A Dandy in Aspic

A Dandy in Aspic
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Anthony Mann Laurence Harvey (uncredited)
Written by	Derek Marlowe
Based on	A Dandy in Aspic by Derek Marlowe
Produced by	Anthony Mann
Starring	Laurence Harvey Tom Courtenay Mia Farrow Peter Cook Harry Andrews
Cinematography	Christopher Challis Austin Dempster
Edited by	Thelma Connell
Music by	Quincy Jones
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	April 2, 1968 (1968-04-02) (United States) April 4, 1968 (1968-04-04) (London)
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

A Dandy in Aspic is a 1968 Technicolor and Panavision British spy film, directed by Anthony Mann, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Derek Marlowe and starring Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay, and Mia Farrow, with costumes by Pierre Cardin. It was Mann's final film.

Set against the backdrop of 1960s Cold War Europe, it is the story of a spy known to his superiors in British Intelligence by his code name "Eberlin".

Plot

Alexander Eberlin, a successful businessman and a Cold War British intelligence operative for the British Secret Service, has a problem. His superiors have ordered him to find and assassinate a KGB agent named Krasnevin, a seasoned KGB agent living a seemingly ordinary life in Britain. Krasnevin's past as a cold-blooded killer comes to haunt him as a series of British agents, all working on the same sensitive file, are murdered. Krasnevin, feeling burnt out and yearning for a return to Russia, is forced to play his part as Eberlin, adding to the mounting pressure.

With the file's previous handlers dead, the British Secret Service, suspicious of Eberlin's constant presence, assigns him a new mission: to find and kill the Soviet assassin, Krasnevin, who is believed to be in West Berlin. Assigned to work with Gatiss, an agent who distrusts Eberlin and harbors suspicions of his true allegiance, Krasnevin faces a delicate balancing act. He must navigate this tense partnership, using his years of experience to protect himself while trying to understand the true extent of the British suspicions. Caroline Hetherington, a beautiful British socialite with a penchant for photography, enters the scene. Her frequent appearances in Krasnevin's life, and her seemingly genuine interest in him, fuel his growing paranoia. He begins to suspect she may be involved in the conspiracy against him.

Krasnevin and Gatiss, along with Caroline, arrive in West Berlin, a city teeming with espionage and uncertainty. The tension between them intensifies as both sides try to unravel the web of double-crosses and deception. The chase for the Soviet assassin begins, leading Krasnevin deeper into a labyrinth of deceit. He realizes the British have no real evidence against him, relying solely on suspicion and his past actions. Krasnevin suspects his superiors in Moscow might be playing a dangerous game, potentially seeing him as expendable if he's no longer valuable in Britain. He fears he's merely a pawn in a larger game of international intrigue. The closer Krasnevin gets to the truth, the more he realizes he can trust no one. Gatiss's suspicions are fueled by his own paranoia, and even Caroline's intentions become increasingly unclear.

As Krasnevin dives deeper into the investigation, he uncovers a shocking conspiracy that threatens the entire world. He discovers a hidden agenda that extends far beyond the original file, involving powerful figures and dangerous secrets. Faced with the realization that he is a pawn in a larger game, Krasnevin must choose: stay in the shadows and continue to serve the Soviets, risking his own life and freedom, or turn his back on them and risk exposing himself to the British, who will likely be suspicious of his motives. Where Krasnevin must face his demons, his past, and the ultimate consequences of his choices. He must decide if he will play the game of shadows until the end, or fight for his own freedom. Assignment will leave a lingering sense of ambiguity, highlighting the slippery nature of truth and the moral grey areas of espionage.

Krasnevin begins to leave with Prentiss who admits that everyone except Gatiss knew he was a double agent all along. Krasnevin chooses to run into Gatiss' fast approaching car, shooting at him in the process.

Cast

• Laurence Harvey as Eberlin
• Tom Courtenay as Gatiss
• Mia Farrow as Caroline
• Harry Andrews as Fraser
• Peter Cook as Prentiss
• Lionel Stander as Sobakevich
• Per Oscarsson as Pavel
• Barbara Murray as Miss Vogler
• John Bird as Henderson
• Norman Bird as Copperfield
• Geoffrey Bayldon as Lake
• Calvin Lockhart as Brogue
• James Cossins as Heston-Stevas
• Michael Trubshawe as Flowers
• Geoffrey Lumsden as Ridley
• Elspeth March as Lady Hetherington
• Richard O'Sullivan as Nevil
• Mike Pratt as Greff
• George Murcell as Sergeant Harris
• Vernon Dobtcheff as Stein

Production

Largely filmed on location in London and Berlin, this was Anthony Mann's final film; he died of a heart attack before it was finished. Its direction was completed by Harvey.

Music

Unidentified orchestra arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones including Carol Kaye (electric bass) and Earl Palmer (drums).

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "One wonders what Bresson might have made of Derek Marlowe's novel, which is in one way a completely routine spy thriller, and in another, anything but. The point about the novel is that when Eberlin, the double agent, finds that he has been assigned to kill himself, it is as if he were paralysed by the irony of his position. All the usual spy things happen, violence proliferates, he acts and is acted upon; but because he is aware that he is securely caught in a trap (and the book sees events exclusively from his point of view), all this action is merely vain fluttering, leading nowhere and having no real meaning. In a very real, Bressonian sense, the action takes place in Eberlin's mind, where exterior events are seen, as it were, through a glass darkly, imponderably adding to or subtracting from his chances of survival. The film, predictably, opts for a straightforward actionful approach, with the result that what we get is a totally routine spy thriller. ... The plot, in fact, just isn't strong enough or inventive enough to withstand this sort of clumsy exteriorisation, and the result is deadly dullness."

The New York Times described it as "a very wobbly spy movie ... slow, blank, decorous and completely devoid of suspense."

Variety called the film as a "routine, poorly-titled espionage meller loaded with uninteresting, cardboard characters."

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide rates the film 2 out of 4 stars and describes it as a "wooden spy melodrama in which principals keep switching sides so rapidly it becomes impossible to follow."

Time Out said: "the film is strong on Cold War atmospherics and notable for its superior cast."

Leslie Halliwell said: "Muddled, pretentious spy thriller; flat, nebulous and boring."

Home media

A Dandy in Aspic was released to DVD on 1 August 2011 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as a DVD-on-demand title available through Amazon. A limited edition blu-ray disc with extensive bonus materials was released in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2019. In 2020, it became available for streaming on The Criterion Channel.

External links

• A Dandy in Aspic at IMDb
• A Dandy in Aspic at the TCM Movie Database