Review of Modesty Blaise (1966) by Sam T — 11 May 2008

Not worthy of the original graphic-novels, a 1960's oriented take in the same vein as the Peter Sellers/David Niven abomination Hipster-swinging 60's culture-I sold out -the-rights-to-my-book-Ian-Fleming-Version-of "Casino Royale".

Watching Cute fashion model Italian cigarette-smoking babester and Bond-Type Girl Monica Vitti only makes this tolerable, but in an era when movie depictions of powerful women were scarce, and Judo trained Avengers girls like Honor Blackman in leather fetish gear were all the Carnaby Street rage in England, Vitti's version of Modesty did not quite measure up, but at least gave us a fiesty female heroine who could semi-kick butt yet remain "girly" enough by mainstream social standards.

...On the positive side, one of the main things I remember is the music associated with the film, done by Jazz genius Johnny Dankworth, who also did the original music for the Honor Blackman era (connections?) series of "The Avengers" which remains a great example of the cool/crime jazz style of music.

...In 2004, another version "My name is Modesty" was produced, a little closer to the original O'Donnell version with a Tarantino production credit, (which was 180 degrees opposite from the Vitti version), but without the tricks in the original, such as Modesty dropping her top to distract the bad guys.

..Interested should watch both and decide for themselves...