Masquerade avoids the camp theatrics and outlandish gadgetry of the James Bond films and concentrates instead on the unpredictable nature of the secret agent business with its constantly shifting alliances and secret agendas. Other pluses include a witty script (based on the novel Castle Minerva by Victor Canning), exotic locations, and a distinguished international cast including the alluring Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, and Charles Gray (the narrator of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975).
Director Basil Dearden, who first attracted rave reviews for his intelligent treatment of controversial topics (race relations in Sapphire (1959), homosexuality in Victim, 1961), keeps things moving along at a brisk clip in Masquerade with occasional detours into the bizarre: a sequence where Robertson is lured into a circus ring and beaten by crackling clowns is particularly memorable. But the real scene-stealer in this spy caper is Jack Hawkins who remains unflappable in even the most extreme situations, tossing off dry one-liners with a world-weary delivery. Unfortunately, Hawkins would lose his voice to throat cancer the following year but he continued working in films until his death in 1973 (His speaking parts were dubbed by other actors).
Producer: Michael Relph
Director: Basil Dearden
Screenplay: William Goldman, Michael Relph
Production Design: Donald M. Ashton
Cinematography: Otto Heller
Costume Design: Beatrice Dawson
Film Editing: John D. Guthridge
Original Music: Philip Green
Cast: Cliff Robertson (David Frazer), Jack Hawkins (Col. Drexel), Marisa Mell (Sophie), Christopher Witty (Prince Jamil), Bill Fraser (Dunwoody).
by Jeff Stafford
