Here’s a new Italian guide to Italian Spy films by Daniele Magni. The domestic spy film genre has received almost no coverage whatsoever among the Italian film community to date, so it’s nice to see that they’re getting some attention at last. But, it does have to be said that this is a Bloodbuster publication (they’re the guys who did Cinici, infame e violenti, a book on poliziotteschi which I found a tad disappointing). It’s 220 pages and costs €20.
The jacket blurb goes like this (my translation):
Everyone knows James Bond, Agent 007. But how many remember Agent 077, or agent Joe Walker, or agent 3S3, cheap copies of Ian Fleming’s celebrated character made in Italy? Yet each of these characters was so successful that they were the protagonist not only of one, but a series of films. Within a few years, between 1965 and 1968, Italy produced (or rather co-produced) just under two hundred films in the espionage genre, in the wake of success of the 007 films. By the law of numbers, at least some of these films are worthy of rediscovery. Follow us on this journey into one of the less popular genres of Italian film, and you will be surprised to find how many Agents licensed to kill by Cinecittàconquered the world …
Here’s a link to Thrauma, who have it in stock. If anyone does get this, please post about it (it’s a bit beyond my budget at the moment, I’m afraid)
