The spy movie craze inspired by the popularity of the James Bond franchise was at its height in the mid-sixties, and among those who tried to capitalize on it was director Basil Dearden, who made this lighthearted take on the genre in 1965.
Adapted by Michael Relph and William Goldman (in his first effort as a screenwriter) from a novel by Victor Canning, the complicated plot revolves around an attempt by British intelligence to secure lucrative oil drilling rights in a fictional Middle Eastern kingdom by kidnapping the pro-Western fourteen-year-old prince who will soon be ascending the throne before his nefarious pro-Russian uncle can do away with him.
The man assigned by affably befuddled Sir Robert (John Le Mesurier), head of the intelligence service, to oversee the operation is war hero Colonel Drexel (Jack Hawkins). Drexel insists on employing an old comrade in arms, an impecunious American soldier of fortune David Frazer (Cliff Robertson), to be the boy’s caretaker until he comes of age. After a show of reluctance, he agrees to accept the job.
They succeed in snatching the young man in an audacious assault and take him to a seaside castle in Spain for safekeeping, but trouble arises in the form of a traveling circus troupe led by beret-wearing Serrassin (Michel Piccoli). They appear to be simple smugglers but are actually out to kidnap the prince from the kidnappers. What follows is a succession of double and triple-crosses, people who turn out to be not what they seem, and action sequences that include a perilous climb on the castle’s walls and a chase along a collapsing rope bridge. Romance also enters in the person of Sophie (Melissa Mell), a member of Serrassin’s crew who becomes an on-again, off-again ally of Frazer’s.
Masquerade benefits from some snappy dialogue, colorful locations, and a strong supporting cast, which also includes such standout English character actors as Charles Gray, Bill Fraser, and Tutte Lemkow. Though Robertson does everything asked of him, he never seems entirely at ease in the role; while he captures Frazer’s wide-eyed amazement at the events unfolding around him, in the final analysis, he lacks the dashing leading-man charm the part cries out for. As a result, the picture is moderately amusing, but never really takes off.
The extras are meager—the theatrical trailer and an audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Chris Poggiali. Though it falls short of the best examples of the sixties spy spoof genre, it proves an agreeable enough watch, and the transfer is reasonably good. A strong optional purchase.