Eurospy: The Forgotten Movie Genre.

When James Bond became the biggest thing in movies up to that time, dozens of European movie studios began making their own spy movies. A genre was born which we now call Eurospy.

But the origins of Eurospy go way back to the 1920s. So in this video I take a look at that history and give you a list of Eurospy movies to seek out and enjoy.

The podcasts are at:

[Laceykat]

I liked the Eurospy moves and a lot of them were released by American distributors (often with Americanized titles) and sold to independent television stations and shown in the afternoons and late nights.

[robsyers]

Ok, now I have a watch list the size of a phone book . Thank you? Love your show, thanks!

[jlovebirch]

Good general intro to a fondly-remembered genre. There are two main categories, however. The 007-inspired films are all over-the-top (male) fantasies loaded with glamour, action, and sex appeal, while the realism-based Le Carre school -- almost a separate subgenre -- features dark, gritty, scaled-down character-driven stories of moral ambiguity that often have downbeat, nihilistic endings.

[daviddeal]

Thanks for highlighting The Eurospy Guide! Nice overview!

[RecordingStudio]

You have so much info and videos, it will take me a lifetime, I just have to keep watching. Thanks

[doktorgoulfinger]

Another great Eurospy series featured Tom Adams as Charles Vine in 'Secret Best Secret Agent in the Whole World' (aka 'Licensed to Kill'), 'Where the Bullets Fly' and 'Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy'. Lindsey Shonteff, director of the first installment, later launched a semi-revival with trio of cheerfully shabby films featuring agent Charles Bind (aka Number One): 'Number One Gun'. 'Number One - Licensed to Love and Kill' and 'Number One Gun'. They were...interesting.
Love Richard Johnson's Drummond movies. One of the giant chess pieces used in 'Deadlier Than the Male' (the robot-chess game is my favorite non-Bond superspy set piece) can be seen looking over Scaramanga's shoulder in the fun house opening of 'Man With the Golden Gun'.

[matthewdavey]

I had no idea there were so many. Thanks again!

[iakona]

I was a little bit shocked to recently watch Belmondo in That Man from Rio. Belmondo is a tremendous mover. He’s got great quickness and physical dexterity.

[wadeheaton]

I like to translate Der Spieler (as in Dr. Mabuse, Der Spieler) as The Player. He's a gambler all right, but he's also an Actor ( Schauspieler) and a Swindler (Spielmann).

[krizcapricornstar]

I would love a good doc on James Bond-inspired/ripoffs, of course, a great deal of overlap with the amazing info supplied in this vid but including the likes of Matt Helm, Flint, etc.

[MarcColten-uspl]

I'm glad you recognized The Deadly Affair as a John le Carre novel. It was made from his first novel A Call For The Dead, although they certainly made every effort to muddy the connection. Change names, change plot points but it's a damn good movie.

[iakona]

This is a great subject and a great film genre. Thank you.

[zombiehaiku]

Modesty Blaise… I fell in love watching that movie.

[dcdad]

My fave, if you agree that it is Eurospy, is "Danger: Diabolik" starring John Phillip Law.

[greenmonsterprod]

MST3K featured four Eurospy movies: "Million Eyes of Su-Maru", "Secret Agent Super Dragon", "Operation Double 007" (alias "OK Connery") and "Danger!! Death Ray!". The MSTed versions of the latter three have been released, with "Double 007" and "Death Ray" being among their funniest episodes. "Million Eyes" is from their original KTMA season and isn't on home video, but is on YouTube. Oh, and regarding "Deadlier Than the Male", I'm still hoping some enterprising video artist will put together a Maurice Binder-style title sequence for the theme song from the Walker Brothers. It would've been perfect for a real Bond movie.

[mikehobart]

wow, saw some of those movies when they first came out, never thought of them as part of the same genre -- and I read some of the OSS 117 novels in the 1960s too.

[jlovebirch]

The inexpensive "Cold War Thrillers" 6-film DVD is worth having with Hammerhead, The Executioner, Otley, The Deadly Affair, et al.

[therdpill]

Cool video. Thanks, will check out a few of the mentioned films. By the way: Jess Franco has - at least - three more Eurospy movies, and in my opinion much better ones than the mentioned Girl from Rio. KISS ME MONSTER and the inferior other one in this series: Two Undercover Angels (both 1969), and the really great and somewhat underrated: Lucky, the Inscrutable (1967).

[MikeGiallo]

i agree partially with the wikipedia defitinition, but thee thing is that the italians/germans and spainiards, used to search for similar titles and pass them as knock offs ( same with jaws knock offs), similar too as what happen in usa with the slasher craze where there were some proto slashers or thrillers resold as slasher movies, but although it was sold as a slasher we cant say torso is a slasher, ( similar happened with gialli and the krimi films) so i think it has its logic if wee differentiate the bond imitators, to the thrillers or spy thrillers

[davegrand]

Great stuff Terry! I have dipped my toes in the Eurospy genre, but would love to see more. Where to find the time? Ah well, a good "problem" to have I suppose.