The Cape Town Affair (1967)

Beautiful, moving film.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Cocky pickpocket Sky McCoy (an insipid performance by James Brolin, who looks mighty handsome, but projects all the charisma of a 200 pound block of wood) steals a microfilm from a purse on a bus that various government agents from different countries want for themselves.While the basic premise sounds pretty gripping and exciting, this movie alas fizzles more than sizzles due to Robert D. Webb's bland direction, a crippling paucity of tension, a plodding pace, and a blah script that gets bogged down in too much tedious talk. Fortunately, the solid acting from a capable cast just manages to keep this picture watchable: Jacqueline Bisset as the feisty Candy (Bisset looks positively ravishing in this film!), Claire Trevor as brassy old dame informant Sam Williams, Bob Courtney as the no-nonsense Captain Herrick, John Whiteley as slimy traitorous jerk Joey, and Gordon Mulholland as hard-nosed police chief Du Plessis. Moreover, the groovy jazz score by Bob Adams and Joe Kentridge does the right-on boppin' trick while David Millin's competent cinematography makes the most out of the gorgeous Cape Town scenery. This listless picture finally bursts to life towards the end with an fierce fist fight between Brolin and Whiteley, but it's a classic case of too little too late. A passable diversion at best.

This is now starting to be a chore. I'm getting down to my last few films in the Mill Creek Mystery Collection of two hundred and fifty movies, and it's getting more and more difficult to pay attention. This is a somewhat convoluted story involving a pickpocket and Communists and some kind of secret chemical formula but don't ask me anything beyond that. It's just not worth it.And please don't tell me that was Claire Trevor in the role credited to Claire Trevor. Gosh, what happened to her? Give me instead the actress from 1939's "Stagecoach" or 1948's "Key Largo". I know actors and actresses get older but I didn't recognize her here even after seeing her name in the opening credits.Still need a recommendation? OK, it's got James Brolin and Jacqueline Bisset in early lead roles, but this was before they became actors. Try to stay focused here and it's nearly impossible. At least Bisset was appropriately named, her character was Candy. As in eye candy. After that, it's all down hill.

A waste of time. Not worth watching. No wonder the film played as a support on its original theatrical release. Filmed in murky color (but cleaned up for DVD) and directed in a thoroughly routine, flat-footed style — long shots bisected with endless pedestrian close-ups — Cape Town Affair is worse than routine. It's amazing how little tension, and how piffling the suspense, the present writers, director and players manage to extract from a scenario that was originally tautly exciting. How slowly paced, how tediously drawn out, how downright wearisome each scene now appears! How sparse the dramatic impact Webb is able to furnish from his real Cape Town (South Africa) locations! True, he is hampered by a script that even in its 82-minute version is unmercifully padded out, over-extended and over-weighted with extraneous dialogue. The players are no help whatever. Claire Trevor has a grand time chewing up the scenery in the Thelma Ritter role, but her performance is an utter bore. The same goes for Jacqueline Bisset (who is not very flatteringly photographed or costumed to boot) and James Brolin (who exhibits very little in the way of charisma).

The best part of this film is the opportunity to visit Cape Town, South Africa during the height of Apartheid. As a low-budget, spy thriller, it is shot in as many unmodified local settings as possible. Street shots are right in the heart of the downtown and there are harbor shots and scenes from within the Police Headquarters. The photos on the wall give away the time frame as well.Claire Trevor is the only actor credited in some Film Compendia and I wonder if both Brolin and Bisset paid not to be listed!Brolin plays a hard-boiled petty thief and "Jacky" Bisset plays a runner for the spy ring. Claire Trevor plays Sam, the connecting character to the world of petty crime and espionage.