I actually watched this for a French class, so I was getting the original dialogue, and not a translated English version. On that note, I didn't even know Anthony Perkins spoke French, much less acted in French movies, until I caught the advert for the film on TV5's website. I think about half of my joy actually came out of that--that and the fact that it's a French movie set in London. The rest of my eight stars come from the incredibly stupid and cheesy dialogue (which I loved), especially the scene in which Harry-Perkins' character-tells Penelope-Bardot's character-that he is a spy, and another man is, too, and that he has lied to her. She responds, "I love spies: they're tall, and handsome, and smart, like you!" After watching the Maxwell Smart sort of demeanor that Perkins gives off, that line made me laugh like crazy. The ending makes it even better, in retrospect. The reason I've got a spoiler tag on this comment is because of the particular scene I absolutely have to mention. Harry is, at one point, absolutely sure that Penelope's grandmother has been murdered; he runs to her house, and runs to the grandmother's room. He stops short at the door, horrified, as he sees a pair of feet sticking out from behind a corner. At this point, we know the grandmother's got to live, because she's witty and fun, and let's face it, this isn't a real spy film. The only thing I could think of during this scene was Norman Bates parading around the basement of the Bates Motel, with a butcher knife, his mother's dress, and a wig, screaming at the cops. I had to stop the movie to get a hold of myself. Any fan of Maxwell Smart would enjoy this movie--get the French version with English subtitles, and it will be all the better.
Review of Agent 38-24-36
