Eurospy film, or Spaghetti spy film (when referring to

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

-produced films in the genre), is a genre of

spy film The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a film genre, genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many Jame ...

s produced in Europe, especially in Italy, France, and Spain, that either sincerely imitated or else parodied the British

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

spy series feature films. The genre was an offshoot of the wider 1960s spy craze that had begun with James Bond in 1962 and had taken root across the Western world, lasting into the early-to-mid '70s in countries such as the UK. Britain participated in the Eurospy movement it had inspired, albeit spreading its output across lower-budget Eurospy-style copycat media and more serious productions with higher budgets than were typical of the genre. The first wave of Eurospy films was released in 1964, two years after the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'', and in the same year as the premiere of what many consider to be the

apotheosis Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...

of the Bond series, '' Goldfinger''. For the most part, the Eurospy craze lasted until around 1967 or 1968. In Italy, where most of these films were produced, this trend replaced the declining

sword-and-sandal Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum (: pepla), is a subgenre of largely Italy, Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget ...

genre. In turn, Eurospy fell out of vogue as the

giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...

film rose to prominence and the largest

spaghetti western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s were released. In the Anglophone world, especially the UK, the wider spy media craze continued for several more years, often with higher production values and a more experimental bent than the more exploitative subgenre of Eurospy, exemplified by seminal TV series ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...

'' and the psychedelic-themed Bond film '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service''. David Deal and Matt Blake, co-authors of the Eurospy Guide cite 150 examples but Sir Christopher Frayling, estimated the number of Eurospy films at 50, and felt that they passed on such traits to the

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

as an emphasis on the technology of death, such as special weapons, the anonymity of the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

, the "money = power" equation of the villains and humorous asides that released the audience's laughter after a violent sequence. For additional verisimilitude, these films often featured American and British stars in the lead roles. The heroes of the films were secret agents who were often given a name similar to "James Bond" (including "Charles Bind", "Charles Vine" and "James Tont", where "Tont" is a pun on which is Italian for "dumb", "stupid"), and/or a code name matching, or similar to, James Bond's "007". Unlike the Italian Eurospy films, most French, British and West German spy films made use of existing literary fictional spies, including

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who ...

, Harry Palmer, Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, AKA OSS 117 (who was not based on James Bond but rather had helped to inspire James Bond), Francis Coplan and Rolf Torring.

Examples

Some European stars and their films were renamed and retitled to cash in on the superspy craze. For example, Jesus Franco's or "Jess Frank"'s 1962 ''La Muerte silba un Blues'' was later retitled ''077 Operation Jamaica'' or ''077 Operation Sexy'' with star Conrado San Martín rechristened "Sean Martin" to evoke images of

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

and

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

(who played

Matt Helm Matt Helm is a fictional character created by American author Donald Hamilton (1916–2006). Helm is a U.S. government counter-agent, a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of ...

). West Germany's fictional hero Rolf Torring's film '' Der Fluch des Schwarzen Rubin'' was retitled ''Agente S3S Operazione Uranio''.

Continental Europe

So many French and Italian films used "007" that

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

told the Italian film industry that only James Bond could be 007, and threatened legal action. Working around this restriction, many films were given similar, but legally acceptable, three-digit numbers in their titles such as the Italian-Spanish ''A 001, operazione Giamaica'' a.k.a. '' Our Man in Jamaica'' (1965) and the Secret Agent 077 trilogy starring Ken Clark ('' Agent 077 – Mission Bloody Mary'', '' Agent 077 From the Orient with Fury'', and '' Special Mission Lady Chaplin''). '' 008: Operation Exterminate'' (1965) from director

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unre ...

features the first female Bond-type hero. Lenzi also made three films starring Roger Browne, '' Superseven chiama Cairo'' (1965), '' Last Man to Kill'' (1966), and '' The Spy Who Loved Flowers'' (1966). Browne was also in '' Password: Kill Agent Gordon'' (1966). Director

Bruno Corbucci Bruno Corbucci (23 October 1931 – 7 September 1996) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He was the younger brother of Sergio Corbucci and wrote many of his films. He was born in Rome, where he also died. The vast majority of h ...

