A Man Could Get Killed
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A Man Could Get Killed
Plot
This late-'60s spy spoof also borrows a page from late-'50s Alfred Hitchcock, with its everyday man becoming embroiled in the violent and baffling world of international espionage. When American businessman William Beddoes (James Garner) is traveling in Lisbon, he's mistaken for an English spy who's thought to possess a cache of industrial diamonds. Soon he is pursued by Aurora-Celeste da Costa (Melina Mercouri), Steve-Antonio (Tony Franciosa), and a host of other colorful troublemakers, all chasing him for something he doesn't have. Note Bert Kaempfert's music, introducing "Strangers In The Night". ~ Nicole Gagne, RoviReview
There's nothing in A Man Could Get Killed that has proved as lasting as its theme song, the once-ubiquitous "Strangers in the Night," but it's still a decent way to fritter away a couple of hours. Killed is one of many 1960's era films that could loosely be classified as a spy spoof, although this particular example benefits from also being a bit of a Hitchcock take-off through its set-up of a man jeopardized by a case of mistaken identity. Like many of these other films, Killed can get a bit silly and the joke wears a little thin along the way, but for the most part it's a very amiable bit of fluff and does feature more than a fair share of genuine laughs. While the screenplay certainly does its job in creating those laughs, the real credit goes to the cast. James Garner is perfectly cast as the normal American who somehow finds himself at the center of more plots than he knows what to do with; his innate charm and his ability to be both befuddled and outraged at once while still coming across as cute are great assets, and his ease onscreen makes him the perfect center of the storm around him. That storm often takes the luscious form of Melina Mercouri, who is a riot and a perfect foil for Garner. Sandra Dee turns in a consistently winning performance, and Anthony Franciosa is quite good as well. ~ Craig Butler, RoviCast
- James Garner - William Beddoes
- Melina Mercouri - Aurora-Celeste da Costa
- Sandra Dee - Amy Franklin
- Robert Coote - Hatton-Jones
Credit
John De Cuir - Art Director, Ronald Neame - Director, Cliff Owen - Director, Alma Macrorie - Editor, Bert Kaempfert - Songwriter, Charles Singleton - Songwriter, Eddie Snyder - Songwriter, Gabor Pogany - Cinematographer, Robert Arthur - Producer, Joe Chevalier - Set Designer, John Daheim - Stunts, Richard L. Breen - Screenwriter, T.E.B. Clarke - Screenwriter, David E. Walker - Book Author| A Man Came and Took Her (2010 Film), A Man Called Tiger (1973 Film) | |
| A Man Escaped (1956 Film), A Man Four-Square (1926 Film) |
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A Man Could Get Killed
| A Man Could Get Killed | |
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 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Ronald Neame Cliff Owen |
| Produced by | Robert Arthur |
| Written by | David E. Walker Richard L. Breen T. E. B. Clarke |
| Starring | James Garner Melina Mercouri Sandra Dee Anthony Franciosa Robert Coote |
| Music by | Bert Kaempfert, Herbert Rehbein, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder, Buddy Scot, Jimmy Radcliffe |
| Cinematography | Gábor Pogány |
| Editing by | Alma Macrorie |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 25, 1966 (US) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Man Could Get Killed is a 1966 adventure comedy film directed Ronald Neame and Cliff Owen, shot on various locations in Portugal and starring James Garner, Melina Mercouri, Sandra Dee, Anthony Franciosa, and Robert Coote, as well as the fourteen year old Jenny Agutter in a minor role. The screenplay was written by Richard L. Breen, and T. E. B. Clarke and David E. Walker based on the Walker's novel Diamonds For Danger. The film introduced the melody of Strangers in the Night by German composer Bert Kaempfert which won the movie the Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song in a Motion Picture" of 1967.
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Contents
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Plot
A search is on for stolen diamonds and a government agent has been killed trying to recover them. When an unsuspecting William Beddoes arrives in Lisbon on behalf of an American bank, he is mistaken for the dead agent's replacement.
Hatton-Jones of the British embassy comes to Beddoes' aid. Also taking an interest is Aurora Celeste, the dead man's lover, as well as Steve Antonio, a smuggler, who is being pursued by the law's Amy Franklin.
Everyone ends up aboard a yacht belonging to Dr. Mathieson, who appears to be the mastermind of the crime and knows where the hidden diamonds are. Beddoes ends up engineering an escape for all once the gems are safely in the hands of Hatton-Jones, who turns out to be the dead agent's actual successor.
Beddoes collects reward money for his efforts. He heads for home, assuming he will never see any of these people again, but Franklin schemes to make sure he'll be back.
Cast
- James Garner as William Beddoes
- Melina Mercouri as Aurora
- Sandra Dee as Amy Franklin
- Tony Franciosa as Steve
- Robert Coote as Hatton
- Roland Culver as Dr. Mathieson
- Grégoire Aslan as Florian
- Cecil Parker as Sir Huntley Frazier
- Dulcie Gray as Mrs. Mathieson
- Martin Benson as Politanu
- Peter Illing as Zarik
- Niall MacGinnis as Ship's Captain
- Virgilio Teixeira as Inspector Rodrigues
- Isabel Dean as Miss Bannister
- Daniele Vargas as Osman
- Jenny Agutter as Linda Frazier
Soundtrack
The score for A Man Could Get Killed was composed by the German Bert Kaempfert, partially with the assistance of Herbert Rehbein and performed by his orchestra. It introduced the melody of the song Strangers in the Night, which in version by Frank Sinatra became a global number one hit and by now is considered a standard of easy listening music. The tune, listed in the original sound track as Beddy Bye, permeates the movie throughout and won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song in a Motion Picture" of 1967, beating the other nominated compositions Un homme et une femme by French orchestra leader Francis Lai, Born Free by John Barry, which won the 1966 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Alfie by Burt Bacharach, and Georgy Girl by Tom Springfield from the eponymous movies, the latter two also having been Oscar nominees of 1966.
The overall score to the movie, often resorting to Latin and even seemingly Greek influenced imagery, found a more mixed reception.[1] The soundtrack was produced by Milt Gabler and recorded at Polydor Studios, Hamburg, Germany. It was originally released on a LP by Decca (4750) and on a CD in 1999 by Taragon Records, then combined with Bert Kaempfert's LP Strangers in the Night (original release 1966, Decca (4795)).
External links
- A Man Could Get Killed at the Internet Movie Database
- A Man Could Get Killed at AllRovi
- James Garner Interview on the Charlie Rose Show
- James Garner interview at Archive of American Television
References
- ^ Film and television scores, 1950-1979: a critical survey by genre, Kristopher Spencer, McFarland, 2008
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Mentioned in
A Man Could Get Killed/Strangers in the Night
(1999 Album by Bert Kaempfert)
90 Minuten Nach Mitternacht/Willkommen, Mr. B/Zwei Kerle Aus Granit
(2001 Album by Bert Kaempfert)
Bert Kaempfert: Film Scores
(Classical Album)
Born Free/Love, Andy
(1999 Album by Andy Williams)
Bobby Darin Sings the Shadow of Your Smile
(1966 Album by Bobby Darin)
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