''Our Man in Marrakesh'' (also known as ''Intriga Brutal''; U.S. title: ''Bang! Bang! You're Dead!'') is a 1966 British comedy

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 ...

directed by

Don Sharp Donald Herman Sharp (19 April 192114 December 2011) was an Australian film director. His best known films were made for Hammer Film Productions, Hammer in the 1960s, and included ''Kiss of the Vampire (film), Kiss of the Vampire'' (1963) and ' ...

and starring

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor of film, television and stage. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in the 1970–1975 television adaptation of ...

Herbert Lom Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru (11 September 1917 – 27 September 2012), known professionally as Herbert Lom (), was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegan ...

and

Senta Berger Senta Verhoeven (née Berger; ''Austrian German:'' , ; born 13 May 1941) is an Austrian-German actress. She received many award nominations for her acting in theatre, film, and television; her awards include three Bambi (prize), Bambi Awards, t ...

. It was written by

Peter Yeldham Peter Alan Yeldham (25 April 1927 – 20 September 2022) was an Australian screenwriter for motion pictures and television, playwright and novelist whose career spanned five decades. Biography Peter Yeldham was born in Gladstone, near Smitht ...

from a story by

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 f ...

(as Peter Welbeck) and produced by Towers. In the film, a

courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

transports the

bribe Bribery is the corrupt solicitation, payment, or acceptance of a private favor (a bribe) in exchange for official action. The purpose of a bribe is to influence the actions of the recipient, a person in charge of an official duty, to act contrar ...

money intended to pay for a fixed vote in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. The courier's identity is unknown, but they are thought to be one of the six persons traveling from

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

on a bus. Intrigue surrounds the traveling group.

Plot

One of six travellers who catch the bus from

airport to

is carrying $2 million to pay a powerful local man (Herbert Lom) to fix

votes on behalf of an unnamed nation. But not even the powerful man knows which of them it is - and his background checks reveal that at least three of them aren't who they claim to be. As agents from other nations may be among them, he and his henchmen have to be very careful until the

chooses to reveal himself - or herself. Amidst the international espionage and involvement of criminal gangs, an American businessman finds himself at the centre of the situation and, assisted by an attractive super-spy, must set out to clear his name.

Main cast

as Andrew Jessel *

as Kyra Stanovy *

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 ...

as El Caid *

as Mr Casimir *

Wilfrid Hyde-White Wilfrid Hyde-White (né Hyde White; 12 May 1903 – 6 May 1991) was an English actor. Described by Philip French as a "classic British film archetype", Hyde-White often portrayed droll and urbane upper-class characters. He had an extensive stage ...

as Arthur Fairbrother *

Grégoire Aslan Grégoire Aslan (born Krikor Kaloust Aslanian (); 28 March 1908 – 8 January 1982) was a Swiss-Armenian actor and musician. Early life He was born to an Armenian family in Switzerland or in Constantinople, according to different sources. He m ...

as Achmed *

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...

as George Lillywhite *

Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...

as Jonquil * Margaret Lee as Samia Voss * Emile Stemmler as hotel clerk * Helen Sanguinetti as Madame Bouseny * Francisco Sánchez as Martinez * William Sanguinetti as police chief * Hassan Essakali as motorcycle policeman * Keith Peacock as Philippe * Burt Kwouk as the import manager

Production

Writer Yeldham and director Sharp were both Australians who worked several times with Harry Alan Towers. Sharp said "it had a cast which showed you where the money had come from." The film was shot in Morocco using "frozen" funds owed to

Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American film studio, filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and th ...

. Sharp says just before filming started Warner's revealed that the exchange rate meant their funds would not cover the cost for the whole film so Towers had to scramble to raise additional financing. This involved Towers arranging for suitcases of cash to be smuggled into the country.

Reception

''Our Man in Marrakesh'' opened in London on 5 May 1966, the same day as ''

A Man Could Get Killed ''A Man Could Get Killed'' is a 1966 American Adventure film, adventure comedy film directed by Ronald Neame and Cliff Owen, shot on various locations in Portugal and starring James Garner, Melina Mercouri, Sandra Dee, Anthony Franciosa, and Rob ...

'' and the day before ''

Modesty Blaise ''Modesty Blaise'' is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author Peter O'Donnell and illustrator Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talen ...

''. This caused the critic in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' to write a combined review titled "Humorous variations on theme of the secret agent", where ''Our Man in Marrakesh'' is noted for having a story similar to ''A Man Could Get Killed.'' The reviewer wrote: "There are one or two nice ideas, like the chase through the dyers’ quarter, with skeins of boldly-coloured wool impeding pursuer and pursued. But the dialogue is mostly so clod-hopping, especially when it tries to be funny, and is delivered so portentously, that director Don Sharp’s occasional pretty pictures fail noticeably to lighten the load." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "Nicely photographed on location and kept moving at a spanking pace, this is a spy spoof that works because it keeps the thread of the plot well in hand, spreads a few plausible red herrings, and on its own absurd level suspends disbelief without sending up the lunatic conventions. Tony Randall is a pleasantly reluctant hero, the two young women are outstandingly glamorous, Herbert Lom is sinister and suave, and the supporting cast of British stalwarts does its usual stuff with reliability and competence. There is also a 'small bonus in the belated but splendidly characteristic appearance of Terry-Thomas as the Anglophile Arab." Tony Sloman in ''The

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

Guide to Films'' gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "The excellent Tony Randall stars as an American tourist caught up in spy antics in Morocco. The scenery is fabulous and the second-rung supporting cast fun to watch, but the script and production budget would defeat the hardiest director. Still, veteran professionals such as Herbert Lom, Wilfrid Hyde White and Terry-Thomas do what they can with the material, and Klaus Kinski and John Le Mesurier turn up, too."

References

External links

''Our Man in Marrakesh''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* * *
Review of film
at Cinema Retro 1966 films 1966 action comedy films 1960s spy comedy films British spy comedy films 1960s English-language films British action comedy films Films set in Morocco Films shot in Morocco Films directed by Don Sharp Films scored by Malcolm Lockyer Films about vacationing American International Pictures films 1960s British films Works by Peter Yeldham English-language action comedy films Films about the United Nations {{1960s-UK-comedy-film-stub