's James Tont series starring Lando Buzzanca is the earliest Italian comedy series based on 007. '' James Tont operazione U.N.O.'' (1965) features a female character named "Goldsinger" and underwater sequences that echo '' Thunderball''. This was quickly followed by the sequel '' James Tont operazione D.U.E.'' a.k.a. ''The Wacky World of James Tont'' (1965). Corbucci also wrote the screenplays for '' Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang'' (1966) and the

Derek Flint Derek Flint is a fictional world adventurer and master spy featured in a series of movies and comic books. Flint, a parody of James Bond and Doc Savage, is an agent for Z.O.W.I.E. (Zonal Organization World Intelligence Espionage). Origins In 1965 ...

parody '' Il vostro super agente Flit'' (1966). Another Bond spoof, ''

Two Mafiosi Against Goldfinger ''Two Mafiosi Against Goldginger'' or ''Due mafiosi contro Goldginger'' is a 1965 Eurospy comedy film directed by Giorgio Simonelli starring the comic duo Franco and Ciccio. It is a spoof of the 1964 James Bond film, ''Goldfinger (film), Goldfinge ...

'', also known as ''The Amazing Dr. G'' (1965), features

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (20 September 1917 – 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, international actor best known for hi ...

as a criminal mastermind named Goldginger.

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

agent Bob Fleming is featured in a trio of Italian films, ''

Secret Agent Fireball ''Le spie uccidono a Beirut'' (literally, ''The Spies kill in Beirut'', also titled ''Da 077 : le spie uccidono a Beirut'', i.e. ''Message from 077 : the spies kill in Beirut'') is a 1965 Italian/ French international co-production spy film perta ...

'' also titled ''Da 077: le spie uccidono a Beirut'' (1965), ''Killers are Challenged'' a.k.a. '' A 077, sfida ai killers'' (1966), directed by

Antonio Margheriti Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italians, Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different film ...

, and '' Fury in Marrakesh'', a.k.a. ''Furia a Marrakech'' (1966). Margheriti made one other spy film, '' Lightning Bolt'', a.k.a. ''Operazione Goldman'' (1966). Other notable examples include '' Berlin, Appointment for the Spies'', a.k.a. ''Spy in Your Eye'' (Italy, 1965), the French '' OSS 117''

André Hunebelle André Hunebelle (; 1 September 1896 – 27 November 1985) was a French maître verrier (master glassmaker) and film director. Master Glass Artist After attending polytechnic school for mathematics, he became a decorator, a designer, and then a m ...

series based on the Jean Bruce character and

Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...

's ''

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

'' trilogy ('' Le Tigre aime la chair fraiche'', '' Le Tigre se parfume à la dynamite'', and ''Blue Panther'', a.k.a. '' Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha''), and the West German '' Kommissar X'' and '' Jerry Cotton'' series. France's

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Israel Constantine; October 29, 1913 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of secret agent L ...

Nick Carter Nickolas Gene Carter (born January 28, 1980) is an American singer, the lead vocalist of the vocal group Backstreet Boys, and an alleged rapist. As of 2015, he has released three solo albums, '' Now or Never'', '' I'm Taking Off'' and '' All A ...

and

Lemmy Caution Lemmy Caution is a fictional character created by British writer Peter Cheyney (1896–1951). Caution was first portrayed as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, and in later stories as a private detective. History Cheyney's first book ...

series moved into espionage with several films, including

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French and Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as ...

's '' Alphaville'' (1965). The French Francis Coplan novels resulted in six films including '' Coplan Saves His Skin'' (1968).

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

starred in the French-Italian '' The Reluctant Spy'' (1963) and '' Pleins feux sur Stanislas'' (1965).

