Our Man in Havana (1960)

The critical reviews miss the mark on this one. The great Pauline Kael liked it, though she thought it was "too controlled". The "control" is Carol Reed's fidelity to Graham Greene's trademark atmospherics. Think, The Third Man set in Havana.It's a miracle Our Man got made at all, filmed on location in Cuba not long after Castro took over, but with a pre-revolution setting that's thoroughly convincing and fascinating to observe, from the street scenes to Havana's fifties Vegas-style nightclubs. The running gag -- vacuum cleaners as secret weapons -- frames the comedy that turns black.Noël Coward and Ralph Richardson, who plays "C" before there was an "M," are suitably farcical. Maureen O'Hara's part is mainly decorative, and Burl Ives has trouble with a German accent. But these quibbles pale before the treat of watching Alec Guinness and Ernie Kovacs play opposite each other. Kovacs almost walks away with the movie. Guinness has a classic scene at a country club. This is one of the few films I never tire of watching; it's one you can curl up with.

Jim Wormold (Alec Guinness) is an expatriate Englishman living in pre-revolutionary Havana with his teenage daughter Milly (Jo Morrow). He runs a small vacuum cleaner shop while Milly is busy shopping. The latest being a horse. So he takes a job from British secret agent Hawthorne (Noel Coward) to recruit people for his spy network. He is hopeless in the effort. So his friend Dr. Hasselbacher (Burl Ives) suggests inventing everything. He even delivers a drawing of secret machinery based on a vacuum cleaner.This takes quite a few fun pointed jabs at the spy world. Hawthorne is conspicuously English. He is possibly the worst spy. This is the perfect antidote for a James Bond thriller. Alec Guinness is brilliant playing this seriously letting all the jokes come naturally. All the while, there is a threat of danger that is all too real.

As suggested by the film's distributor (and at least one reviewer), we watched this movie while drunk. Although more might have been missed than if in a more abstemious condition, a certain spiritual connection was gained. One thing that was not lost; this is one of those films like, say, Chinatown, that requires several viewings to acquire all the layers of nuance. It is, as has been stated by many commentators before, an excellent companion piece to the other Reed/Greene collaborations such as "The Third Man". One of the hallmarks of a great movie is the creation of atmosphere, something this movie has in spades. Dare I say that it would make great double bill with "Beuna Vista Social Club"; if only for a jumping-off point for a discussion comparing pre and post revolution Cuba. This is a film which deserves much more of an audience than it has apparently received and a guaranteed delight for any discerning viewer. Very highly recommended.

"Our Man in Havana" is a underrated, but brilliant film. Alec Guinness as ever, is excellent, as is Noel Coward and Ralph Richardson.The re-voles around Jim Wormold(Alec Guinness) as a vacuum cleaner salesman in pre-revolutionary Havana. Here he meets Hawthorne(Ralph Richardson) a recruiter of spys. He wants Wormold to spy for Britain, and to recruit a "network" of secret agents. Having no idea on how to recruit an agent, Wormold simply invents a list of spys, and makes up information his "spys" are supposed to have discovered. Of course it all gos terrible wrong, and at the end of it, you suddenly realise you have been watching an extremely funny black comedy.A must see film.