‘Our Man in Havana’ next

With a screenplay by Graham Greene based on his “entertainment” of the same name, “Our Man in Havana” is the third and last collaboration of Greene and British director Carol Reed. It follows their now-classic hit, “The Third Man” (shown during the winter 2006 series of Movies at the Library) and “The Fallen Idol,” another classic film. In this case, it unites Mr. Reed and “Idol” star Ralph Richardson. 


The film is wonderful for a number of reasons. First, of course, Mr. Reed is a brilliant director and he brings to this film the same visual language he used in “Third Man,” the striking black and white photography of Oswald Morris. It also features a cast of great actors, British and American, and places them in actual Havana locations as the director was able to complete major filming in 1959 just before Castro came to power. The film contrasts the bustling streets and bars of Havana’s working class neighborhoods with the country clubs and retreats of the very wealthy.


The cast is led by the incomparable Alec Guinness as the unexceptional vacuum cleaner salesman Wormold, who is picked by British Secret Service agent Noel Coward to join the service as their “man in Havana.” Wormold signs on, attracted by the money that will enable him to remove his teenaged daughter from the attentions of the corrupt Capt. Segura, a role Ernie Kovacs was born to play. Joined by Maureen O’Hara cast against type as Wormold’s devoted secretary, and Burl Ives as his German drinking buddy, three distinct comic styles are on display giving Mr. Greene’s drily witty dialogue an especial sparkle.


In the end, however, the sparkle and fun make way for the very real sense of danger Wormold faces in confrontation with Segura, reminiscent of the conclusion of “Third Man.” This is not quite in the same league as Reed’s and Greene’s other films, but it is a delightful spy spoof and worthy of 117 minutes of your time. So, see you at the movies!