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

was in the French spy spoof ''

That Man From Rio ''That Man from Rio'' () is a 1964 French-Italian international co-production adventure film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac. It was the first film to be made by the French subsidiary of United ...

'' (1964). American actor

Ray Danton Ray Danton (born Raymond Caplan; September 19, 1931 – February 11, 1992) was an American radio, film, stage, and television actor, director, and producer whose most famous roles were in the screen biographies ''The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamo ...

made two French films, '' Code Name: Jaguar'' (1965), ''

Secret Agent Super Dragon ''Secret Agent Super Dragon'' () is a 1966 internationally co-produced Eurospy film directed by Giorgio Ferroni, and starring Ray Danton as the titular secret agent. Plot The plot centers on a secret agent and an evil organization that is dr ...

'' (1966), and the Spanish-Italian 007 parody ''

Lucky, el intrépido ''Lucky, the Inscrutable'' (, , ) is a 1967 spy film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Ray Danton. Cast Production During the 1960s, the Spanish film industry was regularly making co-production with Italy. For ''Lucky, the Inscrutable'' ...

'' a.k.a. ''Lucky, the Inscrutable'' (1966) directed by

Jesús Franco Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013), also commonly known as Jess Franco, was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a highly prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. He worked in many different gen ...

. Franco also made '' The Girl from Rio'' (1969) with ''Goldfingers Shirley Eaton in the title role.

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die ''Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die'' (Italian: ''Se tutte le donne del mondo... (Operazione Paradiso)'') is a James Bond spoof film released in 1966 as an Italian-American co-production between Dino De Laurentiis' Cinematografica and Columbia Pic ...

'' (1966) was filmed in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

using an American director and an Anglo-American cast (

Mike Connors Krekor Ohanian (August 15, 1925 – January 26, 2017), known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor. He was best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series ''Mannix'' from 1967 to 1975. This role ...

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members ...

, et al.) and a higher budget than most Eurospy films. A touchstone of this series of films was '' OK Connery'', a.k.a. ''Operation Kid Brother'' (1967) starring

Neil Connery Neil Niren Connery (16 December 1938 – 9 May 2021) was a Scottish actor and the younger brother of actor Sean Connery. Early life Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 16 December 1938. The Connery family is of partial Irish origin. His ...

, brother of the then-James Bond actor

, plus several actors from the official James Bond series. The director,

Alberto De Martino Alberto De Martino (12 June 1929 – 2 June 2015) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Born in Rome, De Martino started as a child actor and later returned to the cinema where worked as a screenwriter, director and dubbing supervis ...

, also made '' Special Mission Lady Chaplin'' (1966) and ''

The Spy with Ten Faces ''The Spy with Ten Faces'' (, ) is a 1966 Italian-West German Eurospy film written and directed by Alberto De Martino. Plot Paul Finney aka Upperseven; played by Paul Hubschmitt, is a master of disguise by the use of masks. His task is to secur ...

'' (1966) with Karin Dor. She was the first German Bond girl, appearing in '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967). British actor

Stewart Granger Stewart Granger (born James Lablache Stewart; 6 May 1913 – 16 August 1993) was a British film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s, rising to fame thr ...

starred in '' Red Dragon'' (1965), '' Target for Killing'' (1966) with

Adolfo Celi Adolfo Celi (; 27 July 1922 – 19 February 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. Born in Curcuraci, Messina, Sicily, Celi appeared in nearly 100 films, specialising in international villains. Although a prominent actor in Italian ...

from '' Thunderball'', and '' Requiem for a Secret Agent'' (1966) in Italy along with Daniela Bianchi. In addition to the James Bond film '' From Russia with Love'' (1963), Bianchi made the Italian spy films '' Code Name: Tiger'' (1964), '' Special Mission Lady Chaplin'' (1966), and two 007 parodies: '' Balearic Caper'' (1966), and the previously mentioned '' O.K. Connery'' (1967).

Sergio Sollima Sergio Sollima (17 April 1921 – 1 July 2015) was an Italian film director and script writer. Biography Sollima graduated from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in 1935. During World War II he was in the Italian Resistance. After th ...

