Our Man in Marrakesh

Our Man in Marrakesh
Our Man in Marrakesh
	British cinema poster
Directed by	Don Sharp
Written by	Peter Yeldham
Based on	original story by Peter Welbeck (Harry Alan Towers)
Produced by	Harry Alan Towers
Starring	Tony Randall; Senta Berger; Herbert Lom; Wilfrid Hyde-White; Terry-Thomas
Cinematography	Michael Reed
Edited by	Teddy Darvas
Music by	Malcolm Lockyer
Production; company	Marrakesh Film
Distributed by	Anglo-Amalgamated; American International Pictures (US)
Release date	5 May 1966 (UK);
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Our Man in Marrakesh (released in North America as Bang! Bang! You're Dead!) is a 1966 British comedy spy film shot in Morocco produced and co-written by Harry Alan Towers, directed by Don Sharp and starring Tony Randall, Herbert Lom and Senta Berger.^[2]^[3]

Plot

One of six travellers who catch the bus from Casablanca airport to Marrakesh is carrying $2 million to pay a powerful local man (Herbert Lom) to fix United Nations 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 courier 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

Tony Randall as Andrew Jessel
Senta Berger as Kyra Stanovy
Terry-Thomas as El Caid
Herbert Lom as Mr Casimir
Wilfrid Hyde-White as Arthur Fairbrother
Grégoire Aslan as Achmed
John Le Mesurier as George Lillywhite
Klaus Kinski 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.^[4] 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. 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.^[5]

Reception

Our Man in Marrakesh opened in London on 5 May 1966, the same day as A Man Could Get Killed and the day before Modesty Blaise. This caused the critic in The Times 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, but comparatively lacking in wit. However, the film gets some credit for a colourful chase through Marrakesh's dyers' quarter.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b The Times, 5 May 166, page 20: Humorous variations on theme of the secret agent - found in The Times Digital Archive 2014-07-20
^ Hal Erickson (2011). "Our Man in Marrakesh". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
^ OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 33, Iss. 384, (Jan 1, 1966): 96.
^ Vagg, Stephen (27 July 2019). "Unsung Aussie Filmmakers: Don Sharp – A Top 25". Filmink.
^ Sharp, Don (2 November 1993). "Don Sharp Side 4" (Interview). Interviewed by Teddy Darvas and Alan Lawson. London: History Project. Retrieved 14 July 2021.