In my January 2011 review I described that 1969 James Bond wannabe as 'lethargic' and "an all round waste of time, money and talent" but it's positively Citizen Kanesian compared to this dreadful, cut-rate British Bond spoof.
It doesn't take him long to discover the criminal mastermind behind these nefarious deeds. Carl Petersen (James Villiers) stands to make an eye-popping 8 million pounds if the plane is not ready on time, and he's using his army of robot dolly birds to make sure he can cash in.
The robots are actually a bevy of scantily clad young ladies with electronic brains who ruthlessly use their looks to lead men to their death, although their appeal is more that of a reasonably attractive office worker than a genuinely alluring Bond femme fatale. But, to put it in context, this is Great Britain 1969 when a bottle of Blue Nun was considered the height of sophistication, so I really shouldn't expect too much.
Drummond certainly doesn't and appears to be thoroughly enjoying himself as a consequence. It's standard sexist stuff which, depending on your outlook, you'll either find a charming throwback to an earlier less politically-correct time, or offensive and patronising in its objectifying of young women.
For me, the overwhelming sensation was boredom.
The story is feeble, nonsensical and punctured with numerous holes big enough to march a large army of orange bikini-clad robo-babes through, the acting is lame, the thrills limp, and the special effects spectacularly cheap and ordinary.
Just another black mark against the British film industry, SOME GIRLS DO is one of those movies that leaves you wondering why anybody ever thought it would be a good idea to invest time and money in.
"The story is feeble, nonsensical and punctured with numerous holes big enough to march a large army of orange bikini-clad robo-babes through, the acting is lame, the thrills limp and the special effects spectacularly cheap and ordinary."
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, precisely the same can be said for the films in cinemas today, and that's really a disgrace. There's absolutely no excuse for filmmakers not learning and improving over the years.
As for Some Girls Do, it was very much a product of its time. As a result, if people today can't check their politically correct baggage at the door before viewing it, that's a problem with them and not the film. The film set out to be a very tongue-in-cheek, stylish addition to the sixties spy movie trend and to that extent it succeeded.
My mum was lucky enough to meet Richard Johnson back in 1968; she said he was a lovely, charming guy. He was filming a movie called Lady Hamilton at the time, in which he played Admiral Nelson.
ReplyDeleteWatched Some Girls Do recently and rather enjoyed it. Sure, it'll never be award winning stuff but it's a bit of harmless 60s kitsch escapism.