, who directed '' Requiem for a Secret Agent'', also helmed two Bond-like films starring George Ardisson, '' Agent 3S3: Passport to Hell'' (1965), and '' Agent 3S3, Massacre in the Sun'' (1966). Ardisson made a third Italian spy film, '' Operation Counterspy'' (1965). Marilù Tolo was in seven Italian/French-Italian productions: '' Espionage in Lisbon'' (1965), ''Balearic Caper'' (1966), ''

'' (1966), '' Perry Grant, agente di ferro,'' a.k.a. '' The Big Blackout'' (1966), '' To Skin a Spy'' (1966), '' Judoka-Secret Agent'' (1966), and '' Casse-tête chinois pour le judoka'' (1967). And Luciana Paluzzi from '' Thunderball'' (1965) also made the French-Italian '' OSS 117 – Double Agent'' (1968). Canadian-American actor Lang Jeffries played a secret agent in '' Agente X 1-7 operazione Oceano'' (Italy, 1965), '' Z7 Operation Rembrandt'' (West Germany–Italy, 1966), '' Spies Strike Silently'' (Italy, 1966), '' The Beckett Affair'' (France-Italy, 1966), '' The Killer Lacks a Name'' (Spain–Italy, 1966), and '' Mexican Slayride'' (Spain–Italy, 1967). A post 1960s pair of films based on French author Gérard de Villiers SAS series appeared in the 1980s, '' S.A.S. à San Salvador'' (1982) starring

Miles O'Keeffe Miles O'Keeffe (born June 20, 1954) is an American film and television actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of '' Tarzan, the Ape Man''. Youth O'Keeffe was born in Ripley, Tennessee. A star footba ...

as Malko and '' Eye of the Widow'' (1989) with Richard Young as Malko.

British films

Daliah Lavi, best known for her two American 007 spoofs '' The Silencers'' (1966) and '' Casino Royale'' (1967), was in '' Shots in Threequarter Time'' a.k.a. ''Spy Hunt in Vienna'' and ''Operation Solo'' (West Germany, 1965) and British films ''

The Spy with a Cold Nose ''The Spy with a Cold Nose'' is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Laurence Harvey, Daliah Lavi, Lionel Jeffries, Denholm Elliott, and Colin Blakely. It was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Plot A d ...

'' (1966) and '' Some Girls Do'' (1969), starring

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

. He starred in ''

Danger Route ''Danger Route'' is a 1967 British spy film directed by Seth Holt for Amicus Productions and starring Richard Johnson (actor), Richard Johnson as Jonas Wilde, Carol Lynley and Barbara Bouchet. It was based on Christopher Nicole, Andrew York's 19 ...

'' (1967) and ''

Deadlier Than the Male ''Deadlier Than the Male'' is a 1967 British crime and mystery film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Richard Johnson and Elke Sommer. It is one of the many take-offs of James Bond produced during the 1960s, but is based on an already est ...

'' (1967), the latter with

Sylva Koscina Sylva Koscina (; born Silvija Košćina, ; 22 August 1933 – 26 December 1994) was a Yugoslav-born Italian actress, best known for her role as Iole, the bride of Hercules ( Steve Reeves) in ''Hercules'' (1958) and '' Hercules Unchained'' (196 ...

. She made two other British films, '' Hot Enough for June'', a.k.a. ''Agent '' (1964), that featured a mention of Agent 007 and ''

Our Man in Marrakesh ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (also known as ''Intriga Brutal''; U.S. title: ''Bang! Bang! You're Dead!'') is a 1966 British comedy spy film directed by Don Sharp and starring Tony Randall, Herbert Lom and Senta Berger. It was written by Peter Yeldha ...

