff class boundaries’? Or maybe it’s just Caine being Caine…ha-ha?
It’s a terrific film of a fantastic book, and given it almost sinks Bond in some respects, it’s a refreshing view of perhaps the real hackneyed Swinging London.
And Sue Lloyd…who would go onto bigger and better things at the Crossroads Motel with Meg, Sandy, and Benny!
A terrific journey back into the past, Luke, which is better than any Time Machine.
and p.s. 'Swinging London' is hackneyed. You are right. But it DID happen. It was real- to some extent. Even if only for a very small and rather privileged section of society. But I can remember my late Great Uncle, a Bentley driving Captain of Industry lecturing me at boarding school: 'a little bit of privilege never did anybody any harm.' LOL.
As opposed to the opposite, a lot of disadvantage…ha-ha!
LOL
As ever, thank you for your kind comments. Yep. Harry Palmer. Caine plays him like Alfie. That's such a great film, which we need to cover at some point. There's this cheeky insouciance, a disregard for the establishment and the old school tie. Sinks Bond? Not sure, exactly? I think they're too very different beasts, altho' I fell into the trap of doing a side by side comparison. Sexy Sue Lloyd? She's great. She's in all those ITC series. Remember The Baron? The antique dealer? Right up my street. I might even do a post? Altho' have no idea how well it will go down? But I can wax lyrical about the antiques market in the 1960s. Splendidly arcane. For a select audience.
Sinking as in making Bond seem ridiculously fantastic, with no grounding in reality. But it is that fabulous fantasy that won out in the end, because the people have repeatedly shown they prefer fantasy to reality…and who can blame them?
Yes, the Baron, with Steve Forrest, of course I remember it. And all the rest of those great Lew Grade ITC shows like The Champions, Man In A Suitcase and, the Big Daddy of them all, The Saint. A great time for British television.
I have a theory about this- that commercial television, actually, produced the more creative, stylish- and snappy- dramas at the expense of the mumsie, tea and crumpets play it safe BBC: Danger UXB, Brideshead, Upstairs Downstairs, London's Burning, The Jewel in the Crown, Reilly Ace of Spies, the Avengers and the Professionals - and as you quite rightly point out, all those fabulous ITC shows. Remember 'Father Dear Father'? with the urbane Patrick Cargill and his plummy dollybird King's Road daughters? That was VERY ITV. No way would that have happened on the BBC. It was like the difference between Blue Peter and Magpie (I know that's a cliche, but it's true), the posho Tory MP's model daughter, (she did stuff for my father, for his Old Spice ad) and the permed bits o' rough.
Yep. c.f. The earnest Good Life (I'm watching it now on BBC4) and Father Dear Father. Chalk and Cheese.
I can’t much disagree with your thesis, Luke. But who is the Tory MP’s model daughter? Not Susan Stranks or Jenny Hanley…so who are you referring to here? After all, I don’t know everything…ha-ha!
Jenny Hanley! Gerrards Cross dwelling- apologies, I made a mistake - SISTER of Tory MP, Sir Jeremy Hanley, and daughter of Dinah Sheridan. But isn't it like comparing Anna Ford (ITN) with Angela Rippers? (BBC). A Dry Martini vs the Echo Hostess Trolley?
Ha-ha! Apology accepted, Luke!
Yep! Anna Ford any day of the week!
Quite. Says it all. ITV vs BBC. I'm an ITV man. Especially in the days when it was divided up into all those splendid regional companies: Thames, Granada, Southern, ATV and the rest.
Howard's Way- all the glamour of the suburbs. Remember naughty Jan and the deviant Ken Masters? There's a repellent bed scene in that.
Always loved the Harry Palmer series, next stop is Funeral in Berlin - coffins! drag queens! Col. Stok! The third is Uncle Ken's attempt at a popcorn movie, Billion Dollar Brain, with the haunting Francoise Dorleac and the double piano score by Richard Rodney Bennett.
I had never really thought of the Harry Palmer films being as consumerist as the Bond films but you are, of course, absolutely right! This is consumerism at a more accessible level and Michael Caine is perfect casting too; the perfect aspirational, classless/ out-of-class new man for the sixties. It is he who makes it all seem gritty and real when, just like Bond, it's really fantastic escapism.
Incidentally I'm sure that electric coffee grinder at the start is the one I've got, along with several Len Deighton strip cartoon cookbooks...
Good point- yes they are consumerist in their own way- the idea that the 'ordinary man' might collect Deutsche Grammophon LPs, or stock up on expensive coffee and tinned l'escargot in the deli. A bit Conran, don't you think? And of course, it's all about FRENCH cuisine. The- now defunct- idea of the connoisseur.
So interesting -- and taken as advice to young men, the Ipcress File sounds to have been miles ahead of gurus like Andrew Tate. Being a good cook actually is irresistible to women!
Great post Luke, but can I just disagree with you about Hamilton Terrace. It depends which part you’re talking about I guess. My uncle was rector of St Marks and lived in a very nice rectory there. It was very upmarket in that neck of the woods. The film of TIF is one of my favourites although as a friend of mine commented the other day, the recent ITV adaptation was more faithful to the book. It just didn’t have Michael Caine in it!
Thanks. But have you see Hamilton Terrace in the Ipcress File (1965)? It’s really squalid- or at least the two or three houses in the location shot. All I can say is that this section of the road was really run down in 1965. It was the same in nearby Little Venice where my parents lived at that time. It belonged to the Church Commissioners- despite that, very run down (by today’s standards) and a Red Light area.
I need to watch the film again! It must have gone downhill very fast after my uncle moved on to what always seemed to me the most unproductive of Christian missions - to ‘the Jews’ in Israel. 😂 St Marks burned to the ground not long ago. I don’t think the two events were related.
That was further down the street. I have a feeling that the location was down the other end? I suspect it was probably a bit of a mixed bag, don't you? Run down derelict houses next to some nice ones. I know that my godfather bought a massive house in Little Venice for peanuts- now worth many millions.
and p.s. When I first saw it, I thought it was Stockwell Park Crescent, or similar. Apparently not. All the location websites say Hamilton Terrace, with 'then' and 'now' photographs. If you've got the time have a look- it's incredibly different from today. Extraordinary.
Will do!
Much enjoyed this, Luke though I part company on the CC Bang Bang lovefest!
Many thanks! And I forgot to mention Ken Adams' superb sets for CCB- more Bondiana!
One of my very favourite films. Such good dialogue, very pared back and such great locations. Especially like the bandstand scene- tell me who wins, Sir. I quite like LD's other books too. You are right, completely the opposite of James Bond.
Thanks. Yes, it is, sort of- but then both men are connoisseurs. The difference is that Harry cooks for himself, but Bond most certainly doesn't.
We are having a Len Deighton fest at the moment, listening to the Game, Set and Match trilogy in the car! He is a very witty writer
And SUCH an interesting man. Have you read his various cookbooks?
Might have a look
It’s a must. ‘Ou est le Garlic?’ and various others. Cookstrips for us Neanderthal men, like a Haynes DIY car repair manual. Visual instructions, easy to follow.