O.K. Connery

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O.K. Connery
OK Connery - original cinema poster.jpg
Italian film poster
Directed byAlberto De Martino
Screenplay by
  • Paolo Levi
  • Frank Walker
  • Stanley Wright
  • Stefano Canzio[1]
Story byPaolo Levi[1]
Produced byDario Sabatello[2]
Starring
CinematographyGianni Bergamini[3]
Edited byOtello Colangeli[2]
Music by
Production
company
Produzione D.S.[2]
Distributed byTitanus[1]
Release dates
20 April 1967 (Italy)
22 November 1967 (United States)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryItaly[2]
LanguageItalian

O.K. Connery, released in America as Operation Kid Brother, is a 1967 Italian Eurospy comedy film shot in Technicolor and Techniscope and directed by Alberto De Martino. The Spy-Fi plot involves the brother of the British spy James Bond, played by Neil Connery (the actual brother of Sean Connery, star of the Eon Productions Bond films) who is obliged to take the lead in foiling a world-domination plot. The film's cast included several actors from the Eon-produced James Bond film series, From Russia with Love's Daniela Bianchi, Thunderball's Adolfo Celi, Dr. No's Anthony Dawson, Bernard Lee (M), and Lois Maxwell (Moneypenny), as well as the producer's wife Agata Flori, Gina Lollobrigida's cousin Guido Lollobrigida, and Yasuko Yama (aka Yee-Wah Young[4] and Yee-Wah Yang, then in the publicity spotlight due to her relationship with James Mason;[5][6] she appeared as a bath girl in You Only Live Twice under the name Yee-Wah Yang[7]).

The film received generally negative reviews from the New York Times, Variety and the Monthly Film Bulletin with the latter two reviews noting that the film could leave audiences with unintentional laughter at its ineptitude. The film was featured on the film-mocking television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1993.

Plot[]

When a legendary British Intelligence (SIS) agent is murdered, fellow agent Miss Maxwell (Lois Maxwell) is sent to find the late spy's girlfriend, Miss Yashuko (Yashuko Yama), who is unwittingly in possession of valuable information. Maxwell discovers that Yashuko is in the care of Dr. Neil Connery, a cosmetic surgeon who uses hypnotism in his practice. Yashuko is kidnapped from a medical conference in Monte Carlo by Maya Rafis (Daniela Bianchi), as part of a plot by Mr. Thayer (Adolfo Celi), code name Beta, of the terrorist organization THANATOS. The Secret Service's Commander Cunningham (Bernard Lee) assigns -- or rather, extorts -- Connery to join the mission to find Miss Yashuko.

Connery hypnotizes a beautiful girl named Mildred (Agata Flori) to acquire information and discovers that Miss Yashuko is located in a Spanish castle belonging to Lotte Krayendorf (Anne-Marie Noé). Connery rescues Miss Yashuko and obtains critical intelligence. This information leads to the discovery of THANATOS's plan to build a super magnet, powerful enough to turn off all mechanical products from New York to Moscow. The weapon is being assembled in a Moroccan rug factory, where all the employees are blind. Miss Yashuko is murdered by Mildred before revealing any further information. Mildred is then killed by Juan (Franco Giacobini), Connery's aide.

After arriving in Morocco, Connery is invited by Maya Rafis to a party held by Thayer. During the reception, Connery discovers that Thayer is planning to assassinate the head of THANATOS, known as Alpha (Anthony Dawson), and he wants Connery to surgically alter an underling to become Alpha's double; however, Connery instead hypnotizes the underling into attacking Thayer, allowing Connery to escape. He warns Maya about his discovery as she leads him to the rug factory. Upon entering the factory, Connery realizes that it is actually producing strands of uranium, and the employees' blindness prevents them from discovering their dangerous role. Together, Connery and Maya track the final uranium shipment to Switzerland, where Thayer, having abandoned his plan to replace Alpha, has completed development of the powerful magnet and soon activates it. Together, with the help of a team of Scottish archers (as firearms are rendered inoperative by the magnet), Connery and Maya kill Thayer and most of his underlings before destroying THANATOS's Swiss base. After the completion of the mission, Commander Cunningham attempts to finagle Connery into continuing to work for him, but Connery hypnotizes Cunningham into departing for London immediately and leaving Connery in peace, allowing him, Maya, and an all-female yacht crew (formerly employed by Thayer) to enjoy a relaxing cruise.

Cast[]

Production[]

Neil Connery was working as a plasterer in Scotland until he was sacked for losing his tools.[8] Based on Neil's relation to his brother Sean, the matter received international media attention. When Terence Young heard Neil interviewed with his trade union about the matter on the radio he mentioned to Italian producer Dario Sabatello that Neil sounded like his brother Sean. Sabatello met Neil at the Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh to recruit him to play the lead role in a Eurospy film. Neil recalled when he did his screen test the crew kept saying "OK, Connery, OK" that became the title for the film.[9]

Experienced director Alberto De Martino who had previously filmed Upperseven, the Man to Kill and Special Mission Lady Chaplin (both 1966) recalled his father Romolo de Martino doing Neil's extensive makeup and problems with Neil's inexperience as an actor. He also recalled Sabatello approaching Sean Connery to do an appearance in the film that Connery emphatically refused.[10]

