Heroes come in many forms. In Mrs. Pollifax: Spy, the Leslie H.
Martinson-directed film adapted from the mystery series by Dorothy
Gilman, spirited civilian widow is one form nobody particularly expected
to see, but Emily Pollifax will not be deterred.
Although she
has no experience, she’s done her research, and she knows what a
dangerous job awaits her if she proceeds with her plan to act as courier
for the secret service. Unfazed by the obstacles before her, she takes
on her first mission under the guidance of skeptical, bespectacled Mason
(James Wellman) and bemused, balding Carstairs (Dana Elcar). Perhaps it
seems a bad idea to send an untrained woman approaching her golden
years all the way to Mexico to retrieve a valuable object, but the
would-be spy certainly doesn’t see it that way. Instead, she embraces
her important mission with gusto.
Plucky Mrs. Pollifax does her
best with the task handed to her for her time south of the border, but
it isn’t until she winds up kidnapped and on a plane with laconic Agent
Farrell (Darren McGavin) that her adventure really heats up. It’s at
this point that these very different people must put their heads
together to outwit their captors, even if it means withstanding torture.
Yes, they have landed themselves in a precarious position…
I’ve
never read any of Gilman’s novels, so I have no basis for comparison
here in terms of faithfulness to characters or story, but I found this
to be a fairly engrossing movie, especially once McGavin, who I
previously knew only as the potty-mouthed, disgruntled dad in A Christmas Story,
shows up. Bringing irrepressible nerve and charm to the role of Mrs.
Pollifax is Rosalind Russell, who has a mature beauty about her here.
Before
long, the widow manages to endear herself to several of the men holding
her prisoner. In particular, she finds allies in youthful sergeant
Lulash (John Beck), ailing but jovial general Berisha (Nehemiah Persoff)
and shrewd colonel Nexdhet (Harold Gould). I found myself hoping they
might even end up willingly aiding her and Farrell in an escape.
Russell
and McGavin play well off of each other, with her spunk and his sarcasm
evenly matched. I often caught myself laughing aloud over their
interactions, particularly McGavin’s dry barbs. True, the movie does
drag a bit at times, and it could benefit from smoother editing. Some
transitions left me wondering whether I had missed some crucial detail,
while some scenes simply go on longer than necessary. However, the
dynamic between the leads kept my attention, and I loved seeing Mrs.
Pollifax’s clever way of wriggling into the good graces of nearly
everyone she meets. She gets high marks for both determination and
diplomacy.
Despite their fairly minimal presence in the film, I
also enjoyed Carstairs and Mason, who still turn up intermittently once
the main action has moved to Mexico. Like Farrell and Pollifax, they
have different enough personalities that most of their interactions are
humorous, albeit more subtly so.
Adventure abounds toward the
end of the film as the focus shifts from escaping prison to escaping
Albania. The shift in tone toward outright action feels a bit abrupt,
but it injects an extra jolt of energy into the final portion of the
movie. Yuletide festivities courtesy of the Albanian officers add to the
fun here, especially since this takes place nowhere near Christmas and
their way of celebrating is a little unconventional, as are their tree
decorations. On the whole, I got a kick out of this light-hearted spy
flick.
My parents, who watched it with me, weren’t particularly
enthralled, but it was fairly late when I turned it on, so that may have
been partly to blame. Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t seem to be
available on home video or DVD, but Netflix has is on Instant Viewing.
Apparently it also turns up frequently on Turner Classic Movies as well.
If you like a good mix of comedy and espionage, my first recommendation is for you to watch Chuck, the NBC series currently in its fourth season. Rarely have I seen such a perfect blend of genres. Mrs. Pollifax: Spy
doesn’t achieve that level of humor or pathos, but if you have a couple
of hours to kill, this 1971 movie is pretty fun. Kinda makes me wish
I’d read the books; I might have to do something about that…
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