A young man travels to Prague to join his new employer, unaware that he is being used as an espionage courier.
Dirk Bogarde
Nicholas Whistler
Sylva Koscina
Vlasta Simoneva
Robert Morley
Col. Cunliffe
Leo McKern
Simoneva
Roger Delgado
Josef
Derek Fowlds
Sun Bathing Man
Eric Pohlmann
Golushha
John Le Mesurier
Roger Allsop
Noel Harrison
Johnnie
Amanda Grinling
Cunliffe’s Secretary
Philo Hauser
Vicek
John Junkin
Clerk in Opening Scene
Jill Melford
Lorna
Derek Nimmo
Fred
Richard Vernon
Roddinghead
Brook Williams
Leon
Gertan Klauber
Technician in Czech Glass Factory
Richard Pasco
Plakov
Alan Tilvern
Simenova's Assistant
Norman Bird
Employment Exchange Clerk
Andre Charisse
Waiter
Frank Finlay
British Embassy Porter
Sandra Hampton
Russian Dancer
Harriet Medin
Hotel Receptionist
William Mervyn
Passenger on Plane
Tiberio Mitri
The Milkman
George Pravda
Pravelko
Robert Rietti
John Standing
Men's Room Attendant
Eddie Boyce
Man in Labour Exchange
Jim Brady
Worker in Canteen
Igo Meggido
Russian Dancer (uncredited)
Reg Thomason
Diner in Restaurant (uncredited)
Pietro Tordi
Old man at the swimming pool (uncredited)
Director
Ralph Thomas
Novel
Lionel Davidson
Screenplay
Lukas Heller
November 11, 2023
6
Dirk Bogarde is quite charismatic in this rather daft spy story set at the height of the Cold War. "Whistler" is a struggling writer who is found a job opportunity by the local labour exchange. Arriving at the plush office of glass-maker "Cunliffe" (Robert Morley) and his sidekick "Allsop" (John Le Mesurier) he is dazzled by the enormous £40 per week wage and equally bamboozled that they want to give him such a lucrative job in an industry about which he knows zilch. First assignment is a trip to Communist Czechoslovakia where he is to rendezvous with a fellow glass engineer, and after having exchanged the passwords - hence the film's title - swap books and come straight home. Simple? Well, of course not quite. He has no idea that he is being used by his new boss and that the Czech intelligence service - run by "Simoneva" (Leo McKern) is onto him. That latter man even gets his glamorous daughter "Vlasta" (Sylva Koscina) to drive for the man so they can speedily apprehend him - but, of course, that doesn't quite go to plan either! Finally cottoning on to the nature of his predicament, our hapless "Whistler" has to find a way of making it to the safety of the British embassy before he is found "accidentally having fallen from his luxury hotel window". It's a little bit slapstick and over-scripted, but the assembled cast do add a bit of fun to the leading performance that is maybe more reminiscent of his "Doctor..." films rather than his more substantial roles. That said, fans of British comedy films will recognise just about everyone and it's parody of "James Bond" at times can't go un-noticed. Not great, but worth a watch, I'd say.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00