Estambul 65 (1965)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi

Writers:

Howard Clewes (dialogue)
Lluís Josep Comerón (writer)

Release Date:

11 August 1965 (Italy)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

What Tony the Turk does with redheads is a crime . . . what he does with crime is delicious . . . ! [USA Theatrical]

Plot Keywords:

James Bond Rip Off | James Bond Imitation | Spy | James Bond Spoof

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Horst Buchholz	...	Tony Mecenas
Sylva Koscina	...	Kenny, FBI Agent
Mario Adorf	...	Bill
Perrette Pradier	...	Elisabeth Furst
Ángel Picazo	...	Inspector Mallouk
Klaus Kinski	...	Schenck
Gérard Tichy	...	Charly Cohen
Christiane Maybach	...	Josette
Álvaro de Luna	...	Bogo
Gustavo Re	...	Brain, the Accountant
George Rigaud	...	CIA Chief
Henri Cogan	...	Cogan (as Henry Cogan)
Agustín González	...	Gunther
Umberto Raho	...	Prof. Pendergast
Marta Flores	...	Lady in Limousine

Also Known As:

Colpo grosso a Galata Bridge (Italy)
L'homme d'Istamboul (France)
Operación Estambul (Spain) (working title)
That Man in Istanbul (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:114 min | UK:117 min | USA:117 min

Country:

Spain | Italy | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Compagnia Cinematografica Mondiale (CCM)

Another forgotten B jewel

This is one of the best action spy thrillers I saw, and believe me I've seen a lot.

Even by today's standards, it would be good, provided someone cared to restore it's brightly colour, perfect editing, and natural sound. The alternate soundless shots of a knife fight inside the hotel swimming pool, where he can see each detail of two athletic actors actually going at it, and the merry sounds of tourists on the esplanade above while still unawares of the drama close-by, has NEVER been recreated in any film, possibly because it was too much trouble, or there were no Horst Buccholz and Mario Adorf around.

The dialog was OK, and true grit, real lines, and delivered with realism. In that not only Buccholz was good, but the other actors, too, therefore grabbing the spectator into a quite realistic scenario. The story develops from a predictable ending into something quite different, therefore we miss the presence of Koscina in the later part of the story, but it is all for the best of the film.

The director was defending his name and career, but also his money in more ways than one, as he was one of the producers investing in the project through Isasi (Barcelona, Spain). It is a pity that there was never a VHS around that I know of, and that no DVD is made of such a precious B jewel.