The Return of Mr. Moto (1965)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Ernest Morris

Writer:

Fred Eggers (writer)

Release Date:

18 October 1965 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Most Famous Secret Agent Of All Is Back In A New Adventure!

Plot:

Mr. Moto goes undercover to find out who has been blowing up oil wells and trying to gain total control of all the oil leases from a petroleum-rich Middle Eastern country.

Plot Keywords:

Oil Well | Police Inspector | Oil Field | Corporation | Assassination

Cast

Henry Silva	...	Mr. Moto
Terence Longdon	...	Jonathan Westering, MI5
Suzanne Lloyd	...	Maxine Powell, Lennox's Secretary
Marne Maitland	...	Wasir Hussein, the Shahrdar's Assistant
Martin Wyldeck	...	Helmut Engle aka Dargo
Brian Coburn	...	Magda, Hussein's Henchman
Stanley Morgan	...	Inspector Jim Halliday
Peter Zander	...	Charles Ginelli - Moto's Associate
Harold Kasket	...	Shahrdar of Wadi
Anthony Booth	...	Hovath, Dargo's Henchman with Taxi
Gordon Tanner	...	Russell McAllister
Henry Gilbert	...	David Lennox, Beta Oil
Richard Evans	...	Chief Inspector Marlow
Ian Fleming	...	Rogers, Westering's Butler
Denis Holmes	...	Chapel the fake Halliday
Tracy Connell	...	Arab
Alister Williamson	...	Maitre d'
Sonyia Benjamin	...	Belly Dancer

Directed by
Ernest Morris

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Fred Eggers		writer

Produced by
Robert L. Lippert	....	producer
Jack Parsons	....	producer

Original Music by
Douglas Gamley

Cinematography by
Basil Emmott

Film Editing by
Robert Winter

Art Direction by
Harry White

Makeup Department
Harold Fletcher	....	makeup artist
Joyce James	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Clifton Brandon	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gordon Gilbert	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jock May	....	sound recordist
Clive Smith	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Drake	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jean Fairlie	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Dave Bennett	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Angela Cockill	....	production secretary
Renée Glynne	....	script supervisor
Randall Hood	....	story consultant

Production Companies

• Lippert Pictures

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1965) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:71 min | UK:71 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #20975)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Lippert Pictures

Trivia:

Last full length feature of Ian Fleming.

Quotes:

Mr. Moto: [after being mistakenly thrown by Halliday] Maxine, did he hurt you?
Maxine Powell, Lennox's Secretary: [lying with her skirt pulled up on the couch] I don't think so, but my dignity's in awful shape!
Inspector Jim Halliday: [obviously liking what he sees] It looks fine from here.

No classic but lots of fun; you be the judge!

I'm not one of the reviewers who apparently lined up to bash this movie; I think that 20th Century-Fox guaranteed it a hostile reception by inviting comparison with the fondly-remembered Peter Lorre series of thirty years before. On its own it's a efficiently-produced crime thriller that moves along briskly and offers some genuine surprises and suspense to open-minded viewers. It's been suggested by some (including Henry Silva himself, in the DVD's audio commentary) that Silva is physically unsuited to play an oriental, but the same could be said of the Hungarian Peter Lorre in the earlier series, or the Swedish Warner Oland who became the definitive Charlie Chan. And it's worth mentioning that Henry Silva has convincingly played characters of various nationality over the years.

A beautiful letterboxed transfer of this film can be found as an extra on the final disc of the Peter Lorre/Moto DVD series; I found it well worth seeing for its entertainment value as well as Henry Silva's fascinating audio commentary.