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With: Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay, Mia Farrow, Harry Andrews, Peter Cook, Lionel Stander, Per Oscarsson, Barbara Murray, John Bird, Norman Bird, Geoffrey Bayldon, Calvin Lockhart, James Cossins, Michael Trubshawe, Geoffrey Lumsden, Elspeth March, Richard O'Sullivan, Mike Pratt, George Murcell, Vernon Dobtcheff
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Written by: Derek Marlowe, based on his novel
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Directed by: Anthony Mann, Laurence Harvey (uncredited)
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Running Time: 107
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Date: 04/02/1968
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Grim 'Dandy'
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
The final film of one of my favorite directors, Anthony Mann, A Dandy in Aspic is, unfortunately, a prime example of "going out with a whimper." Mann sadly died at the age of 60 of a heart-attack during production. The film's lead actor Laurence Harvey — who had made his directorial debut with a film called The Ceremony (1963) — took over and finished. The result, based on a novel by Derek Marlowe and adapted by the author, is a confusing, boring mess. I had to read some plot descriptions to gather this much: British Intelligence man Eberlin (Laurence Harvey) is assigned to kill a KGB operative known as Krasnevin. But Krasnevin also happens to be Eberlin's go-between with Russian double-agents. Tom Courtenay co-stars as another agent, Gatiss, who is assigned to tag along with Eberlin, and Mia Farrow plays Caroline, a pixie-ish love interest for Eberlin, and a general annoyance. Comedy star Peter Cook (Bedazzled) is here, too, for some reason. Every so often, there is a masterfully-composed mise-en-scene, using space and architecture to underline the characters, and we know that Mann was there. But even for Mann completists, this is a trial. Kino Lorber released the film on Blu-ray on July 25, 2023. Bonuses include a featurette in which surviving crew members discuss the making of the film, another featurette about the memorable title sequence using marionettes, and a third featurette in which critic Richard Combs discusses Mann, as well as a batch of trailers.
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