Too much of everything

Fantastic!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

OUR MAN IN HAVANA is a fairly typical British satire of the spy genre, with Alec Guinness playing his usual hapless character whose supposedly clever plans lead him into hot water. Guinness plays a salesman living in Cuba who is tasked with becoming British spy, but when he starts making up fake identities to impress his employers, he soon finds the situation spiralling out of control. Although this is a well-cast movie with solid direction from Carol Reed and some well-judged turns in support from famous faces, I found it far less funny than I was expecting and not up to the same quality as the Ealing comedies.

While this film has serious and somber moments in a couple of places, it is one of the best spy spoof movies ever made. It's based on the novel of the same title by Graham Greene. Director Carol Reed did a superb job with the film's cast in polishing the comedy of the plot. The story is slow and deliberate at the start, and the comedy is very tongue-in-cheek. The humor comes in the situations and the scheming by Jim Wormold, played by Alec Guinness. His deadpan expressions are particularly suited for the satire of this plot. Wormold is an expatriate British citizen who's been a resident of Havana, Cuba, for 15 years. He owns a vacuum cleaner store. The cast for this wonderful satire couldn't have been better chosen. Guinness is in the lead role as the British secret service's recruited man in Havana. Burl Ives plays his best friend, Dr. Hasselbacher, himself an expatriate from Germany. He's also been living in Havana a long time. After Wormold confided the British offer to the doctor, Hasselbacher suggested that he create an imaginary network of agents and make up things to report to agent 59200, his boss. That role is played hilariously by Noel Coward as Hawthorne. He is the head of British operations in the Caribbean. From the first moment one sees Coward's character, early in the film, you know you're in for a delightful time. His expression is even funnier than Wormold's. Coward is serious and dour. With his suit, bowler hat and umbrella, he stands out like a sore thumb amid the street throngs of Havana. He doesn't blend in with the populace, and his brisk, deliberate walking pace makes him all the more easy to spot – and follow. Enter the chief of police, Capt. Segura, played by Ernie Kovacs. This is one of those roles in which Kovacs' character is calm and unruffled, and it, too, is particularly apropos for a spy spoof. At the head of the whole British "intelligence" operation – in the London home office, is Ralph Richardson as "C." Other characters fill in the secret service bunch in London. The rest of the cast are all superb, especially those with parts in Cuba. Jo Morrow plays Wormold's daughter, Milly. Maureen O'Hara plays the British agent, Beatrice Severn, whom London sends to help Wormold. Fredy Mayne is hilarious as Prof. Sanchez whom Wormold tries to recruit initially. Paul Rogers plays Hubert Carter, Wormold's would-be assassin. This is one very funny film that lampoons the British secret service mercilessly. The satire continues to build right to the end with a surprise finish that caps the mockery beautifully. Again, most of the humor is in the scheming, plotting and situations rather than in the dialog. The script at the end, though, has a running pun that wraps it up nicely. After Wormold has been given the boot by the Cuban police, and is in London with Severn, Hawthorne says to C, "The loss of those two will create quite a vacuum." C, "What?" Hawthorne, I'm most frightfully sorry, sir. I really didn't intend to make a pun. I only thought, perhaps, that if we are to make a clean sweep …"The movie was filmed in Cuba and England. The Havana scenes are around Cathedral Square and the Havana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club. It's interesting to see photos around the square after the Cuban Revolution (1953-1959). Cam shots today show very little human traffic and activity, and deterioration of the buildings. The movie prologue quickly points out that the story takes place and the movie was made there in the days "before the recent revolution." The movie came out in 1959, just after the end of the revolution that installed Fidel Castro at the head of a communist government. Thus, the Cuban filming would have been shot before July 1953. So, besides its wonderful satire of British espionage and government offices, "Our Man in Havana" gives some snapshots of life and street scenes in the once vibrant capital of Cuba. At one point, Wormold says to Carter, "Everything is legal in Cuba." Indeed, besides its high society and cultural side, the Havana of the mid- 20th century was known as a place where morals were subdued in favor of pleasure. This is a very clever satire, even though it's on the dark side in places. It's one of the best adult films (because of its content) that spoof government "intelligence" operations. It makes a fine addition to any film library.

Back in the 1950's many changing aspects of life in Cuba were in their infancy. Fidel was still spouting histrionic rhetoric, the British government was striving to remain among the elite of world governments and the U.S. was trying hard to ignore the tiny imprisoned island. Here is one movie which captured the essence of the times. The film is called " Our Man in Havana " and is the story of the British secret service prior to the first James Bond movie. Noel Coward plays Hawthorne a government official seeking to establish a covert base on the Island of Cuba. Finding one Jim Wormold (Alec Guinness) a British subject, running a vacuum sales shop, he enlists him to create a spy network complete with agents and code names. Completely ill suited and inexperienced for the post, Wormold is advised by his friend Dr. Hasselbacher (Burl Ives) to accept all the money, privileges and perks which come with the post and just make up a network of spy and secret weapons. He is so successful, London (Ralph Richardson) sends him Miss Beatrice Severn (Maureen O'Hara), a beautiful secretary to help him with emerging operations. However, due to the accumulating power of the agency in Cuba, the heavies too become dangerously threatening, in the guise of Capt. Segura (Ernie Kovacs). The movie has a comedic, but dark veneer as things begin well enough, but then become lethal. A surprising hit for it's time and one reminiscent of the years in which it was created. ****

Adapted by Graham Greene from one of his own "entertainments"i.e. potboilers,"Our Man in Havana" succeeds entirely due to its cast.Sir Noel,Sir Alec,Sir Ralph all enjoy themselves and undoubtedly trousered nice cheques from Oliver Reed's uncle into the bargain. Set in the time Mob Money virtually ran Cuba,the story of a salesman who agrees to spy for his queen and country and make a few bob at the same time is a thin thing indeed.Mr Reed attempts to make a silk purse out of it and very nearly triumphs. Before the Bay of Pigs and the Missile Crisis,Cuba hardly featured on most people's radar.Havana was as mysterious as Timbuktu.Into this Heart of Darkness strolls an imperious Mr Noel Coward,scattering natives left and right with his rolled umbrella.Mr Alec Guiness,needing some spare cash for his spendthrift daughter agrees to spy for him,makes up a ring of agents and collects all their wages for himself. A man clearly destined to work in The City,one might think. Mr Reed has a lot of fun with this premise,the film is moodily shot in black and white and is,fittingly,quite entertaining but essentially lightweight and forgettable as an "Aero" bar that has melted in your mouth. Distance has lent enchantment to a movie that was very much of its era. When Gary Powers was shot down over Russia in his U2 a little while later,spying suddenly became less of a game,more of a deadly gamble.