'' a.k.a. ''Bang! Bang! You're Dead!'' (1966) and two Italian productions, '' That Man in Istanbul'' (1965) and '' Agent X-77 Orders to Kill'' (1966). Other British-made films include '' Master Spy'' (1964), '' The Quiller Memorandum'' (1966) starring

George Segal George Segal Jr. (February 13, 1934 – March 23, 2021) was an American actor. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s for playing both dramatic and comedic roles. After first rising to prominence with roles in acclaimed films such as '' Ship o ...

, and '' Subterfuge'' (1968) starring

Gene Barry Gene Barry (born Eugene Klass; June 14, 1919 – December 9, 2009) was an American stage, screen, and television actor and singer. Barry is best remembered for his leading roles in the films '' The Atomic City'' (1952) and ''The War of the Worl ...

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

played the spy Harry Palmer in '' The Ipcress File'' (1965), and four sequels. The semi-parody '' Licensed to Kill'' a.k.a. ''The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World'' (1965), directed by

Lindsay Shonteff Lindsay Craig Shonteff (5 November 1935 – 11 March 2006) was a Canadian born film director, film producer and screenwriter who achieved fame for low-budget films produced in the United Kingdom. Biography Lindsay Shonteff was born in Toronto, ...

, featured Bond-like agent Charles Vine. This was followed by two sequels: '' Where the Bullets Fly'' (1966), directed by

John Gilling John Gilling (29 May 1912 – 22 November 1984) was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was known for his horror film, horror movies, especially those he made for Hammer Films, for whom he directed ''The Shadow of the ...

, and an obscure Spanish production '' O.K. Yevtushenko'' a.k.a. '' Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy'' (1968). Shonteff went on to direct three more films with a similar spy named "Charles Bind": '' Number One of the Secret Service'' (1970), '' Licensed to Love and Kill'' a.k.a. ''The Man from S.E.X.'' (1979), and ''Number One Gun'' (1990). In the 21st century, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, William Davies wrote the ''

Johnny English ''Johnny English'' is a 2003 spy action comedy film directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies. It is a British-French venture produced by StudioCanal and Working Title Films, and distributed by Unive ...

'' franchise, a series of spy-

action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...

films starring

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles in the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and in the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003– ...

parodying the

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

genre.

American films

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

'', ''

Our Man Flint ''Our Man Flint'' is a 1966 American spy-fi comedy film that parodies the ''James Bond'' film series. The film was directed by Daniel Mann, written by Hal Fimberg and Ben Starr (from a story by Hal Fimberg), and starred James Coburn as maste ...

'', '' The Silencers'', ''

Murderers' Row Murderers' Row were the baseball teams of the New York Yankees in the late 1920s, widely considered some of the best teams in history. The nickname is particularly used for the first six hitters in the 1927 team lineup: Earle Combs, Mark Koen ...

'' (all 1966), '' The Ambushers'', '' In Like Flint'' (both 1967), '' A Man Called Dagger'' (1968), and ''The Wrecking Crew'' (1969).

Post-sixties parodies

Two French films starring

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

, 2006's '' OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies'' (set in 1955) and 2009's '' OSS 117: Lost in Rio'' (set in 1967) both recreate the style of the period and parody the spy genre for a new audience. The American

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...

series (1997–2002) of three comedies starring

Mike Myers Michael John Myers, (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His accolades include seven MTV Movie & TV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood W ...

are set in the 1960s and 1970s. The trio parodies

and other Eurospy films.

, as a character similar to his Harry Palmer role ('' The Ipcress File'', et al.), plays Powers' father in the third film, ''

Austin Powers in Goldmember ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' is a 2002 American spy comedy film directed by Jay Roach. It is the third and final installment in the ''Austin Powers'' film series and stars Mike Myers in four different roles: Austin Powers, Dr. Evil, Goldme ...

'' (2002). The Spanish film '' Anacleto: agente secreto''/''Spy Time'' (2015) reimagines the 1964 comic hero for the screen.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eurospy Film 1964 introductions Cinema of France Cinema of Germany Cinema of Italy Cinema of Spain Film genres Italian films by genre Spy films Exploitation films