Neil Connery's voice is dubbed by an actor with an American accent. In an interview in Cinema Retro, Neil said that he was undergoing medical treatment when voice dubbing of the film was in progress, leading another person to voice his lines in the English version.[11]

Lois Maxwell recalled she earned more money for the film than her combined award wage payments from all her appearances in the Eon Productions 007 films put together.[12]

O.K. Connery was filmed in Tetuán, Morocco, Monaco and Spain.[13]

Release[]

O.K. Connery was released in Italy in 1967.[13] The film was distributed in the United States by United Artists, the year Sean Connery left the James Bond series,[3] under the title Operation Kid Brother. It was one of six Italian films released worldwide by United Artists in 1967.[14]

On video release the film had alternate titles which included Operation Double 007, Secret Agent 00 and Operation Kid Brother.[15]

O.K. Connery was featured on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 on September 11, 1993 as "Operation Double 007".[16]

Reception[]

In contemporary reviews, Bosley Crowther writing for The New York Times referred to the film as "a wobbly carbon copy of the James Bond thrillers"[17] Variety described the film as so "unbelievably inept", that "many viewers may find it hilarious fun."[18] The Monthly Film Bulletin stated that O.K. Connery was a "grotesque parody of a parody" noting endless allusions to Neil Connery's brother Sean Connery.[2] The review concluded that "the film as a whole is bad enough to be hysterically funny."[2] The Cleveland Press referred to the film as a "dreary and dismal espionage movie" stating that the film lacked the "flair and skill with which the Bond films are made. The script is labored, the direction slow and the acting is barely adequate."[19]

In Phil Hardy's book Science Fiction (1984), a review noted that "though it's stylishly mounted, the result is a routine Italian spy romp."[20]

In an interview in 1996, Lois Maxwell said that Sean Connery, when he learned that she would join the cast, got very angry and started screaming: "You have betrayed me!" but he later forgave her.[21]

As a "James Bond rip-off", reaction to the film is mixed. Ben Child from The Guardian called it one of the worst movies made for the genre.[22] In contrast, Andy Roberts from The Daily Telegraph and Tom Cole for Radio Times considered it to be one of the best.[23][24]

See also[]

References[]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ a b c "O.K. Connery (1967)". Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "O.K. Connery". Monthly Film Bulletin. London: British Film Institute. 35 (408): 78–79. 1968.
  3. ^ a b Mavis 2011, p. 234.
  4. ^ p. 13 Anderson Daily Bulletin from Anderson, Indiana January 11, 1967
  5. ^ p. 31 Sweeney, Kevin James Mason: A Bio-Bibliography Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999
  6. ^ p. 146 Morley, Sheridan James Mason: Odd Man Out Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1 Apr 1989
  7. ^ p. 8 "Oh No, Say Mason and the Bond Girl Yama The Straits Times, 18 December 1966
  8. ^ p, 187 Yule, Andrew Sean Connery: From 007 to Hollywood Icon Kensington Publishing Corporation, 1 Aug 1993
  9. ^ Field, Matthew & Chowdhury, Ajay Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films The History Press, 12 Oct 2015
  10. ^ "Albert De Martino Interview" Nanarland
  11. ^ "Neil Connery Interview" Cinema Retro #12
  12. ^ Brett, Anwar Moneypenny Speaks Film Review Special No 21 1997
  13. ^ a b "Operation Kid Brother". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  14. ^ Hughes, Howard Once Upon A Time in the Italian West: The Filmgoers' Guide to Spaghetti Westerns I.B.Tauris, 31 Mar 2006
  15. ^ Pavlides, Dan. "O.K. Connery". AllMovie. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  16. ^ "Mystery Science Theater 3000". TV Guide. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  17. ^ Crowther, Bosley (November 23, 1967). "Screen: Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Reagan:New Cinema Playhouse Changes Its Fare Picture Makes a Case for the Californian 'Operation Kid Brother'". New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  18. ^ Willis 1985, p. 224: "Review is of 104 minute version reviewed on October 11, 1967"
  19. ^ Mastroianni, Tony (November 18, 1967). ""Kid Brother" Is Poor Relation". The Cleveland Press. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  20. ^ Hardy 1984, p. 266.
  21. ^ Insert magazine of the Italian VHS James Bond 007 Collection edition of Dr. No, published by , directed by Giulio Lattanzi.
  22. ^ Child, Ben (August 17, 2016). "Never make ever again: The 007 worst James Bond rip-offs in history". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  23. ^ Roberts, Andy (October 13, 2015). "Pussy Galore, meet Lotta Muff: the weird world of the Bond rip-off". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  24. ^ Cole, Tom (October 26, 2012). "Shaky, yet stirring: the best James Bond knock-offs of all time". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved July 15, 2018.

Sources[]

  • Hardy, Phil, ed. (1984). Science Fiction. New York : Morrow. ISBN 0-688-00842-9.
  • Mavis, Paul (2011). The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786449156.
  • Willis, Donald, ed. (1985). Variety's Complete Science Fiction Reviews. Garland Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-8240-6263-9.

External links[]

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