Moviecut—The Spy in the Green Hat

The Spy in the Green Hat

I loved "The Man From U. N. C. L. E.". Great fun. But this movie is a disservice to the excellent talent assembled. The writing is amazingly terrible. The direction, too. The worst episode of "Teletubbies" is Oscar material compared to this. I had to turn it off and instead watch the finacial report. Far more entertaining.

I really enjoyed the TV series back in the day, but I don't recall this movie-length extension. For those who haven't seen the series, PLEASE don't assume it was as horrid as this offering. I expect they wouldn't hold up as well as James Coburn's excellent pair of Bond spoofs as Agent Derek Flint, but they surely aged better than this. How could anyone get Janet Leigh and Jack Palance to overact to this absurd degree? They've always been better than this, whether in dramas or comedies (that, unlike this turkey, were actually funny; or at least within driving distance of the intended humor). TCM did the legacies of these fondly-remembered actors no favor by giving this dud new air time. Admittedly, the grapefruit bit was a treat. Too bad it was the only bright spot.

Others here have covered the storyline most adequately, I'm just going to pose a question about 'The Spy in the Green Hat'! In a 1967 Australian movie magazine, which has a 2 page spread on this film, it states that unlike the other U.N.C.L.E. films, this one was made specifically for a theatrical release, therefore had a bigger budget than usual ,and may also account for it being a bit more 'risque' than the others? If this is so, was it filmed in widescreen? Although the IMDb states the films were in 1.85 aspect, this is clearly not so for the ones made up from 2 part television episodes, and the five that have been put out on DVD, are only in 4.3 aspect! If this film was indeed made for a cinema release, could it be the only U.N.C.L.E. film actually filmed in widescreen? Guess we wont know until they see fit to release it on DVD? Perhaps the mooted big screen remake of 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' starring George Clooney, will renew interest in the originals? Here's hoping!