Operation C.I.A.
| Operation C.I.A. | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Christian Nyby |
| Written by | Bill S. Ballinger Peer J. Oppenheimer |
| Produced by | Peer J. Oppenheimer |
| Starring | Burt Reynolds Danielle Aubry John Hoyt Kieu Chinh Vic Diaz Marsh Thomson |
| Cinematography | Richard Moore |
| Edited by | Joseph Gluck George Watters |
| Music by | Paul Dunlap |
Production company | HeiRaMatt |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Vietnamese |
| Budget | $70,000[1] |
Operation C.I.A. is a 1965 black-and-white spy film directed by Christian Nyby and starring Burt Reynolds and John Hoyt.[2]
Plot
[edit | edit source]CIA agent Stacey learns of a plan to assassinate the American ambassador to Vietnam, but is killed by a bomb before he can inform his superiors. Secret agent Mark Andrews is sent to Saigon to take his place. Andrews poses as a university professor as a cover while he attempts to prevent the assassination, which is expected to occur sometime within the next five days.[3]
Cast
[edit | edit source]- Burt Reynolds as CIA Agent Mark Andrews
- John Hoyt as Wells
- Kieu Chinh as Kim-Chinh
- Danielle Aubry as Denise
- Cyril Collick as Withers
- William Catching as Frank Decker
- Vic Diaz as Professor Yen
- Marsh Thomson as CIA Agent Stacey
Production
[edit | edit source]The film was originally titled Last Message from Saigon with an announcement made in 1964 it would be filmed in Saigon, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Allied Artists filmed A Yank in Viet-Nam on actual South Vietnamese locations, but the security situation had deteriorated to such an extent that the safety of the filmmakers could not be guaranteed.[4]
Filming began in Bangkok in January 1965.[5]
Said Reynolds:
I got to fight a boa constrictor and he gave the best performance in the movie.[1]
Producer Peer Oppenheimer later signed Reynolds to appear with Diane Cilento in Deadly Contest, to be filmed in Germany, but the project did not happen.[6]
In popular culture
[edit | edit source]Operation C.I.A. was referenced in the Archer episode "The Man from Jupiter", in which Reynolds makes a guest appearance as himself. Sterling Archer claims the film inspired him to become a secret agent, to which Reynolds replies "that film was just god-awful."
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b BURT PRELUTSKY: Two Centerfolds Los Angeles Times 24 Dec 1972: k14
- ^ OPERATION C.I.A. Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 32, Iss. 372, (Jan 1, 1965): 168.
- ^ Devine, Jeremy M. Vietnam at 24 Frames a Second: University of Texas Press, p. 22
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ FILMLAND EVENTS: Danielle Aubry Gets 'Message From Saigon' Los Angeles Times 21 Jan 1965: C9.
- ^ MOVIE CALL SHEET: Aldrich Plans Western Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 13 Aug 1965: c7.
External links
[edit | edit source]- Operation C.I.A. at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Operation C.I.A. at Rotten TomatoesLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- 1965 films
- 1960s spy thriller films
- Allied Artists films
- American black-and-white films
- American spy thriller films
- Cold War spy films
- Films directed by Christian Nyby
- Films set in Saigon
- Films shot in Thailand
- Vietnam War films
- 1965 drama films
- 1960s English-language films
- 1960s American films
- English-language spy thriller films
- 1960s thriller film stubs
- 1960s